Skrivet av
mylifeinstockholm |
2007-02-13 – 22:06
Note: MyLifeinStockholm is a blog about life in Stockholm from an English speaking expat’s point of view. “MyLife” is the blog’s author, BabyLife is her son, and AntiLife is her ex-Swedish spouse… Here’s a popular post:
Yesterday, BabyLife and I sat at Tully’s Coffee, while it was packed. I’m sorry to say this, even though it happens almost every day of our lives here in Stockholm, but prejudice is a big issue.
We couldn’t laugh or use our hands to express a sentiment without the young woman sitting at the table right next to us looking immediately at her bag.
It happened once. It happened twice. By the third time (and the 15ooth time in 10 years, at least), I turned to her and said, “Excuse me, but I can’t help but notice you are concerned about your bag. I’m sorry, but I find it insulting that every time my son and I laugh together, or motion with our hands, you turn anxiously to make sure we are not touching your bag.” The Swedish girl, who was sitting with four other friends, was at first shocked, of course. We are not supposed to confront directly anything that bothers us. That is Rule #1 in Sweden. I was creating an “uncomfortable situation”. The problem was that I’d had enough of this, and I am so tired of BabyLife and me having to be so careful not to make the Swedes around us uncomfortable by our dark-haired presence.
I could tell she knew what I was referring to - she had, after all, been guarding her bag after giving us both the once over. I said, “Have a little sensitivity. Whatever is in your bag. We are not interested in it. We have a lot of money ourselves. We don’t need yours. If you are concerned, move your bag to the other side, because otherwise it is INSULTING to us.”
We deal with this, as I said, almost on a daily basis, whether it is in line at the supermarket, at the bank cash machine, in the subway, on an escalator, in a coffee shop. It’s to the point where I truly understand how people from oppressed classes become violent.
What a pleasure it has been for me to be in Russia or Italy or Spain or France or even Florida, and to be seen for the person I am, rather than just someone with dark hair, a “svartskalle” or black skull, the Swedish equivalent to that disgusting word, “nigger”.
Don’t fool yourselves, prejudice is alive and thriving in Sweden. And I’m a middle aged woman with light olive skin and dark brown hair. I can only imagine what my life would be like as a Black woman or an Arabic one. Or a young man named Mohammed.
A lot of people here won’t look in your eyes and see your soul. They’ll only look at your hair and assume you are poor and a criminal.
Is everyone here like this? No, but a vast majority are. Having grown up in NYC during the 60s, I can tell you it reminds me of that era. 40 years later and I have to live through it, yet again, as if it were the first time. No, thank you.
I fully expect all the Swedes who read this blog now to turn against me. We’re supposed to make believe everything here is just fine. But it isn’t. Don’t think that because you see a few biracial children that things here are better. Even BabyLife has already learned that being blond and blue-eyed is “better” than being dark-haired and dark-eyed, and that makes me sad. I can’t wait for a greater reality to influence his perspective.
In the meantime, I point out to him how beautiful our souls are, and that we are One.
Ämnen:- Allmänt, - Kritik :- (, Södermalm |
2 kommentarer »
Jag vet inte hur många pjäser det finns som utspelar sig i Stockholm, eller som handlar om Stockholm. Inte så många va? Men häromkvällen såg vi Allsång på Elverket, och där spelade huvudstan inte precis huvudrollen, men i alla fall en central roll. Som bakgrund, inflytande, dialekt och känsla. I en av scenerna sitter två av karaktärerna på en parkbänk (eller möjligen ett kylskåp) och kommenterar trafiken, Djurgårdsfärjan och de myllrande stockholmarna. Hemtrevligt!
Mitt förslag är att alla som föds i länet får en snygg och/eller diskret tatuering direkt vid ankomst till Stockholm, på BB eller hemma. Sen är det bara att visa upp sin lokaltagg för att få fri entre till alla stadens museer, företräde i alla köer (och då snackar vi inte bara Djurgårdsfärjan och Katarinahissen utan även biografer, nattklubbar, krogar och Konsumkassan) samt rabatt på glass och varm korv.