cultural-sensitivity

American Diplomat in India: Without Baths, I Get 'Dirty and Dark' Like You

Maureen O'Connor · 08/15/11 03:43PM

Among the myriad things an American diplomat in a nation with a long history of colonialism and racial tension should avoid, characterizing the the locals' skin as "dirty," "dark," and like an unwashed caucasian is among the least advisable. And yet a consulate official in India made the ol' "you look dirty" joke during a visit to a Chennai school last week: