I’ve known several Africans over the years. I once too a taxicab, and the driver was so proud of his citizenship he showed me the paper that made it official. They tend to be hardworking, honest, and strangely not resentful of whites. Of course most of the black community can’t stand them. Weirdly, the cab driver told me that the worst tips he got were from blacks, and that he felt in general they treated him like a servant much more than whites did.
I know all of that is stereotyping, and I know that there are exceptions to things like this. I also know that stereotypes don’t come out of thin air: stereotypes are usually generally true. Italians *really do* talk with their hands, and their trains are always late (or at least they were when I was there). The Germans really are reserved and orderly. Like it or not, it’s a fact of life.
The thing that’s always struck me about this is how well these people do here in America. You always hear about racism among Americans, and how it keeps blacks from succeeding. Then you hear a story like this, and things become a bit clearer.
