Expats Not Immigrants

[nicoenarg]

People these days find it way too easy to call others "racist". The word's lost all meaning.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

People these days find it way too easy to call others "racist". The word's lost all meaning.

I don't whether Cristina defined the word today, but she certainly gave it meaning.

 

[nicoenarg]

I don't whether Cristina defined the word today, but she certainly gave it meaning.

Ignorant and stupid? Definitely. Racist? No. She didn't give any indication that she thought her race was superior to that of the Chinese.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Ignorant and stupid? Definitely. Racist? No. She didn't give any indication that she thought her race was superior to that of the Chinese.

Except she did, with a flagrant Asian stereotype.

 

[Matt84]

Ignorant and stupid? Definitely. Racist? No. She didn't give any indication that she thought her race was superior to that of the Chinese.

Nothing to do with Superiority or Inferiority.
that's the thing about racism, or xenophobia, it's being uncomfortable (a stupid superficial joke is an example of that) with differences in human population: specifically those who are different from oneself and extended family (this is biologically ingrained, has nothing to do with morality, whatsoever, it only changes with either intellectual or even sexual curiosity but more commonly with migration, inter-marriage and exposition to diversity)
Argentina is a rather ethnically homogeneous country where minuscule differences are exalted.
The myth of the Argentine "Melting Pot" permitted to consider Italians so incredibly different from Spaniards, that in addition (y para colmo!) with the Indians, no further diversity was needed or fostered.
Sure there are (thankfully!) some Korean and Japanese communities, and now some Chinese, here but I'd say this is a pretty homogeneous country for being "New World" and "Frontier". Almost no Blacks except for Mister Blanco (Ajews Ameegos) While beginning in the 60s most of the wealthier white countries of the World got actually diverse immigration, Argentina's main transcontinental immigration effort was of Ukranians and Russians during the 90s (Menem).
Paraguayans, which are basically the same people who are the local Argentine nationals of Formosa, and perhaps Misiones), essentially the SAME people, are considered the most exotic threat only after Bolivians! (Even though the polity that became Argentina was once just the backwater frontier of the magnificent Peru, Alto Peru specifically, so Bolivia)

When I walk around downtown or maybe even Retiro I make a game of counting how many actual African persons can be seen in the crowd.

That is Racism, real self segregation out of fear ignorance, and what is worse: wanting not to know.
All those Argentines who say Argentina is Number 1 and Argentine food is "The Best" simply do NOT WANT to know.
(Almost...) Same thing with those passportless Americans who spend fortunes vacationing within 48 states and consider Alaska, Hawaii, Tijuana or Puerto Rico an exotic destination. (PR can be pretty hardcore though).
The difference is that there is more diversity witin America than within Argentina, so it's more excusable.

Japan is a much more homogeneous country. I'd like to check the numbers but they do have a reputation of international tourism (although much lower than say, English or Dutch, both IMO the least intrinsically racist folks on Earth), and they also allowed themselves to phagocyte the American (and eventually international) culture that was more than less forced on them ever since Commodore Perry.

 

[Matt84]

To deny there's a difference between someone who comes from an educated upper-middle class background with a remote white collar job to someone from a poor country looking to work in housekeeping or construction is denying a reality.

Quiet obviously right? that's what I thought, then I began reading increasingly the word expat applied to "The plight of South Asian Expats in Dubay or Saudi". I think this might be an exception because, as I said, those migrant workers, unlike the Gestarbeiter or the Mexican farm hands for the season in California, simply have NO CHANCE in hell of remaining and building a life in the countries they're working.

 

[Matt84]

I wanted to edit to include reference to Commodore Perry's legacy: http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/commodore-perry-the-legacy-of-american-imperialism

 

[nicoenarg]

Thanks for proving my point about the word "racist" losing all meaning. Now apparently racism is measured according to the number of Africans that one can count in a city/country. With that measure Nigeria is one of the least racist places on the planet. Now that I think about it, there are exactly 0 Africans found within my household, that must mean...oh f***!

I also didn't know that not knowing about someone else's culture was not "ignorance" anymore, oh no no, its racism! Also, didn't know that those who don't travel to other countries are racist.

Not wanting to know is racist. Nice! I don't want to know about nor care to know about the Amazonian tribal culture. Just doesn't interest me. If that makes me racist in your book and others who use the word to make it mean what they please then fine. Like I said, the word's lost all meaning.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Thanks for proving my point about the word "racist" losing all meaning. Now apparently racism is measured according to the number of Africans that one can count in a city/country. With that measure Nigeria is one of the least racist places on the planet. Now that I think about it, there are exactly 0 Africans found within my household, that must mean...oh f***!

I also didn't know that not knowing about someone else's culture was not "ignorance" anymore, oh no no, its racism! Also, didn't know that those who don't travel to other countries are racist.

Not wanting to know is racist. Nice! I don't want to know about nor care to know about the Amazonian tribal culture. Just doesn't interest me. If that makes me racist in your book and others who use the word to make it mean what they please then fine. Like I said, the word's lost all meaning.

¡Orgullo Ignorancia!

 

[camberiu]