My mother has visited me in America quite a few times since then and we had no other unpleasant experiences like the one in the mall, until last evening. We were taking a walk in the neighborhood just outside our community. As luck would have it, I was wearing the same black salwar-kameez. I should note at this point that I never wear ethnic clothes unless I am going to an Indian cultural event. With my mother here, I find myself wearing clothes I haven't worn in a long time mainly because she likes to see me in them and she finds my Western clothes too monotonic.
So here we were on the sidewalk, the streets completely deserted. Mom was observing that she had never seen roads look so empty in all her trips here. Clearly $4-a-gallon gas has made non-essential driving a thing of the past. Suddenly a big white truck whizzed past us and a big white guy on the passenger side stuck his head out and screamed abuses at the two of us. He repeated the word "bitches" a few times to make sure we had heard and understood. It was so unexpected and sudden that we were left dumbfounded even as his voice reverberated. After I had recovered, I wondered how I would have reacted if I had managed to keep my wits about me and if I had been carrying my cellphone.
My mother commented that when times are hard, natives will naturally resent the presence of aliens among them - it happens in India too. In Mumbai they resent the Biharis and Bangladeshis who come into the city in train-loads to join the labor force. There are similar examples to be found all around India. She said that poverty brings out the worst in people, when the safeguards afforded by civic society can no longer be counted upon. Maybe the cops would have turned a deaf ear to my complaint even if I had called 911 and recounted what had happened. My mother speaks from the vantage point of someone who has seen just such a systematic degradation happen throughout her life. She is therefore able to see signs of decay and decline that others without such firsthand experience would miss.
Article comments
1 - Cary Ace Bowers Jr
Get over your fear of other races,you caused your own paranoia by thinking of yourselves in your infinite greed,your wanting of slavery,youve lost respect for anyone not of your race,What do you want that you dont have,to dictate others lives is you have no authority.Authority is the dying issue,the separation of the lazy,and the doers is the future!
2 - Joanne Huspek
I am so sorry you had to experience what happened on the street as well as with the comment above.
You would think that our country, which has been based on embracing the immigrant, would have moved beyond this sort of ignorance and negativity. As a person of mixed ethnic background, I grew up with this growing up in the '60s.
Your mother is wise in her perception. Being wise is helpful in everything except allaying fear.