Debate on racism

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