Re: Does this offend you? Or would you not be offended at all?
It’s not much a revelation as it is a reminder. Not every individual of an entire race has a heart of gold, Savera. You may hear generalizations about cultures such as ‘the Arabs or Afghans are very hospitable’…“The Hispanics are a very warm culture”…etc etc. And I do feel there is some truth to these statements, however I don’t think they are sufficient to say that every person of a specific ethnic group has a ‘heart of gold.’ That’s a strong statement, one that can be determined only by interacting with the person/people. What you’re basically doing is applying the “Don’t judge a book by its cover” principal on a larger scale, in this case to various ethnic groups. It’s not a revelation, it’s a reminder. Without interaction, our first impressions of a person are based on their looks…it’s an innate behavior for us to be more attracted to some faces/looks more than others…determining personality and compatibility comes later, after interaction. What you’re saying is that a person we are not attracted to might have a heart of gold. Well, the same can apply to attractive people as well, they might have a good heart too. I dunno if you’re trying to get us to feel a strong or perhaps equal appreciation and acceptance for all peoples and it would be nice if we could do that…but I don’t think it’s a realistic or simple expectation. It’s idealistic, but not so simple as you make it sound because it requires both exposure and interaction with people as well as checking/monitoring our negative feelings or biases.
Also, it seems you’re trying to send the message that, "Don’t feel offended if someone assumes you are (insert nationality) because even though they may not be attractive according to society’s standards, the people of that ethnicity could have a ‘heart of gold’ and therefore you should view the association positively. Well, Savera, when someone correctly assumes that I’m Pakistani, I do not think “Yaaay, I have a heart of gold.” When someone assumes I’m Arab or Hispanic or Trinidadi…I don’t think, “Yay I’m associated with those who have hearts of gold.” Nor do I think, “Yay, India has beautiful landscapes and is a tourist hot-spot and home of Aishwarya Rai so I should be proud of being assumed an Indian.” Usually I just wonder what about my features led to the conclusion. And I think for many people, the thought process is not skin-deep, it is superficial…because its looks that are being discussed and not personality/character. Maybe someone else can express my thoughts more articulately and concisely. While your message does have some merit, I think it’s also a bit flawed.