Job Discussion Forums

[moonraven]

Don't patronize me, ElNota. As a Native American I understand all too well whyand how racism takes place--to deny others a piece of the pie--especially if that pie belongs to the victims.

[ElNota]

Edited: Reason, cranky Moonie bashing is a serious waste of time. Sorry for anyone who responded to this.

[Aramas]

[stillnosheep]

Which dictionary are you reading ElNota? Where I come from rascism is a noun, and sometimes also an ideology; while both beliefs and practices can be rascist as well as discriminatory.

You may choose to reserve the terms 'rascist' and 'rascism' for referring only to beliefs, not practices, but that is an idiosyncratic usage and not common practice within any political or sociological discourse of which I am aware.

peace'n'luv'y'all

[ElNota]

[Alitas]

Oh yeah...

I first lived in Venezuela at the age of 15. I lived for four months with an "escualido" family. They rejected me. I lived in quarters designed for a maid (back of the house, next to the laundry, with tiny bath facilities...) and they were angry that they had to make room for me at the table. I befriended some baseball players from the States and had an invitation from their wives to watch them play--no-go according to my family, as baseball was for the poor people only. Amazingly at the various clubs and other places, the face my host mother put on was a sickeningly sweet "we-love-our-gringa" facade--but at home she treated me very poorly and after she insulted me for not polishing her silver properly, I chose to move.

My next family was much more open and loving. But I never forgot the class lessons I learned in the first house.

Today I have friends from across the spectrum of social classes in Latin America. Unfortunately they do not always mix. I have had better luck in the Dominican Republic than in Venezuela with any kind of social mixing.

I find Venezuelans of the "highest" class to be insufferable. I once had a brain surgeon tell me I needed braces, and she asked me why I did not have them. (Sadly, her claim to fame was that she was the FIRST female brain surgeon in the country). Somehow her brain could not wrap itself around the concept that my parents might not be able to afford braces at that time. She made me feel terrible. She also assumed that because I was white, I was rich.

[samizinha]

When I lived in Brazil, I was a teenager and really didn�t get to choose who I lived with, what school I went to, etc. I was open to adopting the customs of the country, but certainly not willing to join discussions that put people down because of their race, gender, economic status, etc. Therefore, I let them know how I felt about these issues.
I�m still young, and am just finishing up a graduate degree in human rights, specifically on disabilities. After all that I�ve learned and all that I�ve worked on, I can�t help but feel that I should still challenge these issues head on, rather than avoid the people who arbitrarily discriminate. This isn�t about me becoming evangelical and trying to arrogantly educate a country so that they can be like me- it�s about working toward the human rights that have been ratified by many countries in the world. Idealistic? Of course, but that�s where I am now. I may completely change my viewpoint once I try to put these ideals into practice in the �real world� again. However, I see it working on a small scale. My family and friends use different language and approach these issues with a new perspective because we�ve talked about them so much. If this can take place on a small scale, doesn�t this give us hope for change at a larger level?

[PlayadelSoul]

[Henry_Cowell]

PlayadelSoul,

I'm sure you'll agree that calling an elderly Black man "boy" in the U.S. is racist rather than ageist.

[PlayadelSoul]

Yes Henry, I would agree. However, having read the whole thread, I fail to see where the "muchacha" or "chica" is of one race. It is a matter of social class, not race.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

In Merida the common term to refer to someone who's paid to clean and take care of people's houses is muchacha or muchacho. Here it's not a job reserved exclusively for the female gender. Lots of males do this type of work, too. Most people who take care of houses here are young, starting out as young as 13 or 14. Those who continue doing this line of work when they are older are more commonly referred to as la se�ora or el hombre and are addressed by using their first names often along with the title do�a or don.

I'm frequently addressed as muchacho, chico, chavo, and joven. I don't feel that it's racist or ageist. I've also been addressed as papi, viejito, and abuelito, again with no feelings of racism or ageism.

I think one needs to be careful when translating and transferring meanings of terms from one culture/language to another. Saying Pagamos 500 pesos al muchacho que limpie la casa in Merida simply does not have the same connotation as saying We pay 50 dollars to the boy who cleans the house in the USA, for example, especially when talking about adults.

[MixtecaMike]

Tim, if that's $500 pesos a day can I come round and clean your house?

You can call even call me honkie or white trash for an extra $25 pesos, LOL.

[thelmadatter]

[Justin Trullinger]

To heck with cleanin his house, I wanna know where he teaches, to be able to afford it?!

And if you find me a spot there, you can call me both gringo and yanqui! (yankee) (What difference could it make, I hear both often enough as it is...)

Thanks for the smile.

Justin

[Ben Round de Bloc]

You "gringos/yanquis/white trash/ etc." crack me up. Love it!

I pay the houseboy $500/week plus room and board, which is pretty much the going rate for a live-in muchacha/muchacho in this city. He cleans the house, runs errands for me sometimes, takes care of the yard, washes my car, and is the vigilante when I'm not home. His older brother used to be the muchacho in my house, but with a little help in the form of extra time off (no discount on his wages) and a bit of $investment$ for training, he's now working full-time at a local pharmacy. Current houseboy is in a similar process of moving on to bigger and better things. Sharp kids and no reason why they should clean houses for the rest of their lives if they have the desire and ability to have better jobs, IMHO. There's not much future for them in their village. About their only other option would be working as ayudantes a los alba�iles. Also, living/working in my house for a few years gives them an opportunity to become confident in using Spanish while having a decent (safe, comfortable) place to live in the city, get some training/education, and earn enough to send some money back to their family in the village.

By the way, if my only income were my university teacher's wages, I'd probably be out looking for a job cleaning other people's houses during my free time.