It has been difficult lately to integrate my-self. The more I become open to talking with people about being Roma, the more I open myself to criticism from both sides.
One thing I’ve had leveled at me a lot lately, is the ‘white privilege’ argument. usually it consists of several arguments:
- …
I think it would be difficult to transition from living in a place where…..your ethnicity HAS TO BE something you keep in mind all of the time. A place where if you make one wrong move….and that mistake turns into a mistake made due to you being Rroma….to living somewhere ..where being Rroma is relatively unknown. I would carry that attitude with me. The attitude that my ethnicity = systematic institutionalized racism …even when, in this country, being Rroma doesnt necessarily mean those things. I think being Rroma in America is a minor nuisance whereas being Rroma in Europe…well..there arent any words really for what its like being Rroma in Europe. Its so far beyond my reach that, despite the fact I am AWARE of the hate, the oppression and persecution….I still cannot fathom it.
Look, I’m going to explain this as clearly as possible.
The exercise was to teach white people/white passing people about the daily racism that POC face by putting them in a position to be discriminated against constantly. This was the point of the “A Class Divided”…
Im gonna be real quick about this. Jane Elliot was too soft on those kids. Period. There is no way white people can empathize with PoC. No way. Not from a 2 hour experiment, not from anything.
