chocolate & racism

[baratron]

I am officially Out Of Chocolate.

I'm just hoping that my damn Montezuma's parcel comes tomorrow... it was SUPPOSED to arrive today! If it doesn't, I can see myself melting down some of my drinking chocolate and eating that. Hrm.

This is a good article which has me applauding: No offence, but why are all white men so aggressive? Turn round the questions asked of black people and you may get the point.

I really must dig out all my half-written lj entries and finish them soon. Not least of all the writeup of alt.polycon 11 & my last US trip ;) Tonight is however not the time - I'm insanely tired for some reason. Think I'll go to bed at a sensible hour - for once.

Comments

[elisem.livejournal.com]

Good article, yes indeed!

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I often like to play that game with genders.

The question that drives me absolutely around the bend lately is the, "Where are you from? But, really?" one. I get that all the time. You know, I'm Canadian. I was born in Ottawa. It's the capital of the country. All of the relatives I know are French Canadian. I have lived all my life in Canada aside from one year in the U.S., in Michigan. My first and *only* fluent language is English, although I can get by for very simple reading exercises in French. I watched Canadian and U.S. television and grew up on Canadian and U.S. music. My mother is French Canadian. My father is originally from Pakistan, but moved to Canada for University.

Ohhh! Pakistani. Okay.

FFFFFUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK

And I don't swear often.

Seriously, someone (probably at work) is going to wind up with a puncture wound someday.

Where are you from? But, really?

[(Anonymous)]

Someone (non-white, as it happens) at my new job recently asked me: "We've been wondering what your ethnic background is?" I found it really refreshing to have someone just ASK, like it wasn't a dirty question.

I used to play dumb when I was younger and keep pretending that I didn't know what the questioner was really asking about.

Now I tend to give the straight answer first - i.e., where I live, my nationality (Welsh)...and then cut to the chase and say "Did you mean where my folks are from? My ethnic background?". Which lets me drag some of those assumptions out to where the sunlight can do some good, without actually getting people on the defensive and shutting their brains down. It also means I get to frame the question, and maybe the wording they use next time they get curious *won't* suggest that they either think the person they're asking doesn't belong in this country, or that they somehow think it's a bit rude of them to have noticed that the person isn't white, etc, etc ...

draenog

Re: Where are you from? But, really?

[baratron.livejournal.com]

draenog! Long time no speak (write, whatever). I've been thinking about trying to get back in contact with you for a few months, but not really acquired enough tuits to get round to it.

How're you?