Hello! Could someone please tell me the whole ordeal with Arion Ashby and why she was treated the way she was and the ending she gets?
I’ve thought about reading the series, but I don’t want to read it if there’s a side character being hurt for no reason, so could someone tell me what her situation is? I don’t mind spoilers when reading! :)
For context, my grandmother was born in Jordan and came to the United States a few generations ago to marry my grandfather who’s also Jordanian. I’m fully Jordanian on one side, and German on the other side, and the German side gives me extremely white skin. I don’t even have a warm complexion, I’m pasty white, which honestly I don’t find that to be an issue, it also gave me lighter eyes that look green and I have straight brown black hair!
Now, my Jordanian parent and siblings were all raised in the United States and grew up no different than any other family in America, however my aunts tell everyone that they’re cultured Jordanians and if it’s something that wouldn’t pass in Jordan, they immediately try and force it on everyone.
Revealing clothes for example. Whenever they’d see me wearing even a pair of shorts, they’d flip out telling me that I ‘wasn’t respecting their culture.’
What culture? My grandmother who was literally raised in Jordan couldn’t care less if I showed up wearing lingerie.
Remember when I said that I’m porcelain white? They’ve made so many remarks regarding the color of my skin, the one they use most being: ‘White trash.’
They constantly call me white trash, if they don’t like my clothes they claim that I’m not respecting their ‘culture’, and constantly create new rules. If you question any of them, the default answer is: “We’re Arabs.”
Who’s we? I thought you said that I’m white. My ethnicity also changes depending on whether it accommodates to them by the way!
Eventually I got so sick of the constant degradation, and the performative culture act. They don’t even go to church, but claim they’re practicing Orthodox Christians.
So, I stopped speaking with any of them entirely, some of them asked me why, and I told them the truth, because they’re not traditional Arabs, and only use the title for control, and not to mention the degrading terms they use. Why would I put myself in a place where I’m looked down on because of my skin color?
They think I’m the one that’s being petty. AITAH? Let me know.