From: suhak-AT-canada.com
Date: 29 Mar 2002 10:13:11 -0800
Subject: [low] Race/Color/Thinking modes -explanation


Hi Lorna (& others),

This started with my initial email asking if there were any terms used for someone who is non-white but acts and thinks like someone who is white. I followed this with another email explaining that my question is related to a character in a novel I am dealing with. The character, in Season of Migration, was born in the Sudan but had all his education in the English educational system. He was very clever that he went to Britain to continue his studies. While this character thinks he is helping his country, the accounts of other characters (Sudanese and British) indicate that he benefited from his association with the colonizers. So, he was not really helping his country. 

In my analysis of this character I wanted to use a certain theoretical term, such as the 'oreo syndrome', to refer to this character. I wanted to know via the discussion list, if other terms existed. But, at the end,  I did not this term. First, oreo, has derogatory connotation, and this is not what I wanted. Secondly, oreo is specific to a certain color, when I think the syndrome is universal-all colonizers try to enlist/use local people to help them. Also, many of these local people, if accused of helping the colonizers, would argue otherwise. 

So, the level of consciousness plays an important role. The character was not conscious of how the colonizers/others saw him. He thought he was helping/acting against colonialism. He was not aware of this discrepancy between how others judged his actions, and his intents. 

Another person suggested the term 'comprador', but I was not sure if this term indicates if the comprados were aware of their role in the colonizers' scheme, or not. 

In my paper, I ended up not using any of the terms mentioned since it seemed to me that the term was given by the beholder to the beheld; I wanted an objective/neutral term. Overall, the discussion was informative for me since I had no clue about all those terms, or their connotations. 

If anyone was offended, please accept my apology.

THX

Suha


On Fri, 29 March 2002, lornascott wrote:

> 
> I am at a loss as to why this discussion started and what purpose the
> origins of racist and derogatory terms are needed for.  I have obviously
> missed the post that originated this subject.  Suffice to say that in most
> countries that have people from different origins there are always terms
> that are derogatory and it is clear that it varies form country to country
> as I have seen some terms referred to in various mails that I have not heard
> in a long time and certainly here in the UK they would be used only by
> members of extreme right wing organisations and some die hard prejudiced
> members of society. Which is why I have found some of the mails concerning
> this very distasteful
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> [mailto:owner-postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu]On Behalf Of Dr.
> Salwa Ghaly
> Sent: 25 March 2002 10:47
> To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> Subject: Re: Question: Race/Color & Thinking modes
> 
> 
> Back in the mid-eighties in Princeton, I repeatedly heard African American
> students refer to one black dean as a "banana," black from the outside, but
> white
> from the inside.
> 
> In light of this disucssion, is it fair to suggest that many of those terms
> migrated in usage from one ethnic or racial group to another?
> 
> Salwa
> 
> Dktatlow-AT-aol.com wrote:
> 
> > Soumya,
> >
> > a wog is, as far as i know, a "worthy oriental gentleman". and it's worth
> > mentioning that for the British, who are said to have coined the term,
> "all
> > wogs start at Calais." or so the story goes. it seems the ladies weren't
> > worth classifying (wol?)
> >
> > the "banana" for people of asian descent with "western" minds is indeed
> > common as a ironic term among asians who emigrate especially to the
> u.s. --
> > so is the opposite, the "egg", though that is a rarer species. the egg
> would
> > be someone who is white outside but who has thoroughly adapted to asia,
> > either through birth or through long residence. of course, not all whites
> who
> > fall into this geographic category would qualify (in fact very few of them
> > do.)
> >
> > what a funny discussion!
> 
> 
> 
>      --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> 
> 
>      --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---


__________________________________________________________
Get your FREE personalized e-mail at http://www.canada.com


     --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---