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i guess i haven’t posted about this yet

so my parents are in their early 50s, born and raised in the middle east. my mother has survived a lot of bombs in her own country and has gotten shot in the leg by an israeli soldier at 13 years old. my father, has a very complicated story but i’ll sum it up. survived a bunch of bombings as well, has gotten shot in the upper arm where he still have a huge prominent scar. when saddam hussein took over iraq, my dad was forced in the military and spent months without seeing his family. my dad hates war and so he fled the country illegally. he didn’t wanna murder his own people. he first went to syria, lebanon, then made his way to jordan. in jordan he gets caught for being there illegally and gets put in jail then they eventually release him and told him to get out (obviously there’s more to the story but jordan is jordan) then he goes to lebanon, where my mom’s from. my dad lives there for 10 years, barely getting by, going hungry, barely understands the dialect that was being spoke there. eventually meets my mom, they go through a rough a year together, barely having enough to feed my pre-maturely born brother. they finally get accepted for refuge and come to boise, idaho. don’t know a word of english and don’t have any money then they move to michigan and have me 2 years later bc they heard that’s where all the other refugees got sent.




felt like i had to give that background bc people obviously forget the reality of what foreign people live though, especially in countries like iraq and lebanon. with that being said, i hold my parents and other immigrants to a different standard than i do to older white people who have lived in first world countries their whole lives. while these white folks were in school, learning about racism and war, my parents were living through them. just people in the west in general. i’m specifically saying older white folks bc older brown or black folks in the west, were experiencing racism at an excessive rate. i do still hold them to a different standard than i do immigrants from third world countries.


as i do hold myself, a brown who has grown up in america, to a different standard than i do another brown girl living in the middle east. i have the tools and resources to learn about war, not live through it. and with that being said, i believe western folks should be held to a different standard when it comes to racism, religion, homophobia, transphobia, etc. we’ve had endless tools and resources to learn about it. we’ve grown up in a society where you don’t executed for being gay or an atheist. meanwhile, people living in countries like saudi arabia are living through it.

in no way am i excusing their close mindedness, however i try to be empathetic and sensitive to a person’s upbringing and the society they grew up in. we still have a long way to go as human beings. the first step is to acknowledge our differences and learn to be empathetic in order to eventually love and accept each other.
JollyLily · F
One of the best stories I've read here. It is also a reminder of everything this site was created for, for people to share life experiences and insights. I'm glad you wrote this. Thank you.
Slymbo · 61-69, M
That is an absolutely incredible story. Thank you so much for sharing.
Callaghen · 61-69, M
wow thanks for sharing your story
SW-User
lived in first world countries their whole lives. while these white folks were in school, learning about racism and war, my parents were living through them

Truth. I acknowledge my privilege but I don't really understand it... It's an irony but my privilege insulates me from my privilege.
rhouse · 56-60, M
Totally agree with your last paragraph but the one before it sure sounds like you have different standards for different people. Is that really what you mean?

Don't expect me to accept Saudi Arabian values because they have a different view. Homophobia is homophobia. Period.
User41 · 36-40, M
Can I have best comment?
Dominus · 36-40, M
Thanks for the insight.
yfma53 · 70-79, M
Well said.
Lilnonames · F
Now that is a truely amazing story.it gives me a different view on things as well thank u for posting this.

 
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