Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

WCDT Strips 3941-3945 (18-22 February 2019)

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Dandi Andi:

--- Quote from: chris73 on 22 Feb 2019, 21:50 ---Yeah I dunno, it just sounds like another excuse for people to be offended. I've just started work as a corrections officer and one of my colleagues is Indian but has an African accent so I asked where he was from and it turns out he was from South Africa so we talked about the differences between SA and NZ but then to work in corrections you cant be too precious about minor, unimportant things I guess

--- End quote ---

In my experience, it is not being offended that is important, but why. People of color in majority white communities (particularly poc who aren't black) are often presumed to be foreign (at least from where I sit in the US midwest). If you're vaguely brown, you will almost certainly be asked where you're from, even if you have a distinctly midwest accent. "DeBuke" is generally not accepted as an answer. "But where are you really from?" "Where is your family from?" "I mean ethnically?" It's exhausting. More importantly, it is a constant reminder that people in your community think of you as an outsider even if you were born and raised there. It's the background radiation of racism. It isn't any single instance that's a problem, it's the constant exposure.

Now, I've asked that question before. A young, white-as-fresh-snow dietitian ordered a "pop" rather than a "soda". Pop is more common in the midwest, but my city is a bizarre linguistic anomaly in a lot of ways. Turns out, she was from Nebraska. Being white, she likely doesn't encounter that question a lot. When she does, it isn't to mark her as an outsider, as an "other". It wasn't a problem. But supposing she wasn't white? Suppose her grandparents immigrated here from Bangladesh? Then she probably would get that a lot more often and for much less benign reasons. Then it's a problem.


--- Quote from: Tova on 22 Feb 2019, 16:06 ---Maybe while we're at it, we could have a discussion of the meaning of the question, "Are you white?"

--- End quote ---

Now that is an interesting question. White has often meant whatever it needed to mean to protect the power structure. When I think of various western European peoples for whom I know at least one ethnic slur, it occurs to me that there was likely a point in history that they were not considered "white". I think that we can assume that someone asking "are you white?" probably means "Do you generally receive the benefits of being assumed to be white by your peers in a majority white former imperial power?"

pwhodges:

--- Quote from: artag on 22 Feb 2019, 13:51 ---It's not rude, in the UK. At least, not that I've ever noticed.
--- End quote ---

Whether in the UK or the US or anywhere else, it is important to remember that society is hugely varied, both in its make-up, and in the amount of variety of that make-up in particular parts of it.  Most of us only ever experience real engagement with a limited subset of the possibilities, and so it is incumbent on us to realise that we are not in a position to deny the experience of others, even within our own countries.

Of course, we naturally view the world through the lens of our own personal experience.  But one of the wonders of communication in the modern world is that we have the opportunity to see that there are things we were previously unaware of, and to learn to deal with other people with flexibility, a modicum of understanding, and as much humility as we can muster.

artag:

--- Quote from: oddtail on 22 Feb 2019, 16:10 ---
So, again, could you specify a skin tone that you consider typically and clearly "not UK"?

--- End quote ---

Personally, I'm pasty white. And yes, I know that means I don't have the same experience of racism as all the people who aren't. And that assumptions I might make about skin tone that reflects near & far east, southern europe, whatever, are likely to result in errors in terms of real nationality.

What I'm saying is that the default position for pasty white englishmen is that anyone who doesn't appear to be from their local area - city, region or country - is that they're interesting and have a story to tell. Of course, there are segments of the population that have a different attitude. But it wouldn't occur to me to teach my children not to ask - I've never found anyone to show any offense, and I live and work in thoroughly multiracial areas.

There are also areas which have significant ethnic splits - some northern cities in particular. The people I know from those areas act much the same, but I can't speak for the specific experience of being a racial minority in an area where there's a substantial racist group. Perhaps in those circumstances there is more of a threat in the question. I would consider it a local peculiarity, not the common experience.

Thrillho:
You realise that you are telling us what the experience of racial minorities is, when there are people on here who are racial minorities saying their experience is not that?

jesslc:
I wrote extensively about my experiences with being asked the question "Where are you from?" and why I am so f****** over it, when this first came up in the comic 2 weeks ago. If you truly want to understand, that would be a good place to start.

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