Sheba,
You are very wise in doing a survey on places where you would be welcomed and not be treated like trash. When my daughter was to decide whether to study in London or Madrid, one of her concerns was how Spaniards react to black women. She did her research, talked to black women from her school who have been in Madrid. Most of the comments she received was she will be stared at because she is black and not take it personally. I will be visiting her next month and she is so proud to tell me that she knows Madrid at the palm of her hand. I asked her about mugging, pickpockets, sexual harassment. She replied that one of the best advise she received from a friend (black) who also studied in Spain was to blend in and act like you are a long-time resident of Madrid. And another thing about Spanish men is to be firm and say in Spanish of course (I do not speak the language) "Do not bother me and leave me in peace." According to my daughter, as a non-white, she is able to explore more communities (African, Domincan)than her other friends. In the evenings, she said it always advisable to walk with someone to avoid flirtations from Spanish men. She also said how you dress is important as not to get unnecessary flirtations from guys. She now has made good friends with the locals as well as other foreign students. She moves around in Madrid with ease. Does she still get stared at because she is black, of course she does at places she visits for the first time. According to her, there are quite a number of black students studying in Madrid. She loves Spain and probably upon graduation would love to work in Barcelona. She found it more difficult to deal with com-americans who for the first time are interacting with fellow black-american on a one-to-one basis. She could not believe that some american students have never been exposed to blacks on a one-to-one basis. It goes to say that more often than not, racism is caused by ignorance or lack of interaction.

Racism is never having been exposed to blacks on a one-to-one basis?

Sounds like racism the other way round to me.

Leche

Leche, Leche, Leche...

What are we going to do with you?

Can you believe it though?! I'm offended that someone would even say that!

So does it work the other way around too? Do whites consider a racist a black person who has never had dealings with a white person? I thought racism meant assumed that there was some sort of misguided attitude which excluded someone because of race. I didn't know I could be a racist just because no black people live in my town. Perhaps the definition has expanded in recent years?

Leche

Leche,
You should not take things in a personal way. What caused people to be racially biased? Ignorance and lack of interaction. It is more difficult to travel in places where as Matador says you are a"curiosity". Why is it easy for Whites to travel in Europe? Because in Europe, they are not as Matador says "curiosity." I am not calling anybody as racist. I am describing what caused racism. If my daughter had taken personally what people say of black people, she would not have enjoyed Madrid. She realized why some people have negative attitudes towards black or event built-in steortypes -- ignorance or lack of interaction. I live in a community where we are the only non-white residents. At first, everybody stared at us. Now that we have socialized with our neighbors, their attitudes have changed and we no longer get the "cursioty looks.". The same thing has happenned with my daughter. Whenever she goes to places where she has socialized or met people, she no longer gets stupid questions or "curiosity" stare.

Leche,
I think it really depends on the individual. But, what I believe, and what I think she was trying to say, is that racism often comes from ignorance. Being ignorant doesn't mean that you are by nature a jerk, you are just underexposed to certain things and groups of people.

In my opinion, people in large cities are no less ignorant than people in small cities. Superficial contact with a particular group of people (seeing them on the train or at the mall, but not knowing anyone personally) doesn't not break down stereotypes and prejudices - no matter what group you are from and what group you are "lookin at" - korean, hispanic, black white, arab.. If that were the case, New YOrk city wouldn't have all the racial problems it does. I think what she meant by one-on-one contact, is just that, having a meaningful relationship and contact with a someone from a particular group.

It is really pretty easy to not have more than superficial contact with particular groups. I had a few really good mormon friends in Chile, that I never would have even met, had it not been for my job. I might have seen them on the street, but what does that do... Same thing with my last job, I would never have had such good muslim friends from Iraq, had it not been for a job that required such team work. I wouldn't have ever been in a position to have real contact. And I was pretty ignorant about Islam and Arab cultures up to that point (not totally, but I definitely had some stereotypes).

what you do with those opportunities after you have the chance, demonstrates the kind of person that you are.


[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 11-13-2000).]

Nicole,
Your explanation is very clear. I completely agree with what you have written. Your friends are diversed because of opportunities you have to meet people outside of your comfort zone. It is through exposure we learn about other groups. My daughter's experience in Spain is so positive that she would want to return and spend a few years in Barcelona. She now spend weekends with Spanish friends who have homes in the mountains. The director of her program asked her to lecture to senior high schools on black American students. She found it very refreshing to be able to talk to high school students on black american students. Her Spain experience has made her horizons broader, tolerating and understanding differences with other groups. As she said, she was glad to take this step to spend a semester in Spain rather than in London. I do encourage for american students to experince study abroad for it brings new perspectives in their lives.

I know! that is the best part about it!!

ok, ok...I think I know what mclarke meant (but didn't explain). But this is my point... RACISM is not IGNORANCE, NON EXPOSURE, or whatever else you want to call it. Those things can motivate racism but do not define it. Ignorance is simply ignorance. Because I don't have any black friends in my town does NOT mean that I am a racist or anything else. It could be that no blacks live on my block, or work where I work, or frequent the music stores I do. It is not a conscious choice I make, but our paths simply do not cross. Do you see the difference now?

I just hate to see these terms bandied about with no consequences as they carry VERY specific and harmful meanings. And since the political pendulum seems to be swinging back the other way with the PC movement the knee jerk reaction is to go the other way now with a retaliation accusation. Sad commentary when mclarke notes her daughter's reaction to white students that may not have black friends for reasons I noted above and automatically thinks..."oh, they must be racist!"

Leche

Can't resist the opp to sound off: I agree with you, Nicole...when I was teaching HS Spanish, I had a kid call me racist. I stopped the lesson right there and went silent, just staring at the kid...you could've heard a pin drop, and the other kids knew exactly why I did what I did. This goes along with what Leche was saying. The term 'racist' is so over-used, at least in the U.S. Anyway, after stopping, I asked him what his grounds were...and I took advantage of the opp to explain what a racist is, and why I didn't fit that particular bill. This, in the most diverse of all my classes.

Racism can be how you respond to your experiences, and those who hate those who are racially different should rightfully be placed in that category.

When referring to Spain, remember that they have a long history of intolerance; roughly 650+ years. It was under the banner of Catholic Christianity that the Reconquest began under Pelayo and ended under Fernando and Isabel. Unfortunately, one of the reasons the "Siglo de Oro" (beginning with the Age of Discovery) didn't last longer was due to the lack of an "inteligentsia" in Spain. They were all booted out at the end of the 15th century! Gracias a la Inquisición, the remaining "thinkers" and many other productive citizens were expelled, tortured or murdered, again under the banner of "Unity".

I'm grateful that my experiences in Spain have led me to believe that, albeit gradually, there are those Spaniards who are rejecting that portion of their history; not claiming it didn't happen, but understanding that they don't agree with it, and want a different Spain for their future. Spain's history demonstrates that she was the original "melting pot" or "salad bowl," centuries before the U.S. got that nickname.