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Archiver > ACADIAN-CAJUN > 2001-08 > 0997205113
From:
Subject: Re: Cajun ethnic identification
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001 13:25:13 EDT
In a message dated 08/07/2001 11:57:18 AM Central Daylight Time,
writes:
> Can you give us a reason why this was a dirty word?? Just curious.
>
> Jean Granger
> A CAJUN
>
>
>
>
Jean,
A Cajun was thought of as a second class citizen. They farmed, fished, lived
on the bayou, spoke French, were Catholic, and kept to themselves. Growing up
in Texas I never understood the problem, and loved visiting southern
Louisiana.
Something finally made me see the problem. I have spent all my adult life, in
the army and the oilfield. I've lived in four states, and five foreign
countries, Canada included and I rarely think of people in terms of their
ethnic or religious background, I think of them in terms of work ethic, and
brains. A few years ago I was International Sales Manager for a Fortune 500
Company, and went to our domestic US office in Houston to get some papers.
They were not ready when I got there and I said "please hurry I have to pick
up two Mexicans at the airport in an hour!" Well, you would have thought I
had yelled &^&%^$%^. The secretary said "HUSH, we have two working here and
they are fine people." I said "two WHAT" working here, and she replied two
Mexicans. I thought about that for a second and asked "OK what SHOULD I call
two guys from Pemex in Mexico City?" I grew up in Texas, but didn't realize
that Mexican, like Cajun was a bad word. I think it all depends on your point
of view, your understanding of the world, and your need to belittle others to
make yourself feel better.
By the way, I never got an answer as to what to call the guys from Mexico,
and I wrote "who knows" on the census form.
Windell Williams
Sugar Land, Texas
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