Have you ever been to Haiti? I have...many times. It's a Caribbean slum; it's warm and sunny and a mess. President Trump supposedly called it a "shithole". It's a rather apt description. It's not racist; it's honest. Nevertheless, the usual crowd that calls everything racist is at it again.
Let me give you some examples:
1. The first time I was in Haiti, I went to a local market in town on the north coast of the island. It was an open-air space with merchants in booths selling their wares. There were also local women with baskets of goods who were coming into the market to try to sell to the crowd. Apparently, they were not allowed to do that because the local police came to drive them out. Here's the kicker: the police used bull whips with which they actually hit a few of the women to drive them away. It was horrifying, but none of the Haitians seemed to even lift an eyebrow about it.
2. Another time, I was in the capital. As we drove through an area, we came across an entire section where people were living outside. It was the equivalent of coming across 5000 homeless people living together in an American city. They had no electricity, no water, no shelter. It was appalling.
These are not unusual scenes. This is Haiti. This is also the reason why there are so many Haitians who have moved to the USA. Trump's comment is accurate.
So here's the question: is calling Haiti a "shithole" racist? The answer in my opinion is NO. Haiti's condition is not a function of the race of its inhabitants. It's not a mess because the people are mostly black. It's just a mess, and recognizing that fact is not racist.
Let me give you some examples:
1. The first time I was in Haiti, I went to a local market in town on the north coast of the island. It was an open-air space with merchants in booths selling their wares. There were also local women with baskets of goods who were coming into the market to try to sell to the crowd. Apparently, they were not allowed to do that because the local police came to drive them out. Here's the kicker: the police used bull whips with which they actually hit a few of the women to drive them away. It was horrifying, but none of the Haitians seemed to even lift an eyebrow about it.
2. Another time, I was in the capital. As we drove through an area, we came across an entire section where people were living outside. It was the equivalent of coming across 5000 homeless people living together in an American city. They had no electricity, no water, no shelter. It was appalling.
These are not unusual scenes. This is Haiti. This is also the reason why there are so many Haitians who have moved to the USA. Trump's comment is accurate.
So here's the question: is calling Haiti a "shithole" racist? The answer in my opinion is NO. Haiti's condition is not a function of the race of its inhabitants. It's not a mess because the people are mostly black. It's just a mess, and recognizing that fact is not racist.
No comments:
Post a Comment