A Dutch Passport vs Phd from Ghana: A False Equivalence and Apple and Orange Argument.

A former Ghanaian who is now Dutch after acquiring a Dutch passport has started a debate on social media by arrogantly saying "A Dutch passport is more valuable than a PhD from Ghana". This has attracted significant attention on social media in the Ghanaian space. Now let us understand the terms. A Dutch passport represents citizenship and a right to travel and live in the Netherlands (and the EU). On the other hand, a PhD in Ghana represents academic achievement and expertise in a defined field.

The proponents of a Dutch passport argue that a Dutch passport offers residence in the EU, providing access to better job opportunities, education, and healthcare in the Netherlands and EU and therefore a symbol of prestige. On the other hand, a PhD from Ghana demonstrates expertise and achievements, opens research and academic opportunities, and despite its academic prestige, they claim it may not guarantee similar benefits.

Following this argument, given the power of education, I can spot fallacious arguments miles away. In this article, I will identify fallacies, nuances of this debate and why it is impossible to compare a travel document to an academic achievement due to contextual differences.

I have identified several shortcomings in this debate. First, the proponents of the Dutch passport seem to understand that obtaining a Dutch passport is more valuable than any form of education in Ghana. It appears they are not only disrespecting PhD holders but anyone with higher education in Ghana (including Lawyers, Doctors, Lecturers, Nurses, Engineers, Judges etc) who are not living their standards.

In their argument, they present what we call a "false dilemma fallacy" which seems to be supported or unspotted by many youth including graduates and students who should have known better, yet support the view that a Dutch passport is better than a PhD from Ghana. A false dilemma fallacy occurs when someone misrepresents an issue by offering only two options (Either a Dutch passport or a PhD from Ghana). Interestingly, in their opinion, they extend that having a Dutch passport provides other opportunities such as better education and healthcare in the EU (the basis of getting many literate to support a Dutch passport), and fail to understand that a PhD holder from Ghana can also relocate to EU to have same or better opportunities in EU and do far better than what "a toilet cleaner Dutch passport holder" can achieve because a white man values research and education more than someone who can only clean a toilet. Here, I use "toilet cleaner" humbly and respectfully.

Instead of reasoning to this level, many people appear to understand this debate in the context that a Phd holder will forever remain in Ghana while a Dutch passport holder explores the world without understanding that a Phd holder has better opportunities and ease of relocating and acquiring a foreign passport given his academic credentials and a promise to add value.

Another fallacy being advanced is the "hasty generalisation fallacy". This occurs when we use a few PhD holders who are still settling in life and use their current situation to conclude that all PhD holders are poor and therefore a "toilet cleaner" with a Dutch passport is better than all PhD holders without considering the many academics and professors in Ghana who have higher income, opportunities and social status and can contribute meaningfully to solving world's problems than a "toilet cleaner" in Netherland. These fallacious assumptions lead to more fallacies such as equating a PhD to getting more money. PhD is a higher academic achievement to pursue research and academic purposely to solve a problem that "a toilet cleaner" cannot solve to make life better for everybody and not for "people who only use the toilet".

In their limited argument, they concede however, that a PhD from the EU by someone with a Dutch or any other foreign passport is better than a Dutch passport. Hence, the whole argument is not about a Dutch passport being better than a PhD, but instead, a choice between poverty and riches where they assign a Dutch passport to riches and a PhD from Ghana to poverty and commonsensically people are incentivised to choose riches over poverty. Therefore, it is unfair to use a PhD as the sacrificial lamb. This line of reasoning is fallacious and not intellectually stimulating.

The reasons for getting many proponents for the Dutch passport including the educated can be explained by, first, the poverty mentality. The poverty mindset comes from having lived in poverty or being raised in a home where your parents were raised or experienced poverty. This mindset develops out of a need for survival and enduring the trauma of not having enough for basic life necessities. Hence choosing a passport over academic intelligence seems to be the best choice for the poor. Second, unemployment. Many Ghanaians including graduates are either unemployed or underemployed therefore getting less financial utility from their education and currently feel hopeless and helpless. Therefore, their decision may not be influenced by discernment but by necessity. They are just tired of living in Ghana with no hope of financial breakthroughs. Hence, it is common that out of frustration such a person now undervalues his education in the face of cleaning a "toilet abroad" with a Dutch passport because of MONEY.

Moreover, the debate is not only about academic achievement and acquiring a foreign passport but also about the tendency for African immigrants in Europe to look down upon colleagues back home. The audacity of the less educated or the borgas with less education to disrespect the educated when they become rich can be explained by the "theory of relative deprivation" and "status inconsistency. Status inconsistency refers to the mismatch between an individual's economic status and their social status. When someone from a lower socioeconomic background becomes wealthy, their economic status changes, but their social status may not necessarily follow suit. This can lead to a feeling of resentment and disrespect towards those who have maintained their higher social status through education. Relative deprivation theory explains how individuals evaluate their situation by comparing themselves to others. When someone perceives that they are relatively deprived of status, power, or wealth compared to others, they may experience feelings of frustration, resentment, and even disdain towards those who have what they perceive as unfairly denying them. In this context, poor and uneducated individuals may initially respect and admire those with education, but when they become wealthy and perceive that their own economic progress is hindered by their lack of education, they may begin to resent and disrespect those who have maintained their advantage through education.

Another theory that explains why poor and less educated people in Africa may begin to see themselves as better than their colleagues back home when they travel abroad is the "Social Identity Theory". This theory states that individuals derive a sense of identity and self-esteem from the groups they belong to. When travelling abroad, Africans may experience a shift in their social identity, leading them to:

1. Compare themselves favourably to their in-group (colleagues back home)

2. Adopt a more positive social identity (e.g., "international" or "global citizen")

3. Experience a sense of cognitive dissonance, leading them to rationalize their new status by perceiving themselves as superior

Additionally, the "Pygmalion Effect" (also known as the "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy") may play a role. This theory states that individuals' expectations and beliefs about themselves or others can influence their behaviour and performance. When Africans travel abroad, they may internalize positive expectations and beliefs about themselves, leading to a self-perceived enhancement of their abilities and status. These theories combined help explain why some Africans may develop a sense of superiority over their colleagues back home when travelling abroad.

In conclusion, living or travelling abroad can be seen as a status symbol, and given many people have it as a prayer topic in Ghana, the few who had the opportunity to travel tend to feel superior to those who haven't had the same opportunities. Moreover, I see this argument as a payback period from people who had fewer opportunities for higher education and were less recognised, and upon travelling abroad, have developed an inflated-self perception to disrespect anyone having what they lacked.

Moreover, given the economic disparities between the home country and abroad, people who are cleaning "toilets" abroad with a paper of residence from "a slave master" feel more superior and successful than educated poor (so to speak). This is more like a debate between poverty and riches than between a Dutch passport and a PhD from Ghana. The comparison does not have equal weight and therefore we commit false equivalence if we compare them. The comparison reduces complex individual experiences and opportunities to a simplistic "which one is better" narrative and lacks of consideration for individual academic experiences, aspirations and values.

Most importantly, it must be established that a PhD holder or educated Ghanaian has better critical thinking abilities to make informed decisions, has more knowledge and awareness about various aspects of life, can effectively express themselves and engage in productive dialogue, make informed choices and intellectually and innovatively contributes meaningfully to society, has strong adaptability and can fit well into changing circumstances home and abroad, can easily acquire a VISA and a Dutch passport, will be considered a more valuable resource than a less educated Dutch passport holder who can only clean a toilet.

While it is not only disrespectful, this debate wrongly assumes that a PhD holder will forever remain in Ghana and earn a meagre salary while a Dutch passport holder can explore other opportunities. This is fallacious and wrong and reflects limited cognitive ability, highlighting the need for higher education for all.

Further, they have reduced quality of life to having more money (guaranteed by foreign passport to clean toilets), a reflection of short-sightedness, and despising higher education and value addition which are fundamental goals of personal development. This can only happen in Ghana because of POVERTY MENTALITY!

Isaac Kwaku Bawuah