I don’t know if children who were born into their parents’ country understand the visceral reaction westernized, second- or third-generation children of immigrant parents have when put in proximity with their parents’ foreign, native territory. There are colored people all over the world who were born and raised in a western culture and thus are dubbed “basically white” despite the obvious contrasts in the color of their skin. White-washed is the more colloquial term for this, tinged with a horror one associates with the self-denial involved in the actual bleaching of skin. Much has been written about how such conceptual washing occurs, really, to comfort white people, and colors us a shade of pale familiar and subdued and safe. You are ethnic when deciding where the best Indian for dinner tonight is. You are ethnic when your potential marriage is up for discussion. You are white and safe in high-waisted denim jeans and an American Apparel bodysuit.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 19:11:02 +0000
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