To Mame: please don't call us "natives"

Mame, I've been reading your posts about what you liked/disliked about DR, and I get a sense of condescencion from you when it comes to Dominicans. You call us "natives" like if we were still living in caves. FYI, there is breast cancer everywhere, even in DR and trust me, you do that (please refer to previous post http://dr1.com/board/index.cgi?read=60729) the good ol' US of A and you'll get stares and dropped mouths there too. I admire you for doing it and enjoying it, but please stop belittling us, we left the arrow and bow behind long time ago, so what if some of us can't speak English? many of you can't speak Spanish!!! About dialects, please, just in NY you have so many dialects and accents it's like the Tower of Babel revisited.

Why are you getting upset. Many people say that I am native to Canada, US, ect. In this sense they really mean the local people who live in the DR.

You will here me saying many times upon meeting people from others countries when they ask where I live, I tell them I am native to Canada. No big deal

Being native to a place is not the same as being called "native", I might be over-sensitive, but I sense a slight different connotation in the context in which the word was used: "...the natives stared at me..., if it wasn't meant that way, then I apologize, but no one ever calls US citizens in the US "natives"" unless they are American Indian, the word by itself gives the sense of "half-naked barbarian"...now looking at it from another perspective, who's the "half-naked barbarian? No offense intended.

Back in the late 60's I was doing linguistic research in Samana. I interviewed those people that were English speaking as their native tongue and had Spanish as a second language..

During one interview, the elderly lady told me "that yes, her son had married a native, and that they lived down by the bomba!"

Remember, this is the grandaughter of a freed slave from the States that came here in 1824....Talk about discrimination....

HB

Oh, Marilyn! I had no intention whatsoever of offending you or anyone else by using that word!! I expected it was an appropriate word as much as my being a "native" of Poland, dear!!
And, certainly, if I have belittled Dominicans, I don't where how or where - I'm sorry if I was misunderstood. On the contrary, Marily, the "original people of Dominican Republic" have my greatest respect - I had so much fun with them!! and they didn't seem to care about my terrible Spanish, and I didn't care about them not understand/speaking English!!! Actually, I went to visit several young women each day - and we did a lot of miming - and it was wonderful!!!! Please do not take offense, none was or will be given!!! In fact, I can't wait to go back for another vacation this winter - and look up my good buddies that I had so much fun with - and show them the photos we took together ... aw, I feel so bad that I'm misunderstood!

Very sincerely, -Mame-
P.S. Since I'm very open to learning everything I possibly can, what Is the proper word - I do want to know and not make the same stupid mistake again!!

Yes, Marilyn, people would stare at such a sight anywhere - I didn't mean only DR peoples' mouths dropped! I don't know how to apologize any more than I have - if I did, I would. Thanks for response. -Mame-

Yes, you are a native OF Poland but we don't call the people of Poland NATIVES.
You used the proper word.....DOMINICANS.
Afraid you never met the ORIGINAL people of the Dominican Republic.....they were the Taino Indians and long extinct, unfortunately.

Dear Mame,

By your response I can see that I misunderstood you and that you actually have a lot of respect for our people. To your question as to what you would call us, I think Dominicans or you can always say native Dominicans. Maybe I was on an "extra sensitive" mood when I read your post, you know, PMS,etc ;-)so now it's my turn to apologize to you.

That was a good one syntax!!

next month i will be visiting usa. hoping to meet some natives there. Is that politically correct or i should say "native americans"? No wait, just "Americans"...yeah, thats it.