German exchange student - white

You have lived for a few months now at the west coast university. Usually you study sciences, but you became friends with Sarah who you really like. She cares about similar things as you and you get along very well. She is doing social sciences with a focus on critical whiteness and racism. To understand her world better, you follow her to one of her seminars.

It is a seminar with 90% white people like you and Sarah, mostly women. There is no male person of color around.

There you learn about the new campus rules on sexual reparations. You didn't realize that they were serious and it will actually start tomorrow. Today the discussion is who will be entitled to sexual reparations from white women. The case is quite clear for Black people, also for many other PoC.

Coming from Germany, you are quite aware of the dark history of your country during WW2. So you listen very closely when a Japanese girl talks about how Japanese need to be clearly included, as they were oppressed by the Americans.

Knowing your history, you cannot help yourself and intervene in your strong accent: "But, Manami, the oppression was for Japanese Americans. You are an exchange student yourself. Surely, this cannot apply to Japanese people who never lived in the US. How did the Americans oppress you?"

Manami becomes really angry "How can you say that? Don't you know how many Japanese were killed by the Americans in the war? Don't you know about the fire bombing of Tokio?"

You answer: "But that's ridiculous. Your ancestors started the war. This is like saying that the Germans were oppressed by the Americans because of the firebombing of Dresden and Hamburg."

The lecturer intervenes, "John, please be respectful. You are not Japanese and cannot understand how it feels for them, so it is not up to you to critisize her. Also, it has been decided already: Japanese men on campus are entitled to sexual reparations."

The class looks disapprovingly to you. You know you should have your mouth shut... Then Sarah makes a comment to the lecturer, "However, Margaret, isn't it a very good point that John makes?"

Margaret, the lecturer, turns to me: "Tell us about the American treatment of your people in the war and afterwards"

I find this discussion highly ridiculous, but don't want to be the target of disapproval again. "Well, Brits and Americans killed about 300 000 German civilians with bombs, Germany was occupied, and gained full sovereignity only after 45 years, and still there are US troops in Germany. However, Germany did start the war and.." (You want to add more perspective to this, like that German troops behaved atrociously, being literal Nazis, but you are interrupted.)

"No, please stop there. This is clearly an unforgivable treatment of your people. Justifying this treatment shows how much you internalised your oppression. Class what does this make you think?", interrupts Margaret.

Leslie, a blond curvy student: "Oh. I didn't even know this. This is horrible. Thank you so much for sharing, John. How are you feeling right now?"

"Well, ..." you start, hesitating while thinking how I can tell them how ridiculous this is.

Sarah misinterpreting your hesitation "You can clearly see how upset he is. I think we should add the Germans to the oppressed populations qualifying for sexual reparations."

The debate goes on, and your cautious disagreements only lead to acknowledging that only German-Americans who migrated before 1941 don't qualify. Add the end, the class moves to petition the campus authorities to include the Germans in the reparation-receiving group. This is all very ridiculous, and you are sure it'll lead to nowhere, when Precious, a Kenyan exchange student takes the floor. She is a little annoyed at the way the debate takes (quite understandably so), and challenges the white girls: "But what do you do, when new rules start tomorrow, and the Germans are not included? Do you stand by your word and are willing to provide sexual reparations?"

She is quite surprised when Viviane, a white girl from Seattle talks: "I have to make a confession. My grandfather was working at Boeing, developing bombers during the war. I didn't realise until now what this meant." she is close to tears, while you think her grandfather was awesome, probably making an important contribution to defeat Nazism in your country. She continues "I think we should include John as of tomorrow in our reparations scheme, even if authorities don't grant it. I am certainly willing to do this sacrifice and I think all of us should do it."

There is a general nodding in class. "So, do we all agree?" the lecturer asks, and all white girls show their approval.

Now you are flabbergasted. Slowly it dawns on you that this might really be happening.

You don't know what to say and walk straight back to your place after class. You think about it all evening, and in the next morning, you are not sure whether it's actually true. Well the sexual reparations rule is in place as of today, and the girls in class said that they'd see you, John as qualifying, but you are not sure what this actually means.