Over the weekend, I watched an American movie called '12 Years a Slave' which is based on a true story..
It was a really great movie that made me think a lot, I think..
To roughly explain the plot..
In 19th century America, black people lived freely in the northern regions
while in the southern regions, black people still lived as slaves..
A black man who lived as a free person in the northern region
had a meal and drinks with white friends(?)
but when he woke up..
he found himself captured by a slave trader..
The protagonist was dragged by ship to the southern region
and sold to white people to live as a slave
and that period was a full 12 years..
By chance, he meets a white person who believes that all people in the world are equal regardless of skin color
and tells him his entire story..
and thanks to this white person's report, his 12 years of slavery comes to an end..
After returning home, the protagonist writes a book called "12 Years a Slave"..
and is said to have engaged in activism for black people's human rights..
Simply because their skin color was different
black slaves endured tremendous beatings and lived like beasts..
Throughout watching the movie..
I felt that humans are truly such cruel beings..
and it became an opportunity for me to reflect on myself..
Actually, I really like Indonesian people..
They are optimistic and kind..
and they have advantages that I want to learn from..
But even me..
when I meet someone with white skin..so probably Chinese, right..?
when I encounter such a person..
I think, 'Ah..this person must be well-educated..and since they're Chinese, they probably have money..
and probably have social status..' is what I tend to think first..
So I find it hard to joke around easily..
and overall I seem to be more cautious with them than with dark-skinned Indonesians..
Perhaps in my heart, I have been making a distinction between Chinese and Indonesian locals
and discriminating to some degree, and thinking about this
became an opportunity for me to reflect..
But actually..
when I think about it carefully
who am I to look down on someone based on skin color..
I don't think I'm in a position to do that..
When I was working at my first company..
when I was still single
I always went sea fishing on Saturdays and Sundays..
Because I thought sunscreen was not something men use..
my skin became extremely dark..
I would go in the morning on Saturday and return around lunch on Sunday
and spending the whole day exposed to the equatorial sun
at first my face would peel
but eventually that stopped..
I just got pitch black..
Someone from Korea came on a business trip..
I was working as a factory manager at the company at the time
I was wearing the company work uniform on top and my face was very dark..
When the boss and the business visitor came into my office..
I greeted them..
and when I did..
the business visitor looked back and forth between me and the boss with surprised eyes..
and said to our boss..
'Wow..you speak Korean really well..'
He mistook me for a local staff..
Wait a moment here..
At the point where a Korean saw another Korean and mistook them for a local
there will be people imagining what I looked like..
Among Indonesian locals, there are those with big eyes..long eyelashes..and nice-looking
dark-skinned people, right..?
You could imagine someone like that..
If imagining that is a bit difficult..
imagine Won Bin's face darkened a bit..dressed in company work uniform..
with messy hair and scruffy stubble, and you'd get the picture..
To a Korean who didn't know me..
I was a local staff working at a Korean company..
just an Indonesian who spoke Korean fairly well..
White people look down on black people
black people look down on Koreans
and Koreans look down on Southeast Asians..
Looking a bit deeper
even among Koreans, looking at where others live..what car they drive
there are people who subtly look down on each other..
White people look down on black people because of wealth, education, and skin color..
If white people and black people fought, black people would mostly win
but black people are generally looked down upon because many are poor and uneducated..
The reason black people look down on Koreans is
probably because they have weaker physical abilities..
The reason Koreans look down on Southeast Asians is
probably because of wealth, education, physical differences, and skin color, I think..
The reason Koreans look down on each other is probably..
because of differences in wealth and power, I think..
When I think about it..
I have dark skin..no money..and not particularly outstanding physical abilities..
so who am I to look down on anyone..
I suddenly think it's really fortunate that at least my face is ridiculously handsome..
