While I am particularly used to being PC and accustomed to using terms that would not offend, it is not really the norm for one to do this in Perú. From a young age most Peruvians are used to having little nicknames that describe exactly what one looks like. So it is not at all offensive, in fact it is considered “cariño” or caring to be called fatty, skinny, whitey, moreno (brown, or “darky” one could say) or chino (based on the fact that you have asiatic features). Even gringo is considered a word of endearment for someone that comes from a foreign country. I am often referred to as “gringo” or “joven” when I am in public.
At first this is a bit uncomfortable and one wonders whether or not this is beyond a culture shock moment. Is this type of behavior more detrimental to a person, or have I just been studying too much psychology? I definitley have tried to take all this with a graing of salt. I am in a different country with a different culture.
I still often think this after months of being in Perú that I can’t quite get the idea of smiling while I look at my neighbor and call him piggy or refer to that girl with the chinese eyes. It definitely begs the question, where do conflicting cultures meet? Am I in the right to think this is bad behavior, or are we overly sensitive and censored as a whole.
Daily Dinámica: Popping the Bubble
Keep and open mind about the world around you, there are often things one takes for granted as truth, when it really comes down to perception.
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