Looking at the answers given for today's Writer's Block ("What is the worst insult you've ever received from someone?"), let's me know just how charmed a life a lot of these kids have led.
Now, TBH, for myself, thinking back to childhood, I couldn't think of any SPECIFIC "insults," YKWIM? I remember feeling humiliated and the general context, but not a word or phrase, if that makes sense.
But here's a data point for you-- I was sitting here reading this (to myself) and asked D the question, as phrased. He says, "I guess when I was called 'Darkie.' It was that little Indian girl*, but she was darker than me... but you know what that was about-- she was calling me a N****r. Probably because someone called HER that."
So it was the first thing D thought of, too.
*He's told me this story before-- he was living in Malaysia, she was Asian Indian.
Bwah!!! Reminds me of an assignment in one of my french classes in college where we had to write about a time we experienced prejudice. Sigh...I was the only black person in the class full of Beckys and Kaitlyns. I remember feeling that all too familiar pressure to be the representative of all black people everywhere and *of course* talk about race-based prejudice, but also not to harsh anyone's mellow with too much talk of you know...systemic racism and oppression. I just remember feeling really awkward about having to distill any specific experience around race into a pat easy example, cuz usually it's not just one simple insult thrown out but a series of uncomfortable interactions. Plus, you know how that works...without evidence of a burning cross or the n-word, they woulda been like "Um, I think you're being too sensitive. Are you sure that happened cuz you were black?" And I had to translate a complicated experience with prejudice into french?!? Of course, the other girls' stories were some charmed life cartoon shit (one girl
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Now, TBH, for myself, thinking back to childhood, I couldn't think of any SPECIFIC "insults," YKWIM? I remember feeling humiliated and the general context, but not a word or phrase, if that makes sense.
But here's a data point for you-- I was sitting here reading this (to myself) and asked D the question, as phrased. He says, "I guess when I was called 'Darkie.' It was that little Indian girl*, but she was darker than me... but you know what that was about-- she was calling me a N****r. Probably because someone called HER that."
So it was the first thing D thought of, too.
*He's told me this story before-- he was living in Malaysia, she was Asian Indian.
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