new goals

Wow.  I think I am not cut out to be the author of a controversial blog.  I am happy that my post about what I thought was a racist ad provoked some interesting comments, but I hate the idea of potentially offending people with my critiques!  It´s one thing to do this in the safety of friends or in a classroom but different when it´s over the web and could be read by countless people who don´t know me.  I have been living in a very racist society for the past 9 months and it has made me very sensitive and perhaps a bit jaded.  I guess going from working for an extremely progressive organization in a liberal city to living in a place where it is acceptable to openly make racist remarks and restaurants advertise with  extremely racist drawings (and I will have to get photos of these so you can all see for yourselves) kind of messes one up.  I like the idea of posting things that make people think, and I hate to have everyone agree with me all the time, but I have to work on hardening myself a little.   I think this is a healthy goal for myself.

Comments

[Monica Andrade]

What?! If I were not Ecuadorian, I would be afraid to visit the country! "Very racist society"? I wouldn't call that!. Yes, I admit that we still have a long, very long way to go, that's why we are called an 'underdevelop country' unfortunately. We have a very strong definition of class: high class, middle class and lower class, and geographically defined people: Costenos y Serranos, we have our differences, but who doesn't?!, I'm not saying is good, but we are still very ignorant society wise...But, as long as we are not killing each other on trying to reach supremacy...I think socioeconomic status is most highlighted in economically poor countries like mine, so we see and note the differences in each group of people not as meaning to be racist. When we say negro, negra, china, tonto, is not as a way to insult people or to make people feel less. When I came here I was advised -inmmediately- not to say the word 'negro' but 'african-american' or nothing at all (didn't know I was been racist before that) We are a very diversified country: there are dark skinned people, fair skinned, indigenous descendents and so, that's how we get our identity...From 10 years ago to the present we have make a lot of progress in this matter and still learning. Oh yes! there is always the "patan" that screams and insults in the corner...Just don't pay attention to those, please...Is not worth it.