Vanuatu

Reverse Racism?

So my landlords are finally starting to “de-frost” to my presence. Not that I blame them for their not-so-hospitable attitude. After all, he is the director for the national museum / cultural centre and is known, nationally and internationally, for all the work he has done. Not that being famous automatically certifies them to being mean. But, before I digress, point of this post: so they were asking if I had any DVD’s of my place back home (i.e Pakistan, or maybe even India? I’m pretty sure they weren’t referring to Canada as “my place”.) But yes, the lady made some comment about how she’s tired of watching movies with “white man” *signaling to skin* and that she appreciates watching movies about Africans (I’m not sure if she meant African-American or African-African) or any other movie but that of the “white man.”

But isn't it that the "whites" are victims since there is growing “us-vs-them” mentality in the world? Does it justify to have this feeling of animosity and jealousy if, as a group, they have so much and others not as much? What about the common “we worked for it” claim made by certain not-so-aware individuals? Also what about the fact that they miss out on some *very* invaluable things such as being able unable to understand the culture just because they are “white” and myself, “colored”? Or is this the price they pay for all the un-acknowledged benefits they experience?

On a side note, I was told by a Caucasian friend that there is a “us-vs-them” mentality in some of my posts. And ever since, I’ve started noticing the way Ni-Vans talk. And it’s interesting, because that’s the exact thing they do while talking about volunteers and expats. So something as simple as talking to my counterpart and saying that she has to follow-up with the carpenter to make sure that he gets us the bookcase we’ve been asking for, her reply was: “be hemi no lissen to me *signaling to skin* sipos yu tok-tok witem hem, hemi mas lisnem lo yu”  but he won’t listen to me, but if you talk to him, than he’ll probably listen to you. Is this a matter of identity that people simplify to simply skin color for the sake of making things easier to communicate? Or is this really how things are perceived by people?

On a positive note, I’m still struggling, but I’m half-way to being treated like a “black man” rather than a “white man.” While that automatically implies that people are less “caring” or “careful” around you, it still feels good to know that you are getting at least a chance to somewhat understand the host culture and country.

Ending note: how do you differentiate between “Caring” and “Careful”: how do you tell when others are treating you with care, and when others are simply being careful around your?

posted by faa-T @ 10:33 PM