"This is America. It's different" - Race, accents, and just some other stuff

*before I start, my book has different pages numbers. Mine has 477 pages, and perhaps you could use that as a reference to find the "correct" page number on the book everyone else has. Also, I did not finish the book yet. Lastly, I apologize in advance if I talked too much about myself that resulted in a rather long post.

When Ifemlu first arrives in America, Aunt Uju tells her "this is America. It's different" (109). This simple quote does extremely well in capturing most of the topics discussed in the novel: the issue with race, the power accents have, and other things that the novel uses to show the experience of non-white immigrants. 

To Amara, Bose says, "London is a leveler" when discussing how men who would not have stood a chance with her in Nigeria were now "generously” offering to marry her (244). While the conversation took place in the UK, I think the relationship between "leveler" and "race" works universally. The incident Ifemelu had with the carpet cleaner portrays this well. The white carpet cleaner was disturbed when he thought Ifemelu was the owner of the house; however, when he realized she wasn't, he smiled because "the universe was once again arranged as it should be" (166). Similarly, Bartholomew considers Aunt Uju to be on the same level with him (or below him due to her gender) even though she clearly has a higher paying job with a better social status. In all of these cases, race was used to level everyone to the same level, regardless of their personalities, views, and social statuses. Ifemelu later describes how "'Blacks' as a whole are often lumped with poor whites" (166). It was different in Nigeria because everyone was black, and race did not play such role.

Although we didn’t talk about it in class, the case with accents fascinates me the most, especially in an era when racism needs a new definition like “racial disorder syndrome…with different categories: mild, medium, and acute” (315). Ginika says, this is America, you are supposed to pretend that you don’t notice certain things [race]” (127). I would agree with her that people now are good at “ignoring” race at the surface level. Personally speaking, accent serves as the single most important thing in fully integrating in America, especially as a non-white person. The world is such a diverse place, and race cannot show whether a certain individual is a “native.” For example, when Ifemelu says, “I speak English” to Cristina at the registration desk, Christina replies, “I bet you do, I just don’t know how well” (133). Due to her accent Ifemelu is instantly treated differently. She also comments how Bartholomew uses “gonnas” and “wannas” to “compensate for his deprived rural upbringing” in Nigeria (115). Even in Nigeria, it plays a similar role as Ifemelu’s father spoke in “mannered English…it was costume, his shield against insecurity…what he did not have…middle class life…words became his armour” (47). My parents, who both received their PhDs in the US, have the same issue whenever they visit me here. They are often frustrated by how people treat them as if they were incompetent or stupid, even when ordering a Big Mac from McDonald’s. Since race is such a sensitive thing to touch, I believe accents are used as a callus medium for subtle discrimination since the “difficulty in understanding” somehow serves as a legitimate reason for discrimination that extends beyond just language. I am actually really relieved about how I do not have an Asian accent (I think), and I’m not sure if that is acceptable when some “white” accents are even considered attractive (does race play a role in such phenomenon?).

Lastly, there were some other subjects Adichie brought up that I thought were very interesting. First is how the “integrated” non-white immigrants view other non-white immigrants. When Ifemelu’s parents visited her, she “watched them with a sneer” (315). Obinze briefly looked at the pack of Nigerians in the train with “suspicious eyes of the white woman” (259). Lastly, the rich British black woman “wanted to be the only black person in the room, so any other black person is an immediate threat to her” (245). I can reluctantly admit to having the latter two experiences. I was always mad at myself for having such feelings and never quite understand why I do have them. Perhaps it’s because I unknowingly wanted to “elevate” myself into the “normal American category.” The second one is when Emenike calls himself a “Brit” (272). It seemed like Adichie had a negative view towards it based on Obinze’s disapproval. I am technically American, and I now consider myself to be culturally American as well. I thought Emenike’s comment showed positivity about how well he adjusted rather being all negative about how he forgot his roots (although that is true to a degree).