The other day I saw this old black guy wearing a bowler hat and suit. He had a round face and looked cute and I smiled to myself. I realised, as I walked off, that I would never have found a white man in a suit and bowler hat a sight worth smiling at. I would have experienced a white man as very privileged, very english and somehow, trying to appear dominating. I wonder what a black man would have to do, or wear, to exude class... and I mean class, and not just being well-dressed. Well-dressed fits into the stereotype, class doesn't.
I realise how I see and understand the world in stereotypes all the time, despite trying to be aware of them.
I went to a collaborative performance of percussion instruments. It included musicians from 3 countries in Africa, Brazil, Somali emigres and english people. There was some dance as well, mostly the kind of dance that is percussive - stomping, clapping...
One of the musicians, a white blonde english woman danced really badly, I mean really badly. I cringed for her, she seemed so uncomfortable in her body and I thought of stereotypes of englishness and africanness. After a while, I looked harder at everyone else and there was a black guy from Tanzania who was a crap dancer as well - crap in a different way, but crap nevertheless. But I had to look hard to see him. I saw the stereotypes first of all.