The Global Scholars module wanted to stress the concept of racism or discrimination abroad. I'm sure everyone has experienced some extent of this, but it's nice to be prepared for what to expect.
They said that through experience, it seemed that more discrimination incidents occurred to students who were not white - Hispanic, black, Asian, etc. I wonder if this is naturally the case, however. Like anyone who is foreign and looks especially different is treated differently?
From what research I've done, it looks like racism and discrimination abroad can really vary. In London, for example, one student noted that interracial dating was much more common than in the U.S. I mean, racism exists globally, not just in in America, but I expect (having often been a minority race in situations) that curiosity will ensue, more than anything, and I will have to answer more questions about my race.
Since I probably don't fit the physical description -- being Asian in Italy… probably not the majority. Observing their reactions, if any, to my race will reveal how accustomed Florentines are to different races. I'm interested in finding out firsthand! :)
I've got boatloads of comments for this!
ReplyDeleteSo in Florence, as a black female, I didn't experience any discrimination. Was it slightly uncomfortable when middle aged men would call out "ciocccolata!" to try and get me to buy various leather products? A tad. But overall, it was fine.
My weirdest experience was in the Czech Republic. Like there are no black people. So lots of stares on the tram. Nothing more though. At the beer fest however, some random Czech guy in a flatbill was deadset on getting me to realize his rapping prowess. I'll blame it on the alcohol.
The most interesting experience I had was in Brazil. Brazil has a history of discrimination that is linked to class and race. I came in expecting some awkwardness, but noticed that since I dressed pretty well and looked wealthy, I got a ton of passes for just about anything horrible that could happen. Literally, the "money" (I was super broke in Brazil at least 2/3 of the time) "lightened" me, so much that some locals would call me "morena". Meanwhile, my white male friend Issac was getting thrown out of restaurants because he would wear Nike shorts and a cutoff. It was definitely different.
Thanks for sharing those experiences! So it seems like it's very dependent on the country and what the locals expect. I'll keep in mind about dressing well. If I'm adventurous enough, I might conduct a social experiment… :)
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