A few weeks ago, my driver in Cambodia said to me, “Even though you are black, you are beautiful.”
Did I get angry or take offense to being called black? Absolutely not. It is a fact that I am black. If I had to take offense to what he said, it would mean I have my own insecurity about being black.
Did I expect him to be politically correct, and call me a person of color or dark skinned? Absolutely not. In fact, I appreciated that he was trying his best to compliment me in my language. I am a foreigner in his country yet he tried to speak my language to compliment me.
Moral of my story: Do not take offense or get angry when people speak honestly and directly. We should not expect sugar coating. Let us rather value the meaning of what is being said.
Nisha Devdhat
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