Hard News: The meaning of a Banana
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Charles, that's a long list for a simple BBQ. Answers:
-I had met her once about a year earlier. She had been the gf of this mate since then
-She was from China
-She spoke English fine
-She didn't know my friends at all
-Probably she'd be the only Asian, although not all the guests were white
-Alcohol was available. And she definitely was not an abstainer.None of these questions were asked at all. As I said, my conclusion was derived from my friend telling me that was her excuse, along with giving him a major thrashing for having received this invitation. So yeah, the cultural conditioning was clearly different. I don't know what being invited to a BBQ in China means. Obviously something really dodgy.
I was not the slightest bit inclined to ever extend any kind of offer to them again.
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Whilst certainly not his intention, film director Stanley Kubrick unwittingly did his part to perpetuate racist stereotypes about asian women. One of his characters in Full Metal Jacket brought the stereotype to a whole new younger generation:
Thanks, mate. Hearing that yelled from a car never stops being funny. And I love it when those 'cool' radio stations go 'old school' with that song by 2 Live Crew.
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I've been tramping the streets of London this last couple of weeks and encountered a small taste of racism, not against myself, but against Eastern Europeans. Stuff like flat advertisements (online) that say "No Poles" (happily very rare), or comments along the lines of "at least you are not foreign foreign".
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Things are changing in the police ... slowly
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10458262
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I conducted some research work for a govt department a year or so ago that was essentially about their multicultural friendly practices/environments. Rather alarmingly, the NZ Police out shone everyone – they have created a booklet all officers are given that they can use as a simple ‘point and translate’ device; their website can be navigated in a number of languages; they offer information booklets in a number of languages; they have liaison officers who can drawn on a wealth of cultural knowledge…
Compare this with Immigration who doesn’t (wasn’t at that time anyway) even offer immigration forms, their ‘Welcome to NZ’ booklet (in size 9 font) or useful contact numbers/go to lists in any language other than English.
Or WINZ, of IRD or Housing NZ or or or….
So sometimes I really wonder - is NZ a multicultural place that’s in denial? Travel overseas, okay maybe not Australia, and a lot of people are getting on with that fact we live in a global community (or whatever the current neat sociological term is) which, at a base level, at least creating things/gearing up even just the basic social services to accommodate diversity. You know, we have a x% of Chinese, Filipinos, Korean and Indians in NZ, ok so that probably means we need to be able to offer them Immigration forms with helpful notes in those languages so they can at least navigate their way into the country – be given a chance to be informed and aware of the countries protocols – before people start grumbling at them for being slow and holding everyone else in the line up.
Simple simple shit like that. How about Tenancy Agreements that have a translation on one side? Or notes in Korean about how to fill out your Drivers licence application? Or your power bill coming with some sort of translated ‘here’s who to call with questions’ service? By giving people a hand you’re not discouraging them from learning English! You’re making it easier for them to integrate by being a tad helpful. Besides, when I go overseas and I’m reading a menu for example, I read the English translation and pair it up with the other, say French word, that way I eventually learn what to ask for, in French, next time.
NZ relies on immigration – we’d be in population decline without it – and yet we seem intent on making it freak’n hard for people to weave themselves into NZ society.
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Yeah I noticed that about the police website, I was on there looking for a police code of conduct and I noticed that it had some impressive multilingual functions.
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Essentially it sounds as if she didn't trust you enough and that makes perfect sense given that both of you will obviously have very different cultural conditioning.
I'm with Ben here, Charles. You almost make it look like Ben's fault for being insensitive, when the more obvious interpretation is that this young woman made unwarranted assumptions. I don't doubt that she did feel she would be seen as a "silly Chinese slut" in mixed company, but surely it's quite sad that she would think that.
It wasn't as if it was a risky offer from a stranger - it was a genuine extension of hospitality from her boyfriend's friend. If Ben had turned down a dinner invitation from a local family in China on the basis that his "cultural conditioning" was different than theirs, he'd look like a chump, wouldn't he?
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3410,
Consider Fuckwit-Am... sorry, Irish-Americans and their often so-simplified-it's-bullshit view of Ireland and their largesse directed at the IRA...
@ rogerd,
You went too far. I must insist that you retract this statement, not for your political views (it's a very glib reading of the historical situation, but each to his own), but for the insulting language used. That’s all, and we can call it quits.@ others,
I don’t want to have this thread hijacked too much with this issue. I freely acknowledge that some of what has been discussed here could make my complaint seem somewhat precious by comparison, but fuck it, we’re talking about racism on this thread and his comment is an insult to my family and friends which I can’t leave unchallenged. -
I agree with 3410, Roger. You could easily have made your point without appearing to describe all Irish-Americans as fuckwits.
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Ta.
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