Okay. That title sounds extremely pompous and glorifying. For the purposes of this post, my version of worldly defines a person that has spent a significant amount of time living in 2 different countries with different customs, as well as having mixed with multiple echelons of society and spent a great deal of time reading up, be it novels or news-related mumbo-jumbo. I think I fit into this category.
Let's take a for instance; the entire premise that exists in Bangladesh that when parents seek a spouse for their sons, a quite often appearing criterion for the bride-to-be is a fair complexion. Now, why this is an utterly wrong and disgusting standard that humans are held to, I am going to assume you all already know. If not, a simple google search of the term "racism" will provide you an abundance of reasons. However, the truth is, this exists.
Now, I can remember being a tiny tot, not really understanding why the words "kalo" (dark/black) and "moyla" (dirty) were synonymous. I also remember being a preteen, and being attracted to the fairer people as opposed to the darker ones. I also remember countless conversations during which my parents had to specify that a girl was darker skinned as a negative attribute of the people they were trying to set up marriages for. Praise for the looks of the players of the cricket teams of England, Australia and New Zealand were pervasive and superfluous; for the West Indians and Zimbabweans? Not so much. I remember accepting this as the norm.
However, this is no longer the case. Accepting something as the norm is no longer enough. Having realized the reasons that my silence on issues that I see as unjust actually breeds the environment that creates these kinds of injustice, I've re-conditioned myself to take a stand against any and everything that is bigoted. That was before my homecoming in 2015.
This past month, I've continued preaching what I have been for the past 2-3 years, both at the end of high school through the paper and in college through my words. The reactions, however, have been vastly different. When getting into arguments about why using a form of "disabled" as a equipment for banter is wrong, I've been labeled "too sensitive" and "Americanized." And I see where they are coming from.
Being born and brought up in a society that has limited if any exposure to any sort of diversity, where class is a determining factor in every aspect of an individual's life, it is extremely difficult, if not utterly impossible, to grasp exactly why something offensive said in an environment where none of the offended are present is still dehumanizing. It has taken me quite some time to begin resisting flaming up at the use of certain words, starting a lecture about fairness at the mention of certain practices and beliefs.
Finding this balance is increasingly difficult. I want to stand up for those not being heard, but I also don't want to lecturing my friends and relatives on every "little" issue. Aside from the fact that this labels me as a hostile person who's just being sour, it also doesn't really help push forward the ideas of equality and lack of distasteful views on minorities. If all I do is bark at anyone that says anything offensive in front of me, soon people will start being wary, and definitely some will shut me off entirely. If they're not listening to me, what's the point? If I'm trying to fix something, or spread awareness of something, I need to have a willing audience, at the very least.
So, like I said, finding this balance is very difficult. I'll let ya'll know if I ever do find it. If anyone has absolutely any idea on how to tackle this issue of trying to engage people in a conversation about which they do not possess a wealth of knowledge on and have little interest in discussing, please, hit me up. Anywhere.
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