White Confessions Post (2003) and my own additions
I was reading through the memories of this community yesterday, glued to my screen and ignoring my work (kind of like now), when I read through the responses on the "White Confessions" post with curiosity. I read every damn entry.One particular confession made me blink, stare, smile, and then frown.
The confessions, "...described POC's skin colour when refering to them, but never refering to a white person being white" and then, by extention "...imagining that a person described is always white and being suprised when I meet them and they're not" (these are paraphrased).
It reminded me how I met someone awesome while travelling in Ecuador and I was telling my family about this Chilean man whom I really liked and is coming to Canada to visit me (in 11 days! YAY!). Of course, they asked all sorts of questions about him. I showed pictures of him and one family member was going on and on to others about how "Yeah, but he looks white!... He's got blue eyes and lighter skin and he looks like so-and-so (white friend)! Hey, did you hear about
dancing_minerva's new guy? He's from Chile but he looks white!" I remember responding, "So?...." o.O
What was the point about going on like that? Is he somehow 'better' for looking caucasian? Or maybe less exotic than they expected? Were they annoyed that I didn't have the classic looking "Latin Lover" type? It was very uncomfortable.
Has anyone else here had that experience? More importantly, when things like that happen - what do I say?
(**Please don't think I'm looking for kudos or anything. I just want to be honest here.)
The confessions, "...described POC's skin colour when refering to them, but never refering to a white person being white" and then, by extention "...imagining that a person described is always white and being suprised when I meet them and they're not" (these are paraphrased).
It reminded me how I met someone awesome while travelling in Ecuador and I was telling my family about this Chilean man whom I really liked and is coming to Canada to visit me (in 11 days! YAY!). Of course, they asked all sorts of questions about him. I showed pictures of him and one family member was going on and on to others about how "Yeah, but he looks white!... He's got blue eyes and lighter skin and he looks like so-and-so (white friend)! Hey, did you hear about
dancing_minerva's new guy? He's from Chile but he looks white!" I remember responding, "So?...." o.O
What was the point about going on like that? Is he somehow 'better' for looking caucasian? Or maybe less exotic than they expected? Were they annoyed that I didn't have the classic looking "Latin Lover" type? It was very uncomfortable.
Has anyone else here had that experience? More importantly, when things like that happen - what do I say?
(**Please don't think I'm looking for kudos or anything. I just want to be honest here.)