Well, I forgot to point this out in my last entry but I figured that was too happy of a post to ruin it with this topic. But here it is anyway.
While we were in Kamakura to watch the Yabusame, there were lots of middle school children with clipboards and paper, "hunting down" foreigners to talk with them in English for a school assignment. They eagerly came up to my other exchange student friends who were white but they didn't dare come up to me (or my Thai friend). We laughed about it at the time because it seemed so ridiculous. For the next 10 to 15 minutes, we were determined to have a student come interview us. As a person who is interested in children's education and possibly teaching English in Japan in the future, I was really interested in the little chance that presented itself.
I was clearly speaking English and I was standing by my friends who had been picked to be interviewed previously. One of my friends even invited one of the kids to come talk to me, telling them that I speak English. I smiled as nicely as I could but they just sort of looked at me, looked back at their friends, started talking, looked again and walked away.
Ouch.
I was jokingly sad when we had to leave and not one kid spoke to me, but the more I think about it, it bothers me. What perception of black people were in these kids' heads that made them seem afraid of me? I'd rather not think of it as discrimination or racism but when it comes down to it, that's what happened and they were just kids. I hope they grow out of it. It sort of makes me wonder what adults are thinking when they see me - did they grow up the same way and did they get over whatever preconceived notions they had of not only black people but other non-Japanese people? Or are they still like those kids who would wish to have nothing to do with me based on my appearance?
I never thought Japan was perfect but this is definitely a huge disappointment.
I sorta had the same problem when I lived in Belgium. In my case, however, I don't believe that it was racism or discrimination. I think that Belgians just didn't know what to do with me. I wasn't African, which was familiar to them since there was a large African community in the city where I lived. And I wasn't white and most of their ideas about America are drawn from white Americans. Everywhere I went there was lots of staring but not much talking.
ReplyDeleteBut at least you can say you've been discriminated against in more than one country :)
T
i'm so sorry you felt that way, it's pretty hard to wrap your head around really. What was weird for me while in America is experiencing it the other way round, from my roommates in the first semester I was there and occassionally from strangers. I hope that it wasn't intentional and that perhaps its just that not many African-Americans go to Japan, for whatever reason, so they aren't used to it? I don't know. Keep your head up :) xxx
ReplyDeletethe SAME thing happened to me...however I actually went to an elementary school and kids were literally climbing on me.
ReplyDeleteit could've been where you are...little kids from stick and rice towns shy away from what they never see...and...I'm pretty sure they almost NEVER see black Women in Japan as much as they see Black men. I wouldn't be surprised if their parents told them to stay away from Black men....because that's just the f-ed up way people are thinking now...so seeing you as a black woman...maybe they think you're different, they're scared, they're nervous...they're babies.
I"m pretty sure these same kids are gonna mature, get braids in their hair, start spitting out reggea and hip hop and outdance the Dancehall queen...it's all about..exposure.