Xenophobia
America is most certainly a cultural melting pot, but just from my experience of living in Norway there are many immigrants here too. The immigrants in Norway tend to be 1st and 2nd generation immigrants.
I'll just go ahead and write about this because it's been on my mind a lot and I'm often inhibited by it. Recently an unwanted conversation with a Pakistani man (I say unwanted because I try to avoid conversations like this like the plague) has in a way opened my eyes. For one what I expected from this conversation was said and it wasn't what I wanted to hear, but something I wanted to maybe ignore and I think ignoring the problem is a terrible thing. It shouldn't be ignored. As an American expatriate and going to school with other foreigners I feel in a way obligated to be a good representation of America. I think even those from countries who are American friendly think of Americans as a bit loud and outgoing. Of course I am a stereotypical American in some ways, for example, I don't know geography very well, but I hope people meet me and realize I'm neither outgoing or loud.
Xenophobia is defined by fear of people from foreign countries. I don't consider Norway to be entirely foreign - or Sweden or Denmark for that matter - the UK definitely not! It's almost along the same lines as an American calling Canada a foreign country. What's so foreign about it? However, I guiltily admit, I won't call it fear, but I will say I'm uncomfortable around people from the Middle East. It's definitely NOT by any means a fear of them being terrorists or anything like that, it's more of a fear of the unknown and not knowing how they think of Americans. This thought of, "Should I even be talking to this person? What if they hate me because I'm American? What if they have moved here because their living conditions have worsened since the War on Terror?" kind of always creeps in my head every time I'm presented in a situation, which is every day at school where I'm talking to a person from a middle eastern country. I'm not sure if it's some sort of American paranoia I can't get over or what exactly it is. I always try to remind myself a person is a person and nationality is just a name. We can't change our nationality any more than we can change our genetics.
I'm in school with a lot of people who have sought asylum from their country, meaning they seek refuge in Norway. Referring back to what I began writing about with the conversation I had with a Pakistani man - he was talking about the war with a good friend of mine. She blurted, "Hun er fra USA!" (She is from USA!) I kind of wished she didn't say anything because I feel so uncomfortable and down right sick when it comes to bringing up the topic of war. He started talking to me and explaining to me what exactly was going on in the Middle East from what he's observed. It was interesting because other than reading The Kite Runner he has been the only other perspective I've gotten from "the other side." He had more to say about conditions in Afghanistan than anything. He was upset and found it senseless that the hit list America has is against around 55 terrorists, yet thousands of innocent people have been killed. He went on about how the conditions of Afghans are so poor many of them have turned to crime. Of course he went on to say many other things and I couldn't disagree with him. How could I when there are people's lives that have been ruined (granted, on both sides of the situation) and innocent civilians killed?
It was a major insight to talk to someone from another perspective on the situation. All I really had to give to this conversation was American people can't really be judged by governmental decisions with the military. Most Americans are quite nice and sensible people and would never even dream of harming innocent people. I let him know I don't quite agree with the decisions going on in the military and the governments decisions behind it and I don't think most Americans do either. He did take an interest in wanting to visit the US when he can get the chance and told me he has friends living in Washington. He was nice and level headed about the ongoing situation, but provided a new perspective for my arrogant point of view. I think when it comes to people such as the gentleman I talked to, they have more first hand experience and see the results with the War on Terror more so than your average American with no military ties.
Anyways, I know ignoring a problem and wishing it would go away is in a way very child-like, but unfortunately that terrible mind set is how I am when I'm at school and someone from a middle eastern country wants to talk to me. I am working on this xenophobia and hopefully, one day maybe, I'll get over it. I hate it, but it's there. Maybe it's been so ingrained in my cultural upbringing, maybe it's just me, I don't know, but I'm working on this part of myself.
I'll just go ahead and write about this because it's been on my mind a lot and I'm often inhibited by it. Recently an unwanted conversation with a Pakistani man (I say unwanted because I try to avoid conversations like this like the plague) has in a way opened my eyes. For one what I expected from this conversation was said and it wasn't what I wanted to hear, but something I wanted to maybe ignore and I think ignoring the problem is a terrible thing. It shouldn't be ignored. As an American expatriate and going to school with other foreigners I feel in a way obligated to be a good representation of America. I think even those from countries who are American friendly think of Americans as a bit loud and outgoing. Of course I am a stereotypical American in some ways, for example, I don't know geography very well, but I hope people meet me and realize I'm neither outgoing or loud.
Xenophobia is defined by fear of people from foreign countries. I don't consider Norway to be entirely foreign - or Sweden or Denmark for that matter - the UK definitely not! It's almost along the same lines as an American calling Canada a foreign country. What's so foreign about it? However, I guiltily admit, I won't call it fear, but I will say I'm uncomfortable around people from the Middle East. It's definitely NOT by any means a fear of them being terrorists or anything like that, it's more of a fear of the unknown and not knowing how they think of Americans. This thought of, "Should I even be talking to this person? What if they hate me because I'm American? What if they have moved here because their living conditions have worsened since the War on Terror?" kind of always creeps in my head every time I'm presented in a situation, which is every day at school where I'm talking to a person from a middle eastern country. I'm not sure if it's some sort of American paranoia I can't get over or what exactly it is. I always try to remind myself a person is a person and nationality is just a name. We can't change our nationality any more than we can change our genetics.
I'm in school with a lot of people who have sought asylum from their country, meaning they seek refuge in Norway. Referring back to what I began writing about with the conversation I had with a Pakistani man - he was talking about the war with a good friend of mine. She blurted, "Hun er fra USA!" (She is from USA!) I kind of wished she didn't say anything because I feel so uncomfortable and down right sick when it comes to bringing up the topic of war. He started talking to me and explaining to me what exactly was going on in the Middle East from what he's observed. It was interesting because other than reading The Kite Runner he has been the only other perspective I've gotten from "the other side." He had more to say about conditions in Afghanistan than anything. He was upset and found it senseless that the hit list America has is against around 55 terrorists, yet thousands of innocent people have been killed. He went on about how the conditions of Afghans are so poor many of them have turned to crime. Of course he went on to say many other things and I couldn't disagree with him. How could I when there are people's lives that have been ruined (granted, on both sides of the situation) and innocent civilians killed?
It was a major insight to talk to someone from another perspective on the situation. All I really had to give to this conversation was American people can't really be judged by governmental decisions with the military. Most Americans are quite nice and sensible people and would never even dream of harming innocent people. I let him know I don't quite agree with the decisions going on in the military and the governments decisions behind it and I don't think most Americans do either. He did take an interest in wanting to visit the US when he can get the chance and told me he has friends living in Washington. He was nice and level headed about the ongoing situation, but provided a new perspective for my arrogant point of view. I think when it comes to people such as the gentleman I talked to, they have more first hand experience and see the results with the War on Terror more so than your average American with no military ties.
Anyways, I know ignoring a problem and wishing it would go away is in a way very child-like, but unfortunately that terrible mind set is how I am when I'm at school and someone from a middle eastern country wants to talk to me. I am working on this xenophobia and hopefully, one day maybe, I'll get over it. I hate it, but it's there. Maybe it's been so ingrained in my cultural upbringing, maybe it's just me, I don't know, but I'm working on this part of myself.
Comments
I was told a few Norwegian clichés when I first arrived:
"We hate Americans, but never met ONE we didn't like." (-Admin Chief)
"USA, Canada, UK, you'll be tolerated, but Norway really doesn't want any foreigners. It just looks good for global politics." (-Norsk course teacher from Oslo University)
... just to share a couple.
I also watched the 20/20? 48 hours? TV segment dealing with racism in Europe, with France as #1 and Norway as #2. The sociologist predicted those Paris riots 1-2 months before they happened, but surmised that, due to Norway's social help structure, Norway would avoid riots for the time being. He also identified the word 'Culture' being used and that that word is the red flag that actually means racism - "No other culture but ours accepted." Aka: Preserving the culture.
Tapping into those underlying feelings we 'transplants' have, I can understand how minorities can feel back home in the states... always feeling just not quite accepted.
However, the social structure and care one receives outweighs much of the negative (by personal perspective and cultural upbringing). Knowing that the person at the fast food of 7-11 receives an ok wage, or the pizza delivery staff get paid and don't by their own gas - like in the USA, which includes the minimum wage salary, is a comfort.
Great post and thanks for sharing your feelings and observations.