The Hegel piece really made me angry after initially reading it. It really blew my mind that he could actually think of people in such a way. Honestly, it was such a dose of reality because it made me realize that not only does Hegel think this way but other people do as well. In his writing, he depicts the Africans as savages and cannibals without reason and dehumanizes them.He talks about them from a western outsider point of view without really knowing anything about them. Not only does he not have a firsthand experience observing them or trying to understand, he is also extremely biased and racist and this is obvious from the tone of his writing.
It is unfortunate that many descriptions of pre-colonized civilizations are told by the white man and that our societal norms come from western and European culture. This is the reason that oftentimes we unknowingly form opinions and assumptions about people that are different from us. It may not be conscious but we apply stereotypes to everyone we meet and either adjust or add on them as we learn about people. It is unfair but true and it has an impact on both the people stereotyped and those they interact with. Perhaps to create real understanding and acceptance in the world, we must break down the very foundations of our society and the things we think we know and start all over again from scratch. This time with an open mind and no judgments.