[Sarah]

My only experience of this alleged phenomenon was in Kenya. Some people of European and Asian descent who live in or visit Africa hold the opinion that black Africans are lazy and less productive than other races. I think one factor that has contributed to this impression is a cultural distinction that goes back centuries, because tribal people lived without the tyranny of the clock or a sense of urgency about ‘work’ — they worked hard at what was necessary for survival, and enjoyed whatever leisure time they could manage to get. Another factor that I have observed but have never heard anyone else talk about is chronic illness. In some parts of Africa, diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness are endemic — not to mention HIV/AIDS, which has decimated Africa in the last decade. Naturally, someone who is sick will not be at their best and will probably appear to be tired and ‘lazy’ because the disease saps their mental and physical energy. So perhaps the fact that Africans in colonial times were often chronically ill, and perhaps malnourished to a degree, is at the root of the impression that they are ‘lazy’ — as well as a cultural disinclination to be ruled by a 9-to-5 way of thinking about work. Just a guess!

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Name : Sarah, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 50, City : Frederick, State : MD, Country : United States, Occupation : business owner, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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