I don't think the subject of reparations fall into racism.
The Dominican Republic needs to start having a "conversation" about reparations.
Just my opinion.
give this gem a good read:
the article
i had never laughed so much due to a "news article" report as much as i did for this gem.... who would have known Trujillo wanted to merge the island and Haiti declined so he ordered the "perejil massacre" hahahahahahaha
not even going to comment on the "build a wall" thing... that whole article has to be a joke... it HAS TO BE!
i cant wait for the 2020 DR elections to see these people's reaction to Ramfis
Cut and paste -
from my article - cited
...
...
“I do not blame Dominicans who hold negative views of Haitians since that is how they were taught since they were young,” said Giselda Liberato, coordinator of Intercultural Programmes for the development agency Plan International. “We were told terrible things. We were told that they were savages, even that they were cannibals. So it is not the fault of Dominicans who have been misinformed.”
“Many Dominicans do not have an opportunity to meet people of a high level of education. They do not meet their peers. We wanted Dominican journalists to meet Haitian journalists who are at the same level of education, so that they can meet one another as professionals,” she told IPS."...
Ruben Silie, sociologist and former general secretary of the Association of Caribbean States, explained to the group the history of the island from the discovery by Columbus to the present day. When questioned particularly about why Dominicans do not identify themselves with any African heritage despite the obvious racial characteristics in their appearances, Silie explained: “Under Trujillo, the history books were written to eliminate all mention of slavery. The people were told that they were descendants of Spanish colonists and Indians.”
The information caused a stir among the Haitians in the room. Marie Keetie Louis, a Haitian interpreter who lives in Santo Domingo, said, “But they were taught a lie. That explains so much about them.”
Jose Seruelle, ambassador from the Dominican Republic to Haiti responded: “One must remember that Trujillo was a fascist dictator, that he used the issue of Haitians for his own benefit. He did this to maintain himself, as a pretext to combat his opponents, his Dominican opponents. There was always the pretext of the blacks, the Haitians, who had to be put out of the country. But it should be remembered that this same Trujillo used the Haitian workers to exploit them and to enrich himself. There was hypocrisy there.”
“But in the interior of the Dominican soul, there is no racism,” Seruelle added. There is a racism that is present at the level of the schools, but this is fought more and more by the Dominican people and by the Dominican government because the Dominican government does not accept racism.”
...
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http://www.ipsnews.net/2008/11/haiti-dominican-republic-media-unites-to-fight-stereotypes/
my work - during my 14 years there - was to interview in French/(I could always find a French/Kreole translator in place) and Spanish and then write the articles in English
That bit about the anti-black slant of the education system may have been true during the dictatorship, but as a person part of the millennial (1980's/early 90's) generation, I can tell you that my experience on school was the total opposite, as in, they imbibed on us a "We are all mixed/cosmic race" ethos, coupled with a thoroughly anti-white/anti-Spaniard/Black legend slant (them Spaniards only came here to steal our gold/enslave our Taino/African ancestors, blah, blah, while the lecturer and most of the class were half Spaniard or more genetically, total cognitive dissonance mode). In fact, the only thing that prevented me from imbibing into the whole anti-ethos was my having fairly recent Spanish great-grandparents. Also my autodidact education as an adult (and taking a 23andMe DNA test), helped lots to shield me from that as well.
I don't think the subject of reparations fall into racism.
The Dominican Republic needs to start having a "conversation" about reparations.
Just my opinion.
thanks, bob, but i am sure i read that stuff long, long ago..
Well, the article is from 2002, however the point is slavery has been over in North America for quite some time. Not that there is no bias or mistreatment but Haitians in general receive better treatment in the DR than they do in their own country.
The Dominican Republic should start "conversating" about what the cost has been of the Haitian invasions, past and current. Include all costs, healthcare, education, crime, lost Dominican wages etc, etc. Then demand these costs from Haiti, maybe then can put a lien on the foreign aid to Haiti until payment is made in full.For whom?
Yes, using it as an excuse for failure and lazyness, lack of intelligence is very very tiresome. Everybody has to deal with what he has got, history is gone, we live now. We hear it all the time from immigrants, discrimination, discrimination. In the meantime we have a mayor in Rotterdam, Aboutaleb, Marocan, who came from a Village where was nothing. He arrived in the Netherlands when he was 15 years old. Now a mayor of the second city .you think slavery and discrimination are tiresome?
i wonder what your opinion would be if you were a victim...
you think they are an excuse? excuse for what?
Yes, using it as an excuse for failure and lazyness, lack of intelligence is very very tiresome. Everybody has to deal with what he has got, history is gone, we live now. We hear it all the time from immigrants, discrimination, discrimination. In the meantime we have a mayor in Rotterdam, Aboutaleb, Marocan, who came from a Village where was nothing. He arrived in the Netherlands when he was 15 years old. Now a mayor of the second city .
Ok, why asking the question then? But indeed it's better to stop it.
you think slavery and discrimination are tiresome?
i wonder what your opinion would be if you were a victim...
you think they are an excuse? excuse for what?
Gorgon,time to move on,it is a played subject.
For the period that I have been on this planet, the issue of colourism was predominantly confined to the USA and South Africa. With the end of apartheid it is hard to overlook that it is the only the Americans who remain "obsessed" with this issue today (or those who have adopted the American condition as their own). The history of the USA seems to be an insurmountable obstacle that the society cannot move past.
Some other countries certainly have their own sensibilities and are not completely without fault, but those societies do not share the same degree of preoccupation with their past. Time and understanding heals all wounds, if one allows that process to advance.
Haiti and the DR are unique in some respects. Two poor colonial countries sharing a finite land mass. Modern times sees one side having made out better than the other. In any group of people, there tends to be that fifth wheel that is allowed to chum around with the group to some extent but is not viewed as a complete equal or a full member of the group. Often this stems from an inability to bring to the table the same degree of resources, wealth, or acumen. The kid with the "uncool" bike is always the one who gets picked on and belittled by the rest of the neighborhood group of kids but is still permitted hang with them.
Haiti has nothing to bring to the table that is of value to DR society as a whole. Haiti is now and for a long time has been a country of people perceived to be a drain on DR resources having squandered their own and a burden that takes away from what Dominicans perceive to be their just rewards for having prospered over time. I'm not convinced that the negative views of Haitians held by Dominicans is necessarily a belief that those people are inherently flawed but more of a belief that they en mass will be the undoing of the Dominican Republic if the two cultures are not kept separated; So that the haves do not lose their political power of self determination if there was to be a significant shift in demographics. The belief that Haitians as a whole are a threat means that individual Haitians inherit those same qualities in one on one relationships with Dominicans who still see their own path to continuing future prosperity in question.
Some Haitians permitted to work menial jobs is ok, but not too many. Giving birth in the DR does not automatically bestow citizenship upon the child giving him/her a toe hold in this country. I believe that Dominicans believe that Haitians will do to the DR what they have done to their own country if given the opportunity, so that opportunity is withheld, not because Haitians are inherently inferior or biologically flawed, but because they represent a perceived threat to the Dominican way of life. It is not as though Haiti can offer the average Dominican anything over and above what they have now.
