White privilege in the DR

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DR fan1990

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Would you say that being a white expat in the DR is a privilege? I mean moreso than a non-white expat?

Have you ever received better treatment in the DR just because of your white skin color?
I mean to me it can be a double-edged sword as yes, I do think Dominicans and basically the whole non-western world kinda "worship" whiteness and see white people as being desirable.
But then again, white expats and tourists also tend be seen as walking dollar signs $$$ in those countries and are expected to pay MORE out of their pockets for everything.

I'm a black Canadian. Now on my first trip to the DR, I'd naively pay the gringo tax everywhere and whenever I would open my mouth and speak English.
But then I learned this trick... On my second trip, i stopped speaking English in public and instead tried to pass as a Haitian... Brushed up my Dominican Spanish... And it actually worked. I was able to dodge the gringo tax that way and actually saved about 25% on my expenses!
 

malko

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Jan 12, 2013
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Hard to say.

As you probably have noticed, some dominicans are of light skin color, they absolutely have certain " privileges" .

One thing is for sure, the expat status outweighs the " white" skin status...... Not necessarily a positive.

Going out on a limb, white = upper class, but black does not equal lower class, in the dominican society, so it's more of "have" vs " have nots" than a skin colour issu
 

DR fan1990

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Sep 22, 2020
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Don't be fooled, Dominican know you are NOT Haitian.

I am from African Descent, brown skin, NEVER have I been mistaken for Haitian in the 10 years I have been visiting.
Probably because you spoke English in public.

My understanding is that at first sight, Dominicans associate black tourists to either fellow Dominicans or Haitians, UNTIL said black tourists speak English. Then and only then they become part of the gringo.

My experience is that many Dominicans don't seem to be aware that not all Americans are white.

My point is that speaking English in public is probably the biggest factor that makes you part of the gringo category.
 

NanSanPedro

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Apr 12, 2019
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Would you say that being a white expat in the DR is a privilege? I mean moreso than a non-white expat?

Have you ever received better treatment in the DR just because of your white skin color?
I mean to me it can be a double-edged sword as yes, I do think Dominicans and basically the whole non-western world kinda "worship" whiteness and see white people as being desirable.
But then again, white expats and tourists also tend be seen as walking dollar signs $$$ in those countries and are expected to pay MORE out of their pockets for everything.

I'm a black Canadian. Now on my first trip to the DR, I'd naively pay the gringo tax everywhere and whenever I would open my mouth and speak English.
But then I learned this trick... On my second trip, i stopped speaking English in public and instead tried to pass as a Haitian... Brushed up my Dominican Spanish... And it actually worked. I was able to dodge the gringo tax that way and actually saved about 25% on my expenses!

It's about the money. They perceive all gringos have more money than they do. Most of the times it's true. Same thing when I lived in Haiti. The difference with Haiti of course was that the overwhelming majority of gringos (blans) there were doing some kind of mission work.
 

Africaida

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Jun 19, 2009
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Hard to say.

As you probably have noticed, some dominicans are of light skin color, they absolutely have certain " privileges" .

One thing is for sure, the expat status outweighs the " white" skin status...... Not necessarily a positive.

Going out on a limb, white = upper class, but black does not equal lower class, in the dominican society, so it's more of "have" vs " have nots" than a skin colour issu

Indeed, como quiera I am a gringa and once they know I am not Dominican, they pull the same tigueraje.

The only thing is that I may not stand out as much if I get to a place full of Dominicans. However, I tend to bring curiosity in many occasions (if I don't talk) such as am I a gringa or a Dominicana who landed a generous gringo (especially in a tourist town I suppose). I could write a book about the stares, even my kids notice.
 

Africaida

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Jun 19, 2009
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Probably because you spoke English in public.

My understanding is that at first sight, Dominicans associate black tourists to either fellow Dominicans or Haitians, UNTIL said black tourists speak English. Then and only then they become part of the gringo.

My experience is that many Dominicans don't seem to be aware that not all Americans are white.

My point is that speaking English in public is probably the biggest factor that makes you part of the gringo category.

I don't speak English in public, it s not my first language.

Dominicans are very aware of negros americanos.

I speak Spanish. But they know I am not Haitian because of the way I dress and carry myself (that s what Dominican told me themselves).

You don't see many Haitianas doing many of the things I do in my everyday life.... Whether it s going to the ATM to get cash or drinking mojitos in a beach bar on weekends, or spend 6000 pesos at the supermarket just to name a few examples....
 

Caonabo

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CristoRey

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Apr 1, 2014
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Skin color in this country has nothing to do with how much you pay for something in this country. The prices are based on how much they think you can afford to pay. Learn to negociate prices in Spanish if you don't want to get taken to the cleaners.
Color has nothing to do with how you are treated down here period nor will it ever. Your nationality does and in some cases so does your bank account.
Why do so many (western) black people have such a huge inferiority complex?
 
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