Sexism, Racism, and the Peace Corps

Warning: political and navel-gazing.

The status is not quo, the world is a mess, and I just need to rule it.  

~Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog

I'm leaving Tanzania July 31st, and I've started thinking about returning to life in the U.S.  Beyond my desires to fill out an internet form and have pizza brought to me with no need to actually speak to a human being (unless I am supposed to greet the delivery person?) and sit on the floor of a grocery store crying because there are just so many kinds of peanut butter and it's a beautiful thing, I'm getting a little worried.  Sure, life will get a lot easier--I can go to an ATM and it will be working and have money in it!  The very first ATM I try!--but a lot of life won't change; I will still have people asking about my marital status above all else and strangers yelling 'hey baby' and less polite things at me and think they are entitled to my time and conversation.  The major change will be that I will get much less support when I complain about this.  U.S. citizens are totally ready to believe that African countries are very sexist, but getting an American to admit that sexism can be and is a problem in America is difficult.  I tend to blame racism for the difference (and speaking of, I am also sort of dreading questions about how I survived a country with large numbers of--gasp!--black people! Many of whom are Muslim!  The horror!).  I will, however, admit that it is nice that the men of the Peace Corps tend to be very sympathetic to the problems of their female colleagues and most are willing to help when they can.  Some Peace Corps men still seem to think that women should be flattered by such attention, but they are at least willing to ask why women are often angry or upset by catcalls in Tanzania and listen to the answers.  In the U.S., when women complain about street harassment, the usual response is for men to tell women what they should have done, or to flat out not believe it.  I recall being very startled one time when I was told--by a man--in very skeptical tones, "I've never experienced anything like that here."  Of course you haven't, darling, try walking down the street with breasts sometime.  Or just grow your hair out and in winter, wait for people to mistake you for a woman from a distance.  

This can be changed.  Small, doable actions, sustainability, and a few other buzzwords, but it's hard and I just want to stop seeing chickens everywhere.

Kitty.