Debate on racism

Though not married, like Mr. Gulliver (Your Letters, Aug. 3, 1955), I have been dating an attractive and petite woman of Javanese ancestry. I'm a rather large white American. From my limited experience (two months) of walking with my girlfriend through the streets of Bali and eastern Java, I can corroborate some of the Gulliver's lewd commentary they've heard from native Indonesians, presumably males.

Whenever such comments as, "Hey, is she pregnant?" or "Does he have a big one?" or "They look like a monkey and a gorilla," arise we merely laugh them off or dismiss it for what it is. These are groups of bored young men who lack experience in cross- cultural, inter-racial relationships not to mention having probably never traveled extensively outside their limited cultural range.

Having lived in insecure societies such as Thailand and Japan, I've come to the conclusion that one can't fight the brunt of a status quo behavior. Many of the resident expatriates and native Indonesians fluent in foreign languages are already more-or-less liberal thinkers capable of at least accepting inter-racial marriages and ways of thinking outside their secure xenophobic sphere. Here in the Letters section we are preaching to the converted.

Racialism is what this issue is all about rather than its more severe cousin, in practice, racism. In many nations that are merely fifty odd years or less removed from their tribal customs and securities, it is only natural that feelings of racial antagonism as a way of dealing with the modern world exist.

For Mr. Gulliver, my advice is that though it is absurd and frustrating to endure abuse, it is more futile to combat it. Until the rest of society through increased economic means, more responsive government action and experiences become widespread, can a broader humanistic world view be achieved. Then, presumably, we can all walk down the streets like we can in New York, London, Hong Kong, Frankfurt or Tokyo where the ill- approving thoughts are rarely verbalized with impunity.

THOM BURNS

Samosir, Sumatra