Navigating a world of preconceptions

● navigate (v.) 導航、駕駛、駕馭

● preconception (n.) 先入為主的想法、先入之見

We carry complicated identities inside us. But others see only the
outside and they carry their own biases. That can result in privilege
or prejudice.

● complicated (adj.) 複雜的

● identity (n.) 身分
● biases (n.) 偏見
● privilege (n.) 特別待遇、特權
● prejudice (n.) 偏見

Who am I? Who are you?

Many of us identify ourselves and others through the lens of our

family, our nationality, our religion, our race, our work, etc. But what
is our real identity? How are we unique human beings? How are we
different from others? How are we similar to others?

● identify (v.) 識別、確定

● through the lens of…從...的視角
● len (n.) 鏡片、鏡頭、眼睛的晶狀體
● different from N. 不同於
● similar to N. 與...相同

The answers to these questions seem to relate to awareness,

perception, acceptance and engagement; how others view, accept
and treat us. How we know, perceive and accept our true selves.
And how we perceive, accept and treat others in relation to
ourselves.

● awareness (n.) 意識
● perception (n.) 見解、觀念、看法
● acceptance (n.) 認可、接納
 ● engagement (n.) 參與、訂婚
● perceive (v.) 認為、視為、看待
● in relation to 相關、涉及

For me, there has always been a big difference between how others
see me and how I see myself.

Growing up in England, there was no mistaking my Jewish,

Lebanese and Persian heritage during a time of rising anti-Semitism
and anti-immigrant sentiment. I had a biblical last name
(Solomons), relatively swarthy skin and a large, hook nose.

● Be no mistaking 毫無疑問的
● Jewish (adj.) 猶太人的
● Lebanese (adj.) 黎巴嫩人
● Persian (adj.) 波斯的
● heritage (n.) 遺產(具有歷史意義的)、血統
● anti-Semitism 反猶太主義
● anti-immigrant 反移民
● sentiment (n.) 觀點、意見
● biblical (adj.) 有關聖經的
● relatively (adv.) 相對地
● swarthy (adj.) (膚色)黝黑的
● hook nose (n.) 鷹勾鼻

I was often ignored, teased, bullied and ostracised as the “dirty

Jew”. I was even spat at and beaten up at times.

● tease (v.)取笑、捉弄
● ostracise (v.) 排擠、排斥
● spit (v.) 吐口水
● beat up (v.) 毆打

Determining where one “belongs” isn’t easy.

This rough treatment was thankfully nothing serious but it was

constant enough to make me feel as if I did not belong in my
“home” country and I started to look elsewhere in the world for a
new home and a new identity.

● as if 彷彿
● thankfully (adv.) 幸虧
● constant (adj.) 持續不斷的

Everything changed when I began spending time in the United

States during and after my university studies. I was now seen as
“The Man”: a highly empowered, tall, heterosexual, cis-gender,
“white” male, with two degrees from the University of Oxford.

● empowered (adj.) 經授權的

● heterosexual (n.) 異性戀
● cis-gender (n.) 順性別

When I lived in Austin, Texas with my now-adult daughter Emma, I

might still get mistaken for a Latino and stopped by police were I
tanned, unshaven and dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. But I could
often talk my way out of any trouble, thanks to my “nice” English
accent.

● Latino (n.) 拉丁裔

● tan (n.) 曬成棕褐色的膚色
● unshaven (adj.) 未剃鬚的

I suddenly had all this power and privilege, which felt strange but
liberating in one way and something of a burden in another way. I
still felt that I was being closely observed, judged and resented.

● privilege (n.) 特權
● liberate (v.) 解放
● resented (v.) 被憎恨

Everything changed again after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. In

the aftermath, I was often subjected to “random” security checks in
airports as guards saw me as a Southwest-Asian-looking man
traveling on his own. Once, in the Vancouver airport, I was stopped
four separate times before being allowed back into the United
States.

● In the aftermath 事後
● be subject sb/sth to sth 使承受，使遭受

We navigate multiple identities.

● multiple (adj.) 多樣的;多種的

For the last four and a half years I have been living in Rwanda in
East Africa. On the one hand, I am always treated with great
respect and courtesy. I am often called Professor or Doctor (even
though I hold neither qualification). I am usually the only muzungu
(or white person) in the room and if I am waiting in a bank or post
office, a well-meaning security guard might try to usher me to the
front of the line, which I politely decline.

● Rwanda (n.) 盧旺達（東非國家）

● On the one hand…(on the other hand) (ph.)一方面....(另一方
面)
● courtesy (n.) 禮貌
● muzungu (n.) 白人
● well-meaning (adj.) 善意的;出於好心的
● usher (v.) 引導;把...引往
● decline (v.)= to refuse 謝絕;拒絕
*decline (v.) 減少;降低

On the other hand, I am sometimes discounted as just a visiting

“expat”, who will be “going home” to the United States or Europe
soon. I first came here in 2016 to work with a women’s university.
During and after Covid, locals were often surprised that I was still
here.

● discount (v.) 忽略;不理會

*discount (n.) 減價;打折
 ● expat (informal)= expatriate (n.) 旅居國外的僑民

I am also occasionally dismissed as a “white saviour”, who might

have delusions of grandeur about what I could really contribute to
this country and this continent that I am only starting to know and
understand.

● dismiss as (ph.) 把...當作...而不再去想

● white saviour(savior) (n.) 白人救世主
● delusions (n.) 幻想;錯覺
● grandeur (n.) 宏偉;壯麗
● continent (n.) 洲

Now that I have met and I am happily married to a Rwandan

(Merveille) and we are planning to create a much-needed
independent center for women with trauma, I have a bit more
credibility as a “committed”, long-term local resident.

● Rwandan(Merveille) (n.) 盧旺達人

● much-needed (adj.) 急需的
● trauma (n.) 精神創傷
● credibility (n.) 可信性;可靠性
● committed (adj.) 承諾過的;允諾過的(人)

We also have been blessed with a 10-month-old boy named Max,

who will face his own identity challenges as a biracial child in a
more multicultural but increasingly judgmental and polarized world.

● be blessed with sth. (idiom.) 有幸擁有

● biracial (adj.) 雙種族的
● polarized (adj.) 兩極化的
Reference：https://news-decoder.com/navigating-a-world-of-preconceptions/
 Questions
C111133121 黃郁慈(1-3), C111133111 吳瓔芳(4-6), C111133127 陳姿汎(7-10)

1. ( )The editor may not be ______ to negotiate a contract.

(A) complicated (B) polarized (C) empowered (D) resented

2. ( )They said they sent troops in to ______ the people/the

country from a dictator.

(A) discount (B) liberate (C) conduct (D) cooperate

3. ( )Healthcare should be a right, not a______ .

(A) tan (B) heritage (C) privilege (D) trauma

4. ( )The relationship is a bit . He's my mother's

cousin's daughter's child.

(A) empowered (B) complicated (C) biracial (D) biblical

5. ( ) Laws against racial must be strictly enforced.

(A) prejudice (B) delusions (C) sentiment (D) identity

6. ( ) His colleagues him after he criticised the

company in public.

(A) identified (B) navigate (C) perceived (D) ostracised

7. ( ) She ______us into her office and offered us coffee.

(A) blessed (B) usher (C) commit (D) decline

8. ( ) Fortunately we were ________ fine weather.

(A) dismissed as (B) different from (C) beat up (D)
blessed with
9. ( ) A child should show _______ to the old.
(A) perception (B) courtesy (C) delusions (D) grandeur

10. ( ) He complained that we had tried to undermine his

_________ within the company.
(A) credibility (B) bias (C) prejudice (D) heritage
Reference: Cambridge dictionary

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/