Los ismos

The way racism and sexism are dealt with here is completely different from the way it's addressed in the US. There's a black girl on my ultimate frisbee team who is almost exclusively referred to as la negra - of course, me being me (read: I hate offensive/racist jokes, stereotypes, etc. Just ask my husband.), I am always taken aback by this. Why is it that someone should be branded as different because of the color of her skin? Today I asked Evelin what she thought about racismo - she responded by saying that when she was younger it bothered her that people would call her negra, but now she's used to it. "I mean, I'm black. So people are going to call me negra. That's just how it is."

Today I talked for a while with Doris, the woman who comes about twice monthly to clean our apartment. She's told me in the past about her marido (in this case, long-term, live-in manfriend, though this term can also refer to a husband), how he was caught kissing another woman in a bakery, how he doesn't help out at all around the house. When I've asked her about why she doesn't leave him, she pretty much says that she can't afford rent without him (which, of course, with my guilt complex makes me want to pay for her rent, but know that's not possible). Today I was asking her if she thought machismo was a problem in Colombia. She responded with a resounding yes, that there are so many men who beat their wives, that there are women who choose everyday to stay in these relationships. She said that one time her marido hit her, and she went straight to the district attorney's office and reported him. He then had to pay her $200.000 pesos (~$100) in front of a judge and hasn't touched her since.

If you ask anyone in Colombia about racismo or machismo here, they will talk with you openly about it. They're both widely accepted as being a central aspect of this society - and people talk about them as if it's nothing. A black woman is called negra, an Asian-looking person is called chino, a woman is expected to do the cooking in her house. At least with what I have seen, few people challenge these accepted notions - including those who are on the receiving end of the stereotype or expectation (in other words, more than half the population). On the one hand, I can't stand it, even though I know that people have never seen anything else, and thus probably have no idea that another possibility exists. On the other hand, I appreciate that at least it's out in the open - perhaps in the US the same amount of prejudice exists, but it's not called by its name.

Though I must admit, living abroad has certainly made me begin to look at the US with rose-colored glasses. As people shove their way onto and off of the Transmilenio I think, "People in the US are so polite when it comes to public transportation!" Or when people don't help me clean up after a dinner party I think, "In this US, my friends would've helped me wash dishes!" The same way of thinking applies to my views on sexism and racism in the US. I like to think that these issues aren't as bad over there, but then I watch things like this or listen to things like this and am reminded that the US still has a long way to go, too.

The question is, how do we fight for these things every day?

It's people like Doris, people who in their small corner of the world say "No. The way things have always been does not have to be the way that things always will be." Maybe she can only take it so far, but she can do something.

What are your thoughts - do racism and sexism exist where you live? How do people talk about it? Are these things that are worth fighting against, and if so, how do you do that? If not, why?