Race in the DR

My only experience of the DR was a short trip to an all-inclusive on the North Coast a long time ago. ( I went under duress and hated the isolation) In Cuba recently I was appalled to see that Blacks...particularly young men...were treated no better than they are in Los Angeles. I was generally OK because I dont look Cuban ( 6'1 290lbs expensive clothes) I dont expect to stand out AS Much in the DR. What should I expect? My time away comes too infrequently and is too important to waste all of it being furious. Should I be concerned?

Historically, Cuba was the next to last country in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw slavery. Brazil was the last if you want to know (1888).
There are many Cubans that are racist, even in the "Communist" revoluction. Look at the Cuban Politburo, their Olympic Committee, the Government leaders. Then look at the athletes, the worker bees and the minions....

In the DR, there is racism, but it is very subtle, somewhat like racism within the black community in the States...Difficult to understand unless you are a part of it.

The big B U T to all of this is that it depends on the person. An asshole is just that, in any shade, and will be treated as such in this or any other society.

When you come here, come to enjoy the place. Many people will speak to you in Spanish, just figuering that you are Dominican....

HB

hillbilly is right an asshole is an ass hole,about cuba i am shocked about the racism their,afriend of mine was dancing with a black girl in a bar, not a chica ,just a girl out having fun and was told he would have to leave because of his conduct.the short of it was he was dancing with a black girl. like hillbilly said,take it from there.

Which just goes to prove what we all know.....Racism along with social prejudice (ethnic background, religion, etc.) is alive and well THROUGH OUT THE WORLD.

If this subject has been worked to death, I would love to read the obituary. I dont have the advantage of having read the opinions aparently expressed before. Could someone summarize them for me?

If you behave like decent person, you will have a magnificent time here. If you go bonkers with the booze, women, casinos, you be marked as a not-nicenik.

If you behave nicely, go to Montecristo or one of the other very "in" places and you will make new friends, enter into possible new business relations...just about anything is possible. Color will not matter at all, be assured of that.

As for the rest of this, try an archive search...

HB

During my years in Santo Domingo attending the university I was really impressed with the fact that racial prejudice was so much less than in the United States. I was used to the level that was standard in Seattle where I grew up and in the U.S. Navy which was still very evident while I was in. I think of the Dominican faceless doll that represents the Dominican with a smooth light brown face. Since the Dominican face is recognised to be anything from black to white and everything in between.
A tour of the "museum of man" will help get the feel of this.
As you enter the museum there are pictures of all types and colors of faces. The guide will tell you that "these are the pictures of the typical Dominican face."

I think of the time me and my son were on vacation in Sosua sitting at one of those little bars along the beach having a couple cold presidentes when the waitress sat down to talk to us because we were the only people there at the time. She could practice her English and we could try our Spanish. She told us that she was happy that she had a job but she was looking to find something better. She had applied to be a housekeeper with a German couple that had just moved to the DR and bought a house in Sosua. She thought that she would be perfect for the job because she was hard working and honest and loyal but they did not hire her. She thought about it a while and then said; " it was something about my face, I don't know what, but something about my face." It was not easy to keep back the tears after that because there was that pretty face that was BLACK. She did not understand. Prejudice has nothing to do with logic. It has to do with ignorance, hate, and evil. I have found that there is much less of that in the DR than in the US.

That's my two cents worth.

I hope I don't ignite a firestorm, but there IS racism in the DR. Just ask any Haitian that tries to function there...especially in the bateys. I think most Dominicans need to look into their history a lot closer before anything much more is said.

Haiti DID occupy the country in the early to mid 1800s. NOW GET OVER IT. Yes, be proud of your heritage, but be proud and not heinous. If anyone really looks closely at the history, and objectively, you'll see that people like Balaguer and Trujillo only perpetuated the color issue.

People are people. There is ignorance everywhere. Even here in the US and even here in New York.

Has September 11 not taught anybody anything??? There's no goddam time for racist assininity.