Monday, September 23, 2013
Don’t Speak To Me In Arabic
I chose the race card "Dont' speak to me in Arabic" because it was a card I can relate to and have a bit of history with. In the card, Christine Abraham states "My mom is ashamed to speak Arabic in public in this post-9/11 world." Being Arabic, albeit just half, I have watched family members on my father's side who are full Lebanese be criticized for coming from an Arabic background in today's post-9/11 world. The author of this card, Christine Abraham, is from Santa Monica, California. Knowing that the LA area has a large Arabic population and that Christine's mother was still ashamed to speak in Arabic says a lot about our society. My feelings for this topic were summed up very well in the comments below. The majority of commentators agreed that it is a shameful assumption to automatically associate the Arabic language with Islam and terrorism. There are many Arabs who are not Islamic, like my family, and even so the Islamic religion has absolutely nothing to do with violence and terrorism. It is a sad assumption that exists in society. I hope that one day we can live in a country where the Arabs do not have to fear being innocently labeled as terrorists.
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I actually read this card and was saddened by it. To me, I think it's rude to speak in a foreign language if you're in the company of english speakers (like at a party setting), but if you're out on the street and your phone rings, and it's your friend who only speaks Arabic, then speak in Arabic! I hear so many people on campus speaking Chinese or Korean or even Hindi, and no one looks at them funnily. I know for many people it's hard to realize that not all Arabic speakers are Muslims, but the nature of those terrorist groups allows people to make generalizations. I think the people who think they know things about Islam assume that some parts of the Koran include violence, and I do know there are some parts that do include violence, but not in the sense the extremist groups are taking it.
ReplyDeleteThis card is powerful in looking at the way Americans stereotype others due to their language, skin color, attire, etc. It is sad but true that human are quick to judge and make assumptions about other just because of the way they look and sound. No matter where in the world we are, whether in LA, the South or overseas, we cannot escape stereotypes. How can we change this? How do we change this trait within all of mankind to form hasty judgement on each other?
ReplyDeleteI really liked how your post is personal and how you can actually relate to the author o the race card. I just chose one that stood out for me but since I could not relate, my perspective was one of an outsider while yours is like a comment that would be on the website.
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