I woke up this morning felling a bit lacklustre about my blog posts, and to be honest I was severely underwhelmed with the idea that I still have a couple to do. Feeling particularly uninspired, I went to the place where all procrastinating individuals tend to find themselves; the internet. After what seems like hours of reading all kinds of articles about modern racism, colonialism, white privilege and cultural appropriation, I felt like I was duped of any inspiration and left with nothing but a very cynical outlook on life. It wasn't till the evening when I was driving home from work that I realise one article had stuck with me, but not for the reason I would hope. I was driving across the harbour bridge thinking “but is it really racially insensitive to ask someone where they are really from? I don’t think thats racist, it’s not that offensive is it? Who decided it was racist anyways?”. And then it dawned on me, it’s not a question of who decided if something is racist, its about who has the right to decided it’s not. And the answer to that is very clear; not me.
In her response to and assignment set up by stuff.co.nz to express what life is like as an immigrant living in New Zealand, Macy Sto. Domingo describes just a few of the daily struggles she faces as a first generation immigrant. In the post entitled Constant reminders 'I am not a Kiwi until proven otherwise’ she writes:
"Where are you from?”
As a young immigrant woman, there’s something very odd about being interrogated about where I come from. Often I simply answer, "New Zealand".
When the person asking isn’t truly satisfied with this answer (because a New Zealander simply could not look like me, right?), they are usually well prepared with a follow up question, because my response wasn’t enough to appease their desire to tug apart my cultural roots.
"But where are you from-from?"
These are the words that were leading me to ask such questions. Why should I be able to decide what is an appropriate question to ask someone, or subsequently decide that their answer is not sufficient enough and continue to interrogate until I receive the answer I want. And why, more importantly, is it so often a decision made by the privileged, dominant group, left free to dictate what’s PC to ask/discuss/state to someone who doesn't fit the assumed stereotype of a ‘true’ New Zealander. It seems strange to let people who, thanks to the exnomination of white ethnicity, have never experienced backhanded racial comments, slurs or jokes judge what others are allowed to feel offended by when they cannot empathise in any way.
Lucky for me, I was born into white privilege. As an American who immigrated to this country at a very young age, I am no more or less of a foreigner then Macy. But lucky for me, no one has ever questioned my claim to be a Kiwi. With my accent being a distant memory, there are no makers left to exclude me from the assumption that I am just another New Zealander. As far as stereotypes go, I walk like them, I talk like them, and most importantly I look like them. No one will every challenge my claim, or question my authenticity, and its all due to the pigmentation of my skin. Despite the fact that me and Macy are products of the same story, we have had very different outcomes. There is no ‘token’ position that I am allocated in my friend groups, I do no have to explain why I sound like a kiwi and I have never heard to words “but where are you from-from?”
Although it is lucky for me, it also means that I, in return, am oblivious to the struggles faced by so many of my fellow New Zealanders. It makes me blind to the fact that not everyone is privileged with the unquestioned national identity I have, and makes me ignorant to the fact that there are still so many changes that need to be made in order for New Zealand to be the ‘cultural melting pot’ it so often claims to be.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/welcome-to-new-zealand/14378020/Constant-reminders-I-am-not-a-Kiwi-until-proven-otherwise
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/8685746/Whats-NZ-life-like-for-immigrants
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/welcome-to-new-zealand/14378020/Constant-reminders-I-am-not-a-Kiwi-until-proven-otherwise
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/8685746/Whats-NZ-life-like-for-immigrants
This was a very interesting point of view and I have to say I often feel the way you do. Ive been wanting to write about this topic for a while but never knew how to word it properly without souding offensive towards at least one person. I myslef am part of the white privilage group yet I was not born in New Zealand. People rarely question my nationality and if they do it is simply becasue of my unusually mixed American/Hungarian/Kiwi accent.
ReplyDeleteI really associate with this, especially because I feel like it is very much a generational thing. Young kiwis, having grown up in such a multicultural environment, have a much less essentialized idea of what being 'kiwi' is. My English grandmother falls into the opposing category and she genuinely isn't trying to be offensive, it is just curiosity; yet of course intention has little effect on alleviating the impact in this case. Through her experience and having grown up in a very different society than today, someone who isn't 'white' is therefore an immigrant and it makes no difference whether they have no accent. I moved here at the age of 12 from the UK, and still having an accent I am clearly from the exnominational 'mother country'so my identity is never questioned. Whilst this is definitely a problem, I feel like it is one which will lessen with time as the the concept of what a 'New Zealander' is at a crossroads.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this and I can really relate to the post you mentioned about "not a kiwi until proven otherwise". I am American and an exchange student here in New Zealand. When I first got here and was travelling around in the Bay of Islands, I was walking one morning to the beach when a man came out of his house to go down as well. He asked me where I was from and when I responded that I was from the U.S., he glanced at me again and asked where my parents were from. I proceeded to tell him that they were also from the U.S. and then he asked me where my grandparents were from. When I told him they immigrated from Pakistan, he finally seemed satisfied with my answer lol. I've always been so disconnected with my nationality because my ethnicity has always been the first thing people see.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. Even though I am not white I have often wondered what it is like for many of you to feel this way. I know many let out their frustrations and it is a system you benefit from - but I've been curious as to how many of you feel. The fact many are aware of the system and how it benefits is a good start.
ReplyDeleteReally cool blog post. I lie how you have acknowledged your own identity and related it back to someone else's yet they have had such a different experience. Its interesting that people are not satisfied to hear where people are from if it does not match up to the idea or stereotype they have in mind. Just goes to show how stereotypes have an effect on peoples mindset and how we are so quick categorise people into an ethnicity despite how they may identify themselves.
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