What do you think of racism and different nationalities?

[bara]

Hi all;

I was thinking that does it make any difference to know the nationality of whom you are talking with?

In my own opinion, I don't care whatever nationality whom I talk with. All of us are human; weather white or black; no difference. As all of us already know that the racism is no longer applied. The modern society has already found out that all the nation under one country should be treated similarly. I think, we should accept other nations who visited our country and stay in it for a while or may have the nationality as ours. Since they serve and move our nation and country forwards whereas natives (originals of country) cannot. This is in general for all countries in the world but for the states in particular has to be a fact; because all Americans had come from old world countries (Europe, Asia, Africa) and originals (Red Indians as they've been called) had been almost disappeared. In other words, all American nations had been mixed for all that time without any distinguish. It could be a good example for the rest of the world.

Share with me your thoughts, ideas, opinions and LET's Discuss it openly.

I wish the best for all nations and hope peace cover this world soon.

Regards
Baraa
_________________
bara

[Jamie (K)]

Baraa, just knowing or wanting to know a person's nationality doesn't mean racism is involved.

Sometimes it frustrates me when I don't know the nationality of someone who contributes to these forums, because knowing the person's native language can help me zero in on the exact cause of his problem with English. If someone has problems with the difference between the simple present tense and the present perfect tense, if I don't know his nationality, I can only guess what his problem might be. If he tells me he is from Poland, Russia or some other Slavic country, I can pinpoint his problem based on the grammar of his own language.

Similarly, if I have a private pronunciation lessons with someone, and I know only that he is from India or China, I have to waste time figuring out what he needs. If I know that the Indian speaks Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu or Malayalam, or that the Chinese is from Sichuan or Canton province, I can immediately tailor a lesson to him.

This also goes for behavior in the classroom. In a class of Arabs, it helps me to know if someone is from Lebanon, Algeria or another Arab country, because each Arab will usually behave differently and have different sensitivities. (For example, almost all of my students from Iraq are in favor of the US taking over their country and overthrowing Saddam Hussein. My students from other Arab countries, on the other hand, are angry about it. Knowing where the Arabs in my class come from can help me know what I should and shouldn't let people discuss in the class.)

The same thing goes for Albanians who come from the mountains or from the city. They don't usually think or behave the same, and I have to deal with them differently most of the time.

I also think you idealize the situation in the United States too much, and that you are misinformed about some things.

First, the diminished number of American Indians is not as much due to genocide as it is to intermarriage. Their population has decreased more because they have married whites and blacks, and their children were considered white or black, than because of any campaign to kill them back in history.

Secondly, people don't "melt" in the American Melting Pot as fast as legend says they do. Sociologists have found that even as long as five generations after immigration to the US, people of North European descent are still marrying other people of North European descent, people of Mediterranean descent are still marrying similar people, etc. It's not because of racism, but because people feel comfortable with people who think and act more like they do. I'm a prime example. When I was about 30, I realized that every girl I'd ever dated had been of German descent, Irish descent, or a mix of German and Irish. My school was full of nice, pretty girls from Italian and Lebanese families, but we didn't perceive each other as potential boyfriends and girlfriends, just as dogs don't notice that peas are food. We just shared different values, different family traditions, and different ways of seeing the world, and so we weren't attracted to each other and didn't really notice each other.

Another thing you have to realize is that there is a lot of ethnic prejudice in the US. For example, if a black man and a white woman court or marry, they can get a lot of trouble from people, mainly from older white people and younger black women. (I think it's usually the black women who get angry about it more than anyone else.) In a few places, once in a while, it can happen that black waitresses will not wait on white customers unless someone yells at them.

Now more blacks have immigrated from Africa to the United States voluntarily than were forced to come here as slaves. What happens after they get here can be very interesting. Many of them are prejudiced against American blacks, and they identify more with whites and Asians. You should hear some of the things Africans have said to me about African-Americans!

In my part of the country, hardly anybody is prejudiced against Asians and Hispanics, but I hear that on the West Coast many people are VERY prejudiced against them.

This is a very complicated subject you've brought up.

[bara]

Hi Jamie;

Thank you very much for your valuable comments. You are absolutly right in all what you've said, but I have some comments as follows:

[Conchita]

That’s a very good question Baraa. To me, it makes all the difference! Wanting to know people from all over the world makes me very interested in their nationality. How am I supposed to learn about the world – and what better way to do so than through its peoples. Someone can be a window to their country, to their culture. Knowing where someone is from can give you an insight into their corner of the world and talking to them is a way of travelling to that place.

Frankly, I don’t understand how someone can really not care about people’s nationalities . What is their way of acknowledging cultural diversity, then, if they are not interested in other fellow human beings' traditions and history? Being curious about other cultures doesn’t mean that you are racist or that you’re going to treat them differently (unless you are racist, of course). Aren’t you interested in how people live in other countries, what their language, customs, religion, food, way of life are? If you have the opportunity to learn from the people themselves, isn’t it a thousand times better than through all the books or TV documentaries in the world?

Now, of course we should all be treated equally, no matter where we are from. But racial discrimination is one thing and wanting to know our world another.

[Jan]

Hi,
First thing after 11/9 attacks what I thought was

/Jesus Hitler had right if we wouldn't kill them we will die/??
I am Polish with German's roots but it sounds so and so silly

This is maybe for You a pure nonsense but racism exist for me deep in our heart
(specially in USA, West Europe or Africa & Arab Countries now for change also against white people).
You really can't do a lot about it.
West Europe (except Germany) is sometimes shameless supporting Nazi ideology on one hand and strong criticize Nazi Germany on the other??
Some my opponents were just hating everything about Nazi but coming to conclusion that "extermination of Jews or Russians and Polish was just fine??
Germans are mostly very careful and they don't let themselves so easy being seduced by that black politic again.It is maybe a prove that nationality is no guarantee of anything.

The most important is an effective law against any injustice not the racism as it exists or not.

Just talking about racism may already be some of racism attitude.
We are so much different we never should melt to one color or one idea.
Regards
Jan
Esperanto for everybody!!!