#an European country or a western country

[wenellyb]

White French people hate it when they get a taste of their own medicine. 

I was discussing with one of my colleagues and she told me how she was planning to go to Senegal for the holidays because she thought it was a good way for her kids to see more diversity and people who don’t look like them (ie Black People).

So I told her it was a good idea because I was 4 the 1st time I saw a White person (and I cried btw...) And she was so shocked, like she couldn’t understand that some Black kids have never seen White people in their lives but somehow doesn’t think twice about the fact that her kids are in a similar situation.

Another time, I was talking to someone else about how I arrived in France when I was young but had lived in many African countries growing up (RDC, Kenya , Gabon, Center African Republic...).

And then that person proceeded to go on a tirade about how I must have felt so lucky to arrive in France, and how I should have been relieved to arrive in a developed country like France, blablaba. I just told him “not really”, because growing up I was told that France was amazing and so wealthy, but the first time I saw homeless people was when I arrived in Europe, so I didn’t really understand why people always talked about Europe like that. And again, the guy was shocked, just because I didn’t say my life in Africa was miserable and sad, and because I said that Europe was from what I had heard as a child.

If you’re going to bring your assumptions without knowing, I’ll retort with mine ( the view of an 8-9 year old). I don’t understand how someone can feel so entitled and assume something about your situation without asking first. I’m sorry the only thing you know about Africa is that one documentary you watched in middle school but leave me alone.

#random stuff #I just give what I get #And I'm not saying there's no poverty in Africa... But people need to understand that Africa is a continent not a country #and I think that even people who understand it don't really understand understand it #what I mean is that all countries are different and even within the countries you have differences and just like any other countries in the #world you have wealth differences and it's stupid to assume that just because you come from an African country you're grateful to arrive in #an European country or a western country #Also you'll have very different opinions whether your coming from east Africa west africa northern africa etc... #They say stuff but then are surprised when you say the same thing back

[chaberkowepole]

A post where a Westerner whines about people holding Russian culture accountable for their imperialism saying this is "dehumanising poor babushkas" or some bullshit bad-faith interpretation: 44'000 notes

Posts where Eastern Europeans detail, explain, tediously lay out the impact of imperialism on their lands and their discrimination in the West: 300 notes, mostly from other Eastern Europeans

Maybe it's that imperialist countries understand each other and would rather boost each other's voices :)

#And that is my post to sum up the past year here on tumblr for Eastern Europeans #And tbh other non-western countries affected by imperialism #Eastern Europe #Ukraine #Russian imperialism #Imperialism #western supremacism #west centrism

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

William Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905) Bergère (Shepherdess), 1888

#art #fine art #european art #classical art #william adolphe bouguereau #french #france #french art #europe #europa #bergere #Bergère #shepherdess #1800s #fine arts #oil painting #brunette #portrait of a girl #western civilization #country #folk #cottage core #1888 #mediterranean #Bouguereau #william bouguereau #european

[leroibobo]

the paradesi synagogue in kochi, kerala, india. the first synagogue on the site, built by the city's longstanding malabari jewish community, was destroyed by portugese who'd colonized the area in their persecution of locals. it was rebuilt in 1568 by spanish and portugese jews who fled persecution and later expulsion, hence the name "paradesi" ("foreign" in malayalam).

these sephardic jews and a community of jews of mixed african and european descent who were formerly enslaved ("meshuchrarim", "freedmen" in hebrew) joined the malabari jewish community of kochi and somewhat integrated. they were later joined by some iraqi, persian, yemenite, afghan, and dutch sephardic jews. the middle eastern and european jews were considered "white jews" and permitted malabari jews and meshuchrarim to worship in the synagogue. however, in what seems like a combination of local caste dynamics and racism, malabari jews were not allowed full membership. meshuchrarim weren't allowed in at all, but were instead made to sit outside during services and not allowed their own place of worship or other communal rights.

as the "white jews" tended to be rather wealthy from trade, this synagogue contains multiple antiquities. they include belgian glass chandeliers on its walls, hand-painted porcelain tiles from china on its floors, and an oriental rug that was gifted by ethiopian emperor haile selassie.

#india #architecture #interior #worship #jewish #sephardic #mizrahi #abrahamic kerala #my posts #this seems like a combo of european racism & s asian casteism but idk anything abt castes so idk how right i am #imo the attitude of the paradesi sephardim sort of echoes what went on w/ portugese & st thomas christians #though they were also influenced by ''jewish racism'' (someone not being an ''authentic'' jew or 100% jewish in lineage) #also its interesting that most paradesi jews who left india went to other commonwealth countries while most malabar jews went to occupied #palestine (for the same reason indian muslims went to pakistan more or less). something something the west's unwanted refugee dumping groun #also i'm not saying the portugese didn't persecute against locals who practiced other religions just that there was a Very Specific type of #persecution st thomas christians and malabari jews faced from them #one more thing: i think most americans dont know (and western europeans like to forget) that the transatlantic slave trade went into #western europe as well. even if most w euro countries outlawed slavery before the us did #and also that ‘white’ has never had a linear definition (yemenites are very not ‘white’-looking to the average american) #its really interesting to me how the sephardim who ended up in w europe or euro colonies ended up being richer and more exclusionary than #balkan or most mena sephardim. probably bc more money = govts get off their backs

[earthytzipi]

as much as Zionism is a colonial project (though I tend to take the view as expressed in "Decolonizing Jewishness" re: Zionism as failed decolonization attempt) I think it's extremely reductive to claim that Ashkenormativity is to blame for the colonial nature of the Zionist reality. as more and more people from outside of Jewish spaces are introduced to the concept of Ashkenormativity, "Ashkenazi" is being used as a synonym for white and for colonizer.

this is not the whole picture. first and foremost, a large percentage of Ashkenazim are not white, though of course many of us are. conflating Ashkenazim with whiteness, both inside and outside of the Jewish community, contributes to the erasure of Jewish People of Color. additonally, the first Jews in the western hemisphere, arriving with conquistadors and colonizers, were, in fact, Sephardi. in the US, almost every Jewish person was Sephardi until the second half of the 19th century. Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews have also historically participated in and currently participate in Zionism, including in the settlements. furthermore, when we're talking about Israel's suppression of diasporic culture, a very real phenomenon, we need to discuss how many Ashkenazi cultural elements were also suppressed - including Yiddish and Ashkenazi Hebrew. in fact, Ashkenazim from Europe who wanted to hang onto their diasporic cultures were considered weak and effeminate. this reality should make sense to everyone who is aware of how Holocaust survivors are treated in Israel. in Israeli society, there is contempt for EVERY Jewish culture that is not Israeli, and of course that is compounded and exacerbated by racism for Mizrahi, Ethiopian, Indian, and other Jewish groups of color.

it's not the same dichotomy as the Black vs white dichotomy set up by US/UK/French/Spanish/etc colonization, and the term "Ashkenormativity" being taken out of Jewish contexts and applied to Zionism just makes Ashkenazim a convenient scapegoat for all the evils of Zionism. the main consequence I'm seeing is the idea that Ashkenazim are "fake European Jews" in contrast to the "real Middle Eastern Jews." this idea hurts us all. Jewish people are from every corner of the globe, and every Jewish person is a real Jewish person. I'm asking those of us who are pro-Palestine to tread very carefully when discussing this issue, and maybe retire the use of "Ashkenormativity" when it comes to discussing the racism of Zionism, which Jewish people from every diasporic background can and do participate in. Ashkenormativity refers to the centering of Ashkenazi history and customs when discussing Jewishness, and I'm really concerned that the way I'm seeing it used does not meet that definition and is not helpful (and maybe ends up centering Ashkenazi "evilness" or "Europeanness" while still not discussing Sephardi, Mizrahi, and other Jewish diasporic group's histories at all outside of their interactions with Ashkenazim in Israel). there's a lot of racism Jewish spaces, in Zionism, and in Israeli society, I just think we should call it racism and white supremacy.

#Zionism #free Palestine #asking this as a pro palestine ashki jew #just please consider that this situation is not equivalent or the same as western european colonization #while it is accurate to say that Zionism started in Europe and centers a European jewish experience #Ashkenazi is not a direct equivalent to white or european #many sephardim are white #the are other Jewish diasporic groups who are white or european #and you are spreading antisemitism when you say or imply that Ashkenazim are not really Jewish or aren't real Jews #or are less real than other Jewish diasporic group's #also looking at the politics of Israel if you removed every single Ashki person from the country the politics would likely swing far right #it's just not as black and white as yall want to make #and taking jewish conversations about very real issues within our community and applying those terms outwards as stand ins #for issues within colonial societies like racism #doesn't really work

[tianshiisdead]

this is a HETALIA post that will end with a conclusion about hetalia. thx

i dont want to focus too much on global south victimhood or this or that, i dont want to take away agency from the global south, but its kind of heartbreaking to me how you can run through the entire history of this or that western country with colonialism, imperialist wars, and the flow of money as a footnote, but the histories of those countries they ravaged are forever ripped by that same imperialism.

I guess i was thinking about this, about history and nation personifications and what counts as ‘political’. To be honest, its impossible for me to totally separate nation and history from politics, to completely cleanse away the mentions of anything bad or scary or painful, you may treat it gently or grimly or comedically but it’s always going to be there as long as you see these nations as nations, as history (ie not an AU). And of course, that history of the global south which so deeply intertwines with colonialism/imperialism is almost always labeled as political, always seen as sensitive.

However… I think it’s telling that much of the fandom who engages with western characters (and I should put a quick disclaimer that there is nothing wrong with that in and of itself) are able to shrug the colonialism away and simply choose not to engage. Just like history books on western nations can cleanly sweep each war, each colony, each invasion under a quickly brushed aside footnote, it’s not hard to look away from where the money and resources come from. Total empire, colony influence on the metropole, they do exist, but what are they compared to the influence on the colony itself? To build the framework of a nation personification of a formerly colonized country, to make even the most basic decisions on their age and birth and identity becomes difficult without delving into the imperialist violence that formed their modern state. To give a recount of any country ravaged by imperialist wars, it’s impossible to avoid giving name to the violence that left the nation reeling into modern day.

So, yes, it’s very telling to me how easy it is to brush aside ‘politics’ when speaking only of western nation personifications.

#hetalia #diary #hater tag #before people come after me i know countries in the global south have also colonized each other blah blah i know not every single #european country is a colonial power etc etc #i know there are european countries whove been colonized etc etc #however the west has largely been the colonial core and the global south #or should i say nonwestern world #while also being varying degrees of imperial powers themselves and exerting influence and violence on #territories in and around them #have all largely been victimized by the western early modern and modern empires #as well this is the thing that most deeply influences every facet of modern day i feel on a global level #and on the level of economic prosperity #power #political sway #etc #colonialism #imperialism

[imagone]

uh yeah in case anyone was still somehow doubting that europe is becoming increasingly facist each day, a far-right, anti-Islam populist has just won the Dutch elections and his most important plan is to bring an immediate end to the “asylum tsunami”

#europe #netherlands #palestine #how convenient for westerners to full on aid and fund a genocide and then demonize asylum seekers and immigrants of the countries that #they’ve destroyed for years #atp is there ANY european country left that’s not on the far-right road

[yardsards]

the word "expat" is so annoying to me like. shhh you're just an immigrant who thinks that other immigrants are lesser than them

#eliot posts #there technically ARE subtle differences in the definitions of the two words #but that's not really how it's used it practice #almost all self described ''expats'' are white upper middle class usamericans/canadians/western europeans #looking up stuff about leaving the usa to go to other countries and just finding content by the Worst kind of white usamericans #this mf was talking about why he left costa rica after trying to be an ''expat'' there #and one of the reasons he cited was ''you have to learn spanish to get by'' #LIKE NO SHIT SHERLOCK #or the amount if people who complained they couldn't get amazon prime or that amazon was too expensive in other countries #how much bullshit are you buying on amazon that this is a serious factor in your life??? #(im looking at other countries in case shit in the usa gets too bad for existing as a trans person)

[liesmyth]

that one post I rb'd earlier about France and laicité and Macron celebrating Chanukah is still making me made just thinking about it. That came in the same week as Masha Gessen being almost stripped of the Hannah Arendt prize because they wrote an essay about Gaza (incidentally, Gessen is Jewish). I'm just really, massively tired of the current climate in Western Europe where political and civil authorities pay lip service to diversity and pluralism but actually actively suppress diverse voices. Case in point, lots of framing Judaism = Israel while actively making life harder for their Jewish communities.

I'm not eloquent enough to word this properly, but it's infuriating to witness. It's not a new attitude by any means, but it's rooted in racism and xenophobia and I hate that it's getting so much fresh mileage lately. I wish more people (& local press) called it out for what it is.

#As an Italian: I can't even begin to explain how shitty our current right-wing government is #They love to push on the `cultural wars` and `great replacement` angle #they rely on catholicism for electoral purposes + give no shits about the rampant antisemitism + the blatant fascism within their ranks #& are openly racist and Islamophobic #But they looove Netanyahu — as a fellow right-winger #& as a fellow racist fearmonger about scary Arabs #and they're the kind of conservative western christians #who love the idea of a Jewish state just so they can send all Jews there and keep Italy catholic #also thinking about Biden who just last week said #`Without Israel there wouldn’t be a Jew in the world who is safe` like he isn't the leader of a country with a significant Jewish populatio #whose saftey should maye be HIS concern? also like. Dual loyalty? In 2023? More likely than you think #I don't really have A point here I'm just blathering but that post made my fucking blood boil #it just shows how much western european gvts like to weaponise 'religious freedom' #picking and choosing what is the unremarkable default #and they're nearly always fucking racist about it #sorry if im not making sense lmao. i'm tired #current events #european blogging

[pherelesytsia]

Dears, I have entered the hate train after watching another movie with the lovely western representation of Slavs and I despise this stereotypical/ hyper-s**ualised portrayal of, male and female, with all my heart and rotten soul. 

I am from a Slavic country and my name is not Svetlana nor Olga and my brother’s name is not Dimitry. I don't know anyone from the mafia, I don't consume alcohol and I don’t steal so you don’t need to hide your gold and tires, I won´t put them in my plastic bag nor will I steal your husband.

Ps: Russia is not the only Slavic Country. The Slavic countries cannot be thrown into one pot. There are cultural, lingual, religious, mythological and other differences. Each country is different and unique.

#Slavic people #slavic countries #eastern european #western media #czech republic #poland #slovakia #Belarus #croatia #bosnia #serbia #Macedonia #Bulgaria #bosnia and herzegovina #eastern europeans of tumblr

[sudaca-swag]

"Deinfluence", this "upcycle" that, "dupes", welcome to what life is for 90% of the world outside the global north and just call it what we all do: "no tengo un mango"

#translation: i dont have a dime #no but really this is just normal life for most of us everywhere usamericans and western europeans consume so much shit like 15 times more #and most of it is all useless lmao u dont need 40 bags and 20 pair of shoes #latine tag #ok add australia and canada to the roster bc they are some of the most wasteful consumists countries

[borealopelta]

every day i wake up like i need to get out of this fucking country. and then i realise that my plans to get out of this fucking country involve germany which is looking less and less Better Than lately

#SOMEONE REC ME A WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRY THAT DOESN'T SUCK AND ISN'T A MONARCHY I'M SO SERIOUS RN #veni veni

[sixty-silver-wishes]

if you say you care about human rights but say that entire populations of places with oppressive governments should be eradicated, congrats! you’re not advocating for human rights; you’re just encouraging the people oppressing us

#politics #discourse #if one more western european jokes that florida should sink into the ocean I’m going feral #the way to help oppressed people is not to alienate them or blame them for their own oppression #this goes for countries as well as us states #genocide is bad kids

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Léon-Augustin Lhermitte (French, 1844 - 1925) Harvesters at Rest, 1888 National Gallery of Ireland

#art #fine art #classical art #cottage core #country #folk #european art #western civilization #harvesters at rest #1800s #19th century #europe #european #europa #french art #france #franks

[thedevilsrain]

reading into anti soviet propaganda as a latin american makes you feel insane. "they had houses, but they had to wait three years to get a car!"

like people had houses? built by the government? people had cars?? and you're complaining???

#ive found that soviet countries were only considered miserable because they were measured by western standards #and because they only looked at the european countries #yeah waiting 3 years for a car seems unimaginable when its the standard to have one once you hit 20 #meanwhile theres people in their 50s in brazil who can only afford rented cars #ah well.

[moodr1ng]

once again i am begging you to realize that using "european" to mean "white people" is shitty to european people of color and that if youre going to talk shit about white europeans and their racism (as you should) you oughta realize that some of the principal victims of that racism are the people of color LITERALLY LIVING WITH IT. the us is 75% white. france is 85% white. those numbers are not so ludicrously far apart that you can keep pretending like your countrys diversity is evident and needs be respected while obviously other countries are white only bc theres a white majority.

#97 #im just unfollowing for it now lol like im tired of it #the denial of european poc even EXISTING let alone deserving to be cared abt whatsoever has been OBVIOUS and LOUD #ever since you all decided that there was some kind of us/europe dichotomy where europeans oppress americans or the other way around #which so far has only served for white ppl to brush their ego and feel like theyre the good ones #ITS THE SAME. ITS THE SAME. WESTERN COUNTRIES IS THE SAME!! #this whole topic is stupid and senseless!!! #its all western countries w racist white majorities!! its the same #this is not like some third worlder vs first worlder thing where there is a dynamic of privilege. there is not. #these are different white-majority racist colonialist western powers. Theyre The Same. #alright thats enough rbing this i have anon on rn lol