Trade as oppression
One of our faculty teaches a course called "The Global Politics of Food" (not from the Political Science Department, by the way, so be sure not to direct any comments their way.) I am directed by that site to read more on why food matters. Being a guy who likes to eat, I thought I didn't need 20 more reasons, but what the heck, I'll find out. Maybe they can help my diet.
We can engage in oppressing communities of color when we seek to eat the food as a way of experiencing their culture. To whites, the culture of people of color can represent the unknown and "consuming" the culture through eating food can be a way to dominate it.
I am obviously not smart enough to be a sociologist. I thought when I offered to pay $15 for that plate of tofu and spinach tonight at Hsu's, and afterwards I say thank you and the owner says thank you (the double thank-you that John Stossel discusses) I had honored that person by engaging in mutually beneficial trade. I wanted the food more than the $15, and Hsu wanted the $15 more than the ingredients, time and labor, and overhead that went into serving me. So when I saw the pictures of NBA stars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the entryway, posing with the owner, they were just "oppressing communities of color."
I even waited 30 minutes for a table to get on with my oppressing. Man, when I want to oppress there is NO stopping me! So when I went to the Turkish restaurant last night, that was me getting even. You got me. In fact, I need to go now and get some more grape leaves. I have got a LOT of getting even to do.
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