Racism in Dubai

• Seems as though this discussion has been over for a while. I read some very interesting perspectives and a few digressions but they were still pertinent to the question of racism. I am a Black African American with dreadlocks(yes a bit relevent;people automatically assume I'm Jamaican) living in Japan. Yes, racism does exist everywhere but not through every person and we must be careful not to read it into situations that are not a question of race. Keeping that in mind, I am thinking of going to Dubai to teach English and I DON'T want to go any place where I might be forced to endure extreme racism. Regardless of the fact that "racism is everywhere" and that we have deal with each person individually, I think no one wants to head into a situation where the stress of everyday life is compounded by a general ostracism in society. Whether or not I should go there is a personal decision I realize; I just want to know from an objective view (and, though it seems contradictory, I'd like to know from a Black person, Black American if possible- simply because other races, sensitive and aware as they may be, don't experience things in the exact same way; a Chinese person may experience racism, perhaps MORE than anyone else, but a difference in cultural perspective on the part of that individual as well as the offending person would make it impossible for me to judge for my own situation. Wow, this was a LONG parenthetical insert!)whether Dubai would be too racist (yes I KNOW! not everybody is racist; not even the majority I'm sure; but it doesn't take the "majority" of the people you know to make your life hell!) for me to have a somewhat peaceful stay if I am considerate of the culture and lifestyle there(being inconsiderate is not an option; I just want an answer that will skip over the Aesop preaching and lectures on "social skills" or "cultural awareness." Let's assume a that an educated Black man with no more baggage than the average person that has experience living in a different culture pretty much has that covered. Not trying to be rude or arrogant and I hope I don't appear that way; I just want facts.) Thanks!

  Rod 08 Jan 2009, 04:31 - Report

Racism in dubai