Being Gringoed!

noun, plural gringos. [gring-goh]Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.

A term used in Latin America or Spain to refer to a foreigner, especially one of U.S. or British descent (sometimes used facetiously)

With everything that is going on the world right now, I have had a heavy heart… my wholehearted feeling is that ‘ALL Lives Matter’.  I have questioned myself on how I feel about racism and many other beliefs that I have…Until I moved to Panama, I don’t think I had ever even heard the term ‘White Privilege’ but recently I have heard it over and over again via the media, Facebook etc. and I have actually been feeling guilty for having white skin, something I obviously had no choice about (as much as I have tried sunbathing, I cannot change it!)

 I have lived in England all my life and I had personally experienced very little racism (obviously because of my ‘White Privilege’ but of course I had witnessed some and I had always spoken out against it… I just don’t have a racist bone in my body… but since living in Panama I, and many Gringo’s, have experienced first-hand what racism actually feels like… and guess what… it does not feel nice!

I have had mixed experiences here with the Police and most have been positive, but on at least 3 occasions I have experienced clear racism, towards me, from the moment they see I am white, or if I cannot speak Spanish well enough… I am basically treated with aggression, distaste and generally what I feel to be in an offensive manner. One of the amazing things I have seen, is the change in attitude when I tell them I am British, from England, Not American… I am then often treated marginally better, as no matter what you hear, there is an element of resentment here, towards the US. Even a small difference like the fact I live in Las Uvas de San Carlos, not Coronado, has actually changed someone’s attitude towards me, as I am not suddenly viewed as a rich Gringa, but just an expat living in Panama, in a predominantly local area as opposed to an expat community! 

We often joke about the term ‘being Gringoed’ when someone is trying to overcharge us because we are white/English speaking, but sometimes it is just not funny! Like when a workman quotes you for a job then adds a fee on top because he realises you are white/English speaking!  or when the law here is always in favour of the Panamanians and you do not have a chance in hell of winning a case here if you are not native or .when a cop pulls you over because he can see the colour of your skin and thinks he can get away with another bribe – because all Gringos pay bribes right???!!!If living in Panama has taught me nothing else, it has taught me that here, I am an ethnic minority, and like ethnic minorities around the world, I am being treated differently to the majority…Likewise, if you are a racist of any type, you may find yourself wishing you were back where you came from, because unless you can handle being at the sharp end of the stick, you will not enjoy living here in Panama or probably any other country where your white skin or English tongue suddenly makes you the minority! 

As with anywhere else in the World, not every Panamanian is racist, please don’t get me wrong… gladly the racists are in the minority too, but it is something to be aware of, so just be prepared to leave those ‘white privileges’ at home!

Usage note of the word Gringo:
Use of this term implies that the foreigner is an outsider who does not understand or respect Latin culture or does not treat Latinos well. However, Gringo is sometimes used consciously for humorous effect, without intent to offend. 

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