STARING AND MORE STARING
went to dinner with some friends visiting dublin from the UK and the USA. on our way out of the restaurant the diners downstairs (we were seated on the top level) stared as we all passed by, heads craned unmistakably around, all good manners forgotten. what could be the source of such interest? the fact that five of the eight diners (in our party) were asian?
most people who don’t live in dublin would call me crazy, but i’ve been stared at as the only non-white person in too many dublin restaurants myself over the past two years to have any more tolerance for it. if you haven’t had the experience yourself, trust me, even if they don’t mean anything by it, it sure isn’t fun. and after awhile, you just want to confront them, go up to them and ask, why are you staring? are you so unused to seeing non-white people in a restaurant enjoying themselves like normal people, instead of serving you behind take-out counters and convenience store cash registers? of course i didn’t. but every time it happens i get that much closer to doing it.
September 13th, 2004 at 9:12 am
Sadly, you get the same treatment in Tokyo by cabbies who ask similar questions if you are speaking to your friends in fluent non-Japanese languages. So it’s not a Dublin thing… or maybe it is something to do with island nations and small-mindedness
September 13th, 2004 at 9:16 am
Whoops. Wrong post >.
September 13th, 2004 at 12:23 pm
hey - i’m less inclined to make comparisions between dublin and tokyo since my point of comparison is not japan or japanese culture, but southern california and my identity as an american in ireland. my ethnic background is as much a part of my ‘american-ness’ as everything else, even though some people here (in dublin) have trouble comprehending that. anyway, thanks for stopping by!
September 17th, 2004 at 3:26 pm
I think you speak your mind the next time especially when it makes you so uncomfortable. People stare at me an awful lot of the time in restrauants and pubs im a six foot female and i do like to wear heels some times(that would be 6′3)! you tend to get droped jaws of disbelief and comments(giant, transvestite etc). sometimes i just ignore but there has been a few occasions i have turned around and spoke my mind and it has given me satifaction to do so. I suppose what im trying to say is that it doesnt matter if your black white yellow or blue! your going to get stared at for being a bit different(dress, height, body weight). As time has gone on i have learned to live with it. and i do have a tendency to do a little bit of my own staring when a group of hot totties walk by and every race has some of them i wouldnt be staring because of there race but maybe because of there beautiful looks and great dress sense!