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Looking at the Instagram (@overheardwhileblack) account we came up with the idea of making our own "posts", following the ones that have most impacted us from the account by making an answer to those phrases.
Looking at the Instagram (@overheardwhileblack) account we came up with the idea of making our own "posts", following the ones that have most impacted us from the account by making an answer to those phrases.
Our answer: "Give them the chance to talk with you and you will discover we look the same"
With this phrase we want to refer to is that there are people who simply see that the other person has a different skin color they no longer want to hear from that person, to know or speak to them, and what those people don't want to recognize that we're all the same so that sometimes we think the rest is the problem when we're actually the ones who inventit, we draw conclusions from erroneous prejudices that we have not even bothered to question to see if they are true or not.
Our answer: "I'm good enough for you to stay with me but not good enough to take away your prejudices"
This phrase is a call for attention to the original phrase that under our point of view has neither feet nor head; if you hang out with a person of different skin and you like that person, why wouldn't you be willing to share a future with that person because of their skin colour. Society has generated prejudices that can lead us to think like this but we have to think and have enough head to realize that this doesn't make sense and that love goes beyond sex or skin color.
Our answer: ”Going by bus is not bad until one day you get on and some people look at you and start talking…”
This sentence has been written by us, we can think that around us there are no racist people or that some acts that people do are not racist; But if you put yourself in the shoes of a black person who has suffered this type of situation, something as normal as taking the bus can turn into hell for the people who suffer it.
When we see someone different from us we think that he is not from our country, and unconsciously we associate him with a nationality that may not be his. We tend to generalize the origin of people, whether they are black, Asian, or white. Every time we see a black person we think they come from a country in Africa, when there are many times they were born in the same place as you and have the same nationality as you. If you see someone of a different color than you, instead of asking where it comes from, ask yourself if they will like what you like.
We force this stereotype into people of other races, as in the quote that we can’t talk with them because we are different, better. And when we are finally able to have a relationship with someone of another race (and see that we are compatible) instead of realizing they’re just like us we see them as the exception not forcing the stereotype on them but still forcing into the people that are the same race as them.
That means we are only able to see a person when we know them, but when we don’t, we only see the stereotype when it comes to looking at someone that's a different race.
As the phrase says, we would not have to differentiate people by race or simply by their skin color since we are all people. We don't have to see anyone as an exception. Looking inside is the important thing.
“Spain is not an NGO”
Some people may say this seriously because they feel the only ones who can have the rights of living in good conditions and with facilities. Some immigrants find it truly hard to simply eat, have heat or a house. As a result, they need to move on looking for survival, and this fact is embarrassing. A lot of people live too comfortable while others are putting their lives in risk to find some food. They don’t accept helping them just because they haven’t borned in Spain. What if this had happened to you? We seriously need more empathy in this world.
“Close the bag, a black guy passes”
Some citizens feel at risk when sharing places with immigrants. Of course, this is extremely racist and unbelievable. These types of phrases “just in case” are enhancing the racism among people, but, especially, among children.
Obviously, everywhere there are criminals and thieves, but you cannot attribute it to an immigrant just because of their origin.
“They are coming to take our work”
This sentence is really heard among some citizens and, actually, it is both racist and false. They are seeking a good place to live in order to have a prosperous future, so they need a job. Here, it’s really expanded this wrong thinking, however, they are taking that kind of hard and horrible jobs that locals avoid. Instead, they would not be able to work here, but there are many hard jobs that need workers, so they take advantage of the opportunity that others don’t want. Moreover, they make the economy grow.
There are no moors on the coast:
It is a Spanish idiom originated after the period of Al-Andalus. When the musslims were expelled from the peninsula some of them returned to sack the coasts of Spain. Because of that people used it to say that everything was OK and there was no danger. Nowadays, it could have a pejorative meaning as it could be related to the situation of inmigration that we are living in the southern coasts of Spain.
Moor is a word that comes from latin and it means dark. It is used to designate people from the north of Africa.
I’m not racist, I’ve got black friends:
That’s a phrase that doesn’t make sense and serves as an excuse for racist behaviours. If you weren’t racist you wouldn’t have to justify yourself with this kind of expression. Having black people in your group of friends doesn’t necessarily get rid of your racist prejudices. That’s the same as saying that Trump isn’t racist because there are latins and black people in his meetings. Or a clearer example is to say: "I am not sexist, I have a mother." It is an incoherent argument.
(From: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOGTJuHU-d/)
“This neighborhood is starting to turn into the ghetto with all the black families moving in.”
This phrase has an obviously big racist meaning, because a person is worried about his neighborhood and people who live there. He thinks that his neighborhood´s prestige could be affected when blacks families arrive, as he relationates being black with being poor or conflictive, and that shouldn't have to be true. He has become anxious, because he has formed a stereotype about black people, and it could create hate based on racism.
(From: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6ddN-J-1B/)
“At least you’re only half-black. You must be relieved.”
This phrase has a racist meaning because it says that you should feel relieved because it is better to be “half-black” or half-caste than being a person whose ancestors were only black people. It also insinuates that people who are “only black” are inferior, both intellectually and physically, to people who are not. It’s like saying “Black children often need more “extra help” in the school than other children”.
Racist expresions:
Racist expresions:
"Take a shower or wash yourself, you look like a gypsy"
"Take a shower or wash yourself, you look like a gypsy"
We’ ve chosen this short sentence because here, in Spain, is a common one and it’s
important to bear in mind that it is racist. These kinds of short phrases related to gipsy race are frequently heard in our country, and they all talk about the cleanliness of these people, as they usually “smell bad” or “look dirty in their clothes”. From our point of view, we all should stop talking about those people in that way, as we are constantly determining their way of life, which is simply different from ours. The problem is that most of the people who say these things don't know that they are acting in a racist way, so we must make it clear to them that they are discriminating against people.
“Are you sure you can afford to buy this?”
“Are you sure you can afford to buy this?”
With this sentence we want to explain that we’re used to thinking that black people can’t have an economic capacity like any of us. We believe that they don’t have studies, a job or even a good house. However, they can have a university degree and a good job, so they can afford to buy whatever they want without any problem. They’re not different from us, although sometimes we think about it, as they can have the same opportunities as us.
“My son will not go to public school because there are strange people there”.
“My son will not go to public school because there are strange people there”.
Diversity creates equality. I have chosen this phrase since my impression is that our society has unconscious racist actions even though we always reject having them. As I see it, everyone should have the same opportunities, in that way, we should go to school mixed together with different ethnic group, like in the real world, since this creates an incredible intercultural atmosphere where racism disappears as you realize that physique does not define a person and you’ll start to value the important part: personality, values, empathy… We are all from the same species and we must collaborate together like a big family to improve our society and eliminate inequalities.
“I work as a black to live as a white”
“I work as a black to live as a white”
This sentence is often heard in our society. However, it’s highly racist since we’ve associated that black people always make the hardest works in which physical efforts are required such as going to the countryside for long periods of time. It’s really important to change our mind because all whites live neither in good conditions nor all blacks live in bad ones. We have to stop sorting people according to their skin’ colour, better said, we’ve to stop sorting people.
All in all, everybody has the same rights and should have the same opportunities, and to achieve this, we all need to cooperate.
“Black people are used to be more hard-working and less smart than whites since they just use their energy in order to escape from wild animals in their daily lives”
“Black people are used to be more hard-working and less smart than whites since they just use their energy in order to escape from wild animals in their daily lives”
We consider that this tense shows well how some people think that are some blacks peoples’ lives. However, they have a wrong idea of this topic, they work as much as we all do. In addition, we must not generalize the behaviour of a person with his/hor skin colour or with his/her nationality, everybody is how he/she is and doesn’t matter where he/she is from.
Besides, in reference to the first part of the sentence, there are studies which show that the intelligence of a person is not related with the ADN. Nevertheless, if they don’t have as many opportunities as we have, they won't be able to reach well qualified works.
"There are no Moorish on the coast"
"There are no Moorish on the coast"
I have chosen this phrase because it seems to me a racist expression due to it means that there is no danger in the area, so people who use this expression think that Mororish are dangerous and that they can harm you. I think this saying must be denied because, whatever the ethnic group, there are people of all kinds, not all of them are the same and as a general rule the Moors are good people. They don't have to be harmful people.
People have to realize of this in order to progress socially and they also have to realize the harm they can do to people of that ethnicity and that they don't have to make them feel bad.
Think about it:
Think about it:
- Living anywhere in the world today and being against equality based on race or color is like living in Alaska and being against snow.
- We must get to the point where we realize that the concept of race is false. There is only one race, the human race.
- Peace is not only the absence of war. As long as there is poverty, racism, discrimination and exclusion, it will be difficult for us to achieve a world of peace.
- You don't have to turn off someone else's light to make ours shine.
- Racism can only be cured by traveling.
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