The same
friend also touched on the „well-known “ debate of power and racism. Although
her questions were quite provoking and I got a little bit offended, they also
got me out of the little hole I dug
myself over the past few days. They made me aware again of the privileged
position I hold: I take it for granted to be able to come to Egypt, find work
here, and earn a disproportionately higher amount of money than an Egyptian
would earn on the same position.
Why can I
move to Egypt relatively easy while an Egyptian has much more difficulties
going to Germany? Why should I earn about five times more than an Egyptian for
the same job? Why should I get the job and not the Egyptian? (If there is any
one 'Egyptian'.)
These are
questions that, fortunately, were raised during my graduate studies. And as
undergrad, Michel Foucault and the like reminded us of the impact of power on
discourses. The responses always seem to remain somewhat arbitrary, based on
one's ideals, biography and desire to deal with such issues. In the context of
being an expat, the ultimate question is pragmatic: What to do about it? And
the response is personal and political.
The alien to
this world that I might be, my response is not based on how the world is, but
how I image a better one. Where there are no nations but humanity; where global
solidarity is a given; where the earnings of the richer are shared with those
who are poorer – on an equal basis; where some version of the Human Rights are
globally respected and people can choose where they want to live without
restrictions due to their ethnicity, profession, etc. How to reach this world
is the next question. By living is already is one response, and by implementing
steps to get there another. That's why I move globally, making use of the
privileges I was born into, and why am looking for a job that in some way
increases peoples' opportunities and empowers people to make a better life for
themselves and others. An Egyptian with similar education that I have is better
qualified to do so than I am. But being a foreigner unfortunately carries some
advantaged when negotiating with international donors. So, my advantage might
be to be able to generate more money for Egyptians on their behalf. After all,
I was born into a privileged position and can do as little about it as those
who are disempowered. Nevertheless, I can act responsibly and utilize my privileges
for the redistribution of money, power, and privileges.
However, the
straight-forward reality looks somewhat different. Here, I take any job that I
can get, which covers my expenses that are higher than those of an average
Egyptian. That doesn't bother me so much, because I am convinced that in the
end I will be able to do more good here than as a social worker in Berlin, for
instance. Plus, living in Berlin, or perhaps in any overdeveloped country, strikes
me a relatively boring – useful mostly for changing policies and vacation.
In any case,
I feel that reflecting on my role does me good. For that I need an outside
perspective. So, I figure, this blog may help.
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