tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post113449417315618227..comments2024-01-17T15:05:50.120-06:00Comments on AngryBlackBitch: Travel...Shark-Fuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03323962708956637012noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134683662863351102005-12-15T15:54:00.000-06:002005-12-15T15:54:00.000-06:00Let's go to Philly and see Jon Bon Jovi's Arena Ba...Let's go to Philly and see Jon Bon Jovi's Arena Ball teamCrystal-Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01098032461371046702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134630672904953232005-12-15T01:11:00.000-06:002005-12-15T01:11:00.000-06:00I know I'm a little late to the party, but I have ...I know I'm a little late to the party, but I have to respond to the Anonymous Aussie: I have lived in Australia, though I wasn't born there, and Bitch's fears are most certainly NOT unfounded. If you lived "throughout the country," then you know that there are many sharks and crocs around Darwin, and people do not swim in the ocean there. Australian racism is equally real. I could not list all of the racist remarks that I heard while living there, because there isn't enough room in Haloscan. To choose just one: "You're from America? Great place, except for all the n****** running around there." <BR/><BR/>I worked with Aboriginal people in the Central Desert, and anyone who says that Australia isn't a racist country is crazy or lying. I don't know that it's significantly more racist than many other countries, but it sure as hell ain't less.Uccellinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10014677717871289675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134578951697512772005-12-14T10:49:00.000-06:002005-12-14T10:49:00.000-06:00M(i)sadventure, what incident almost happened? Wha...M(i)sadventure, what incident almost happened? What vulnerability did you feel?Michael M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08814271222082824664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134568922893942832005-12-14T08:02:00.000-06:002005-12-14T08:02:00.000-06:00Shark-fu, what you REALLY have to know about Canad...Shark-fu, what you REALLY have to know about Canadians is that although we love to hate America, what we love even MORE are Americans who are even vaguely educated regarding Canada. When you come up here, if you even demonstrate the most remote sense of, say, geography--e.g. being aware that Montreal and Toronto are in two different but adjacent provinces--all the Canadians are you will be THRILLED. It seems to me that your awareness over separatism in Quebec, your fluency in our national baked goods and our chocolate specialities already puts you in good stead.<BR/><BR/>The racism in Canada works differently in the U.S. in the sense that it is more subtle. There are arguments to be made that, at least when the racism is overt, you know what to expect. But I do think that in most urban centres, there is an awareness of racism and mechanisms for people to talk about racism. Because of Canada's different relationship to both colonialism and slavery, there are different effects for people of colour here. The subtleties tend to expand across a range of political entities: our right-wing parties are less right-wing than yours; our right-wing nuts are slightly less nutty; we don't really have a tradition of Christian fundamentalism (and we certainly don't have one that informs political parties).<BR/><BR/>I'm white, but when a friend and I drove down to Tennessee last year, I was totally freaked out by being down south. My friend and I were achingly aware of the racial privilege we were exercising; we felt vulnerable having wacky Canadian license plates and being two women travelling without male accompaniment. I felt that cashing in on my white privilege was the thin edge of the wedge between us and an, er, "incident" with some good ol' boys.<BR/><BR/>Having said that, I have travelled in Canada and a few European countries by myself and had no incidents (again, though, I am saying this as a white woman).Legacy Userhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06934340794226842729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134568530197953742005-12-14T07:55:00.000-06:002005-12-14T07:55:00.000-06:00Carrying on from my previous comment, I thought it...Carrying on from my previous comment, I thought it would be useful to give you a tip if you do decide to visit wonderful Australia. Your colour will have very little to do with the reception you receive from the locals. Your attitude, however, will have a huge impact. Australians, English and many other countries have a hard time with American tourists for one very simple reason, a lack of humility. Don't be a loud tourist because they are not appreciated. Interact with sincerity, listen more than you speak and keep your voice down and you will have a fantastic holiday, guaranteed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134568234047328732005-12-14T07:50:00.000-06:002005-12-14T07:50:00.000-06:00I am Australian and have lived throughout the coun...I am Australian and have lived throughout the country. Your fears are unfounded and are typical of ignorant tourists who believe everything they read, as evidenced by your shark comments. Sure there are sharks in the water now and then but the likelihood of you meeting one is less than you winning the grand jackpot of the national lottery twice in a row. As I said, your fears are totally unfounded.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134514992157792062005-12-13T17:03:00.000-06:002005-12-13T17:03:00.000-06:00Oh my!Thank you Michael M. and a bitch may just wa...Oh my!<BR/><BR/>Thank you Michael M. and a bitch may just wander down for a visit...we'll start with large cities first.<BR/><BR/>And Fahren, oh my! A bitch is going to ahve to dig a bit on that, because it may relate to a certain director of a certain film that a certain ABB can not stand...Shark-Fuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03323962708956637012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134514731586880632005-12-13T16:58:00.000-06:002005-12-13T16:58:00.000-06:00tho i long to camp on ayer's rock, I've crossed th...tho i long to camp on ayer's rock, I've crossed the Land of Oz off for the time being. This country had a "whites only" immigration policy until the 1980s and recently a NZ broadcaster referred to Kofi Annan as a "cheeky darkie". just not feeling the vegemite right now.Adminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10247304081342415827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134514279568869622005-12-13T16:51:00.000-06:002005-12-13T16:51:00.000-06:00I am from the deep South, and I went to Ole Miss. ...I am from the deep South, and I went to Ole Miss. I encourage ABB and Jeff to visit. There are <A HREF="http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/gsa/" REL="nofollow">gay people</A> at Ole Miss. I would not count the school among supportive environments, but I doubt that it is what you expect. <A HREF="http://www.inmotionaame.org/migrations/landing.cfm?migration=11" REL="nofollow">African-Americans are now moving back to the South</A>. Again, it is not paradise down there. Finding problems is easy. Many of the negative generalizations, however, persist beyond reason. There is good there to be found.Michael M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08814271222082824664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134510576386802232005-12-13T15:49:00.000-06:002005-12-13T15:49:00.000-06:00I've always wanted to travel to Australia also. On...I've always wanted to travel to Australia also. One Australian news website I read is this one: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134509402385418012005-12-13T15:30:00.000-06:002005-12-13T15:30:00.000-06:00When I was considering graduate schools and one of...When I was considering graduate schools and one of my professors suggested Ol' Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, my mother had a tremor of fear. We were both thinking the same thing--they don't like people like me down there.<BR/><BR/>No one is ever comfortable when they are the Other, so I don't think you're being paranoid in the least. I don't go to southern Missouri for the same reason. But my Otherness is a lot easier to camouflage. (Don't give me that look! Yes, I *can* butch it up. I can I can I can!)<BR/><BR/>And Australia, from what I've read, has a culture of machismo that gives me pause.<BR/><BR/>I sometimes think that, no matter where we go, any sense of security is more or less a thinly veiled illusion. In some places, depending on who we are, the veil is really thin.Jeffrey Rickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04092417221754047322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134508671598174552005-12-13T15:17:00.000-06:002005-12-13T15:17:00.000-06:00I am beginning to realize that I have completely o...I am beginning to realize that I have completely overestimated my understanding of minorities and the social restrictions they face on a daily basis. Although I have felt some hostility from the "majority" minority in predominantly minority urban neighborhoods or social venues, I have never ONCE had to consider the friggin social climate of a place I was to visit while on vacation. I feel FOR you but I know now that I can never feel you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134506137262555382005-12-13T14:35:00.000-06:002005-12-13T14:35:00.000-06:00I completely don't blame you. My Judaism isn't eve...I completely don't blame you. My Judaism isn't even that clear from my appearance or name and I have jitters about going to heavily Muslim towns. That fear predates 9/11 by a lot and I'm afraid it might never go in my lifetime. And just being dark haired and olive-skinned is enough to get you crap in some places.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134505412534931122005-12-13T14:23:00.000-06:002005-12-13T14:23:00.000-06:00I remember about 10 years ago a Black woman munici...I remember about 10 years ago a Black woman municipal judge from NYC, travelling to England, raised all kinds of hell because Her Majesty's Customs' officers decided she was a scary drug dealer, and demanded a strip search. She got a written apology from the home secretary, but pretty much everything you hear now about TWM (travelling while muslim) applied to TWB (travelling while black and brown) not too long ago. <BR/><BR/>Ayo-Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134503168270359042005-12-13T13:46:00.000-06:002005-12-13T13:46:00.000-06:00I'd-a thought you were nuts about rural southern M...I'd-a thought you were nuts about rural southern Missouri were it not for packing up my spawn this summer and trying to get into Nature's Six Flags - Johnson Shut-Ins. <BR/><BR/>We didn't get into the park so we drove around looking for a spot to let our city-slicker-kids check out rocks and river water up close. I was totally unnerved by the prevalence of confederate flags flying in the front yards. <BR/><BR/>It really, really bothered me.bevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07730450667890852755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134498481518721482005-12-13T12:28:00.000-06:002005-12-13T12:28:00.000-06:00. . . I don't think your fears are unjustified - t.... . . I don't think your fears are unjustified - there is still such rampant stupidity in the world around skin color and otherness . . . and travel is precarious just because of being a woman . . . I'm a pretty fearless person - lived in NYC for a long time and dealt well with the intensity of being a female there and often needing to get around at night and not always having the $$$ for cabfare - and I've been on the receiving end of the skin color thing- of being one of the few whites at a Public Enemy concert in 1992 and dealing with really hostile vibes coming at me - dating a black man who lived in Red Hook NY and having to get cabs to and from to stay with him because he was deadly serious about me not walking around his neighborhood by myself . . . but it all gets down to what we want and how to manage the stuff that goes with it . . . and travelling overseas does change the deal - how to know what to do and not do? how to have fun while not being undercautious?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134496339839637102005-12-13T11:52:00.000-06:002005-12-13T11:52:00.000-06:00Oh wow...a bitch may reconsider Idaho. It looks l...Oh wow...a bitch may reconsider Idaho. It looks lovely.<BR/><BR/>Cranky - this bitch is working on it and feels you on traveling while American. <BR/><BR/>As for Philly...thanks for reminding me! My ass is over due for a cheesesteak loaded with peppers and cheese and...oh my Gawd, let me check the break away fares!Shark-Fuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03323962708956637012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134494736535360782005-12-13T11:25:00.000-06:002005-12-13T11:25:00.000-06:00Speaking of Idaho - as long as you stay out of the...Speaking of Idaho - as long as you stay out of the panhandle, you'll be fine. Boise is quite lovely and friendly. Don't go anywhere near Wyoming though... that's just my friendly Native American advice to you - one woman of color to another.Agent Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12470807278882874606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10755833.post-1134494613773936962005-12-13T11:23:00.000-06:002005-12-13T11:23:00.000-06:00I completely understand a Bitch's fears. While I c...I completely understand a Bitch's fears. While I can't fully understand, I can sypathize. (Hell, it's not like Traveling While American is popular these days -- completely rational folk often get confused for uptight, racist, warmongering BushBots overseas. I always want to wear a sign that says, "If I were one of THEM, I wouldnt be traveling overseas.")<BR/><BR/>I think that as long as you're doing what you need to do to feel secure and safe while traveling -- and you're jot letting it cow you into NOT traveling -- you're OK.<BR/><BR/>And you need to come to Philly!CrankyProfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11032272009661743761noreply@blogger.com