Just one little thing

There was really just one little thing that really upset me during my time in Oaxaca. In one of my Spanish lessons there was an activity where we were with partners making orraciones or Q & A conversations using information listed on a handout. When it came time to read them out loud, I read our first sentence: "Quien hacer las tortas?" and the teacher ofcourse corrected me because I left out the "va" between Quien and hacer. This is all good and useful, but then she went on to say (in spanish, Spain Spanish with the thhhhhhh sounds) that when I leave out the va I sound like an Indio. She then proceeded to repeat the sentence in the same voice that people use in the U.S. when they structure sentences and words into racist crap like: "Chief likum go big huntum."

I couldn't believe what was happening. Worse though, was that I couldn't explain in Spanish that I was offended that she would say such a thing (she doesn't speak English), so when my face fell she just went on to explain further. After a little of the shock wore off I was able to ask her why she used the word Indio, if that was a joke to her, and basically that I was offended. She apologized... I switched classes... problem solved? As it becomes more and more popular to be less and less politically correct I am sure more (white) people will tell me that I am too easily offended by this sort of thing. Part of me tells myself I am too easily offended sometimes. I cannot accept that perspective. It saddens me that behavior like this is considered acceptable, especially in an atmosphere that I assumed to be more professional. For anyone who doesn't know, Indigena is the appropriate and favored term by indigenous people in Latin America, Indio is a term that comes with many negative connotations.

This was really nothing compared to the racist verbal assault I experienced in Arizona over the summer, but it reopened some of the same wounds.