furor
it's interesting how when I sit down to write this blog, I always start a few sentences and then immediately erase them. they just don't sound right, come from a place in mind that is forced, not natural. I am currently writing these sentences that you are reading as an intro, mostly because I just became aware of this process, but also because I don't know what else to write right now.
so have I piqued everyone's interest yet? I hope so.
so I have decided to comment on race and stereotype today, quite a fitting topic I think, as I live in the city of brotherly love. This same city also has a very active african-american population, as well as other ethnic groups. not so many hispanic/latino people, but lots of asian, african, middle eastern etc. my neighborhood especially is teeming with different groups. I could walk out my door and see a chinese grandmother with her grandchild, a black man in full moslem garb, with his wife in full veil, only her eyes peeking out, riding in a car blaring gangsta rap, then see some white hippie folks with brickenstocks and dreaded hair, while bumping into someone of obvious middle eastern decent, modestly dressed, on his way to work. and this all within 60 seconds flat. absolutely fascinating. I think I like it so much partially because living in germany during my highly formative pre-teen and teenage years, I was living in mostly whitebread communities. Turkish people were the largest minority in germany. I was friends with some turkish people, close friends actually. Elem Memish, a very good friend for some years. One of my best friends later on in my teen years was a war refugee from the Bosnian war, 1/2 moslem and 1/2 serb. Ornela Pesic was her name, and I haven't seen her since 1999, and would do anything to see her again. anyway, I am only really trying to illustrate my encounters with people from different backrounds. I would visit the states every once and while during my life in germany, and was exposed to the US minorty groups, but it was not long enough to really sink in.
I think that because I lived in Germany for so long (9 years) I grew up feeling like an outsider anyway. It took me so long to feel comfortable there, I always felt separate, the american, I'm not like the Germans with their bad fashion sense, non-funny sense of humor and frequent narrow-minded "obrigkeitsdenken." so naturally when I met someone who was not part of that german group, I felt like they were a comrade. I had created my own little in-group as a bi-cultural person (the only other person in that group being my brother JP), and didn't expect anyone else to fall into my category, so was able to approach them with a fresh mind. Plus, as a foreigner and transplant smack dab into a new country, suddenly, I had to be good at interacting with people I knew very little about.
when I came back to the states to live (now 6 years ago - has it really been that long?) I had to adjust to so many things. culture shock was a son of a bitch, and I know it well. I got used to seeing black people not just in movies. I got used to Hispanic people ( a group I had very rarely, if at all, encountered before the age of 18), and really began to like the diversity.
My view developed as follows. Please excuse any tree-hugger terminology. I have been known to hug trees. Also, I am trying to bear in mind that this opinion may very well change, as I am still young.
On with it...
I try to approach each person I encounter with a fresh mind. a beginners mind if you will, for all eastern philosophites. I start with the generals: hi, how are you, bla bla bla. then go from there. I talk about fashion with the environmental services people at work, politics with the docs, food with others, etc. I try to think about what we have in common as human beings, what we both feel comfortable talking about, and go from there.
this applies to all people I encounter, not just in terms of racial interactions. i just find people who were not raised in my two cultures (US and Germany) damn interesting. different points of view, different ways of living, different perception of life. So much to learn from these people. such a wealth of knowlegde.
I'm not saint though. I get bored. and something often happens that I think is true for a lot of people. I tend to react more negatively to people in my racial group (white people) if they are boring me, or making me feel annoyed, than people of other descents. reverse prejudice. Psychology is a bitch isn't it? why? we walk around on tip toes trying to avoid the stinging brand of 'racist' so carefully, that we are now starting to be more accepting and permissive of people of different origins than our own.
of course, ultimately this needs to stop. I am an equalist. this is a term I invented (yeah, real fucking original). I want to treat everyone the same, regardless of race, gender, and give everyone the treatment they deserve through their actions. so by being overly indulgent or pemissive to people of other races I am not doing good in the long run. but at least I am aware of it and I can try to work on it.
food for thought.
it's late.
selah,
H
so have I piqued everyone's interest yet? I hope so.
so I have decided to comment on race and stereotype today, quite a fitting topic I think, as I live in the city of brotherly love. This same city also has a very active african-american population, as well as other ethnic groups. not so many hispanic/latino people, but lots of asian, african, middle eastern etc. my neighborhood especially is teeming with different groups. I could walk out my door and see a chinese grandmother with her grandchild, a black man in full moslem garb, with his wife in full veil, only her eyes peeking out, riding in a car blaring gangsta rap, then see some white hippie folks with brickenstocks and dreaded hair, while bumping into someone of obvious middle eastern decent, modestly dressed, on his way to work. and this all within 60 seconds flat. absolutely fascinating. I think I like it so much partially because living in germany during my highly formative pre-teen and teenage years, I was living in mostly whitebread communities. Turkish people were the largest minority in germany. I was friends with some turkish people, close friends actually. Elem Memish, a very good friend for some years. One of my best friends later on in my teen years was a war refugee from the Bosnian war, 1/2 moslem and 1/2 serb. Ornela Pesic was her name, and I haven't seen her since 1999, and would do anything to see her again. anyway, I am only really trying to illustrate my encounters with people from different backrounds. I would visit the states every once and while during my life in germany, and was exposed to the US minorty groups, but it was not long enough to really sink in.
I think that because I lived in Germany for so long (9 years) I grew up feeling like an outsider anyway. It took me so long to feel comfortable there, I always felt separate, the american, I'm not like the Germans with their bad fashion sense, non-funny sense of humor and frequent narrow-minded "obrigkeitsdenken." so naturally when I met someone who was not part of that german group, I felt like they were a comrade. I had created my own little in-group as a bi-cultural person (the only other person in that group being my brother JP), and didn't expect anyone else to fall into my category, so was able to approach them with a fresh mind. Plus, as a foreigner and transplant smack dab into a new country, suddenly, I had to be good at interacting with people I knew very little about.
when I came back to the states to live (now 6 years ago - has it really been that long?) I had to adjust to so many things. culture shock was a son of a bitch, and I know it well. I got used to seeing black people not just in movies. I got used to Hispanic people ( a group I had very rarely, if at all, encountered before the age of 18), and really began to like the diversity.
My view developed as follows. Please excuse any tree-hugger terminology. I have been known to hug trees. Also, I am trying to bear in mind that this opinion may very well change, as I am still young.
On with it...
I try to approach each person I encounter with a fresh mind. a beginners mind if you will, for all eastern philosophites. I start with the generals: hi, how are you, bla bla bla. then go from there. I talk about fashion with the environmental services people at work, politics with the docs, food with others, etc. I try to think about what we have in common as human beings, what we both feel comfortable talking about, and go from there.
this applies to all people I encounter, not just in terms of racial interactions. i just find people who were not raised in my two cultures (US and Germany) damn interesting. different points of view, different ways of living, different perception of life. So much to learn from these people. such a wealth of knowlegde.
I'm not saint though. I get bored. and something often happens that I think is true for a lot of people. I tend to react more negatively to people in my racial group (white people) if they are boring me, or making me feel annoyed, than people of other descents. reverse prejudice. Psychology is a bitch isn't it? why? we walk around on tip toes trying to avoid the stinging brand of 'racist' so carefully, that we are now starting to be more accepting and permissive of people of different origins than our own.
of course, ultimately this needs to stop. I am an equalist. this is a term I invented (yeah, real fucking original). I want to treat everyone the same, regardless of race, gender, and give everyone the treatment they deserve through their actions. so by being overly indulgent or pemissive to people of other races I am not doing good in the long run. but at least I am aware of it and I can try to work on it.
food for thought.
it's late.
selah,
H
posted by H at 9:54 PM
1 Comments:
HC,
good blog. i like exploring my underlying philosophies from time to time as well. love the pictures. I prefer third-culture kid, as you are neither fully US nor fully D, but a mix of the two, a unique blending of two cutlures to make your own, third culture. olde bouyah X
Post a Comment
<< Home