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Undertoad · 11-06-2005, 04:51 PM

I agree with tw also.

My French teacher in high school - 25 years ago - told a story about a time she was visiting a French family. The maid came in and everyone at the table went silent and stared uncomfortably at my teacher. After the maid left, they sighed in relief. The maid was black, and the family had the stereotype that all Americans hate all blacks. They expected her to be angry and upset.

When my teacher told the story, she made an interesting point about it: it would have been inconceivable for the black woman to be anything much higher than a servant. That turns the story full circle - of an American society trying to heal from its deep racism problem, and French society that apparently had a racism problem under the surface and did not recognize it for what it was.

11-06-2005, 04:51 PM	#14
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	I agree with tw also. My French teacher in high school - 25 years ago - told a story about a time she was visiting a French family. The maid came in and everyone at the table went silent and stared uncomfortably at my teacher. After the maid left, they sighed in relief. The maid was black, and the family had the stereotype that all Americans hate all blacks. They expected her to be angry and upset. When my teacher told the story, she made an interesting point about it: it would have been inconceivable for the black woman to be anything much higher than a servant. That turns the story full circle - of an American society trying to heal from its deep racism problem, and French society that apparently had a racism problem under the surface and did not recognize it for what it was.