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The Blue Wildebeest: Shattering Stereotypes
When you look at the blue wildebeest, you see a shattered stereotype.
The blue wildebeest is native to the African continent. Unfortunately, Africa struggles with several negative stereotypes relating to its ecosystems. The blue wildebeest is able to find power in community, courage, and courtesy to escape these stereotypes. By breaking the mold, the blue wildebeest create positive change in their surrounding environments while also providing a powerful example of how we, as humans, ought to live. Come explore how these beautiful creatures accomplish this.
The Blue Wildebeest Standing in the African Serengeti
What stereotypes do the blue wildebeest shatter?
Poaching, deforestation, habitat loss, plant migration, and the endangerment of species are all negative stereotypes that are associated with the African biosphere. While negative and stereotypical indeed, they still hold an unfortunate amount of accuracy in many areas of Africa. However, just as with any other stereotype, there are exceptions. Enter the exceptional blue wildebeest. The blue wildebeest is able to successfully avoid virtually all of these stereotypes...but how?
Human Activity and Climate Change Lead to Many Stereotypical Detriments to African Wildlife As Seen Above
How does the blue wildebeest break out of these stereotypes?
The blue wildebeest find power in their migratory patterns. As they migrate, blue wildebeest rely on community, courage, and courtesy to avoid the aforementioned stereotypes. Let's explore each of these powerful avenues that the blue wildebeest use.
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The Blue Wildebeest's Migratory Patterns Offer Insight Into How They Are Able to Avoid The Aforementioned Stereotypes.
Community
Every year, millions of blue wildebeest migrate thousands of miles across the continent. In doing so, they build community, and this community helps them maintain a steady population. Additionally, as these wildebeest come together, they create a beautiful spectacle: an enormous stampede that National Geographic considers to be one of the seven wonders of the natural world!
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The Blue Wildebeest Are Able to Maintain a Steady Population Through Building Community As They Migrate In Huge Groups
Courage
While beautiful indeed, this migration is not without risk. While migrating, these wildebeest courageously traverse through crocodile-infested rivers and lion-dominated plains. Despite these daunting obstacles, the blue wildebeest embrace the danger because they understand that the higher importance of the journey is far more valuable than the associated risk. Without the nomadic style of constant migration, the blue wildebeest would be at risk of starvation, dehydration, or habitat loss from the effects of climate change. As they migrate, they are able to find the essentials for life while courageously combatting the dangers that come with the arduous task.
Blue Wildebeest Courageously Encounter Many Dangers on Their Journey. Just to Name a Few--Lions, Cheetahs, and Crocodiles--Oh My!
Courtesy
The higher purpose of the blue wildebeest's dangerous migration does not only serve the blue wildebeest. As these animals stampede across the continent, they graze, sustain, and fertilize thousands of hectares of land. This improves the land for future generations and other African wildlife which further helps the blue wildebeest and the African continent as a whole to escape the negative stereotypes associated with the African biosphere. It also shows that the blue wildebeest are able to leave their surroundings better than how they found them. Seems like a pretty selfless thing to do, eh? Us humans could learn a thing or two from these wildebeests!
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As Blue Wildebeest Endure Many Dangers Along Their Migration, They Still Serve Those Around Them. They Courteously Graze, Sustain, and Fertilize the Lands They Migrate Upon For Both Future Wildebeest and Other Species Such as the Zebras Pictured Above.
There Is Plenty To Learn From These Beautiful Creatures
As Shown By the Authors in "All We Can Save," Stereotypes Can Be Broken To Allow For Inclusion, Innovation, and Inspiration
Be Like A Blue Wildebeest--Shatter Stereotypes!
What Can We Learn From This Stereotype-Shattering Animal?
The blue wildebeest offers many valuable lessons for us humans to learn. They teach us that we are not bound to the stereotypes that we are expected to fit in. They teach us that community can be used to escape these stereotypes. They teach us that courage is needed to break stereotypes or to go against the status quo. They teach us to be courteous and selfless, and they teach us to attempt to serve a higher purpose than ourselves.
While these lessons may not be the easiest to accomplish, humanity already has fantastic examples to follow. Beyond the blue wildebeest, there are many people in the climate world who demonstrate how to live with community, courage, and courtesy. In our First-Year Seminar class, my cohort and I have read out of an anthology called All We Can Save. This anthology features many brilliant authors that belong to demographics that are stereotypically excluded from the world of climate science. These authors are all women, and, of these women, several are young, African-American, Indigenous, and/or from other underrepresented parts of American society. Despite their demographics being stereotypically excluded from the topic of climate science, these authors all contribute invaluable work towards the advancement of our understanding and solving of the climate crisis.
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These authors show humanity how they are able to band together, courageously fight, and courteously serve the planet and all of its inhabitants. In doing so, these authors, just like the blue wildebeest, shatter their own stereotypes. As we move ahead in this battle for a healed planet, we must remember to live like these authors and these wildebeest. In doing so, we will be able to shatter the negative stereotype of humanity's Anthropocene.