ignorance is unkind (or the culture of Asian-American racism in society)
So today, when I was interviewing a participant for my job, during a break while I was loading up another part of the program, he asked me if I lived in Hong Kong.
He said: Because I looked Chinese.
By which I'm pretty sure means I look Asian and China is like, really the only country he knows from Asia.
This really isn't a good year for me in terms of racism, is it?
The thing is -- the thing is: I'm pretty sure he didn't mean it maliciously but more or less out of ignorance.
People wonder why I get upset about these things, and I admit, I've been a little more brittle about it lately than usual, in part because of my terrible Seattle experience and in part because of this election cycle's bullshit.
The fact that you don't know better doesn't make it okay, it just makes it slightly more forgivable. But forgivable is not the same thing as excusable.
Because it really comes down to one thing: that's what racism is. It's that I don't look like you and my family doesn't look like yours. It doesn't matter if I sound like you, dress like you, watch the same TV shows you do, but that I'm being asked -- and rather matter-of-factly -- means that it's still prevalent in society that I'm not One Of You. Because I look different. And it's not like it would be okay to ask someone who is black if they're "from Africa" (because Africa is one country, of course) or someone who is Hispanic if they're "from Mexico" (because let's face it, how many Americans know many Central or South American countries?). The fact that people think it's okay to ask me without even considering if it's offensive basically drives home the point.
By the way, I'm "from" Pittsburgh. And I turned in my voter registration to the state of Virginia yesterday. Oh, and I currently have an apartment in Baltimore and not Hong Kong because believe it or not, it's easier to get to work in Baltimore if you're not on another continent.
And it's not that I have any problems discussing where I'm from or what my ethnicity or background is. Yesterday, I did an interview with a guy who was really friendly -- he asked me where I was from, and I said, believe it or not, Pittsburgh. And then we laughed and talked about the Ravens-Steelers rivalry and he also asked me about school and my job.
Asian people are not ~pets~ you can just pat on the head and ask about where they're from and how different they country they're ~from~ is. And it's fine if you think the culture of a particular Asian country is cool or something, but it's not exotic or whatever. It's just the way people live their lives.
I don't know what's going on lately, if I'm just noticing it more or it's bothering me more, but I feel like I've never been condescended as much as I have this year. Like, what is even going on right now.
By the way, I've never been to Hong Kong. I'd like to, though.
This entry was originally posted at http://koyuki.dreamwidth.org/354055.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
He said: Because I looked Chinese.
By which I'm pretty sure means I look Asian and China is like, really the only country he knows from Asia.
This really isn't a good year for me in terms of racism, is it?
The thing is -- the thing is: I'm pretty sure he didn't mean it maliciously but more or less out of ignorance.
People wonder why I get upset about these things, and I admit, I've been a little more brittle about it lately than usual, in part because of my terrible Seattle experience and in part because of this election cycle's bullshit.
The fact that you don't know better doesn't make it okay, it just makes it slightly more forgivable. But forgivable is not the same thing as excusable.
Because it really comes down to one thing: that's what racism is. It's that I don't look like you and my family doesn't look like yours. It doesn't matter if I sound like you, dress like you, watch the same TV shows you do, but that I'm being asked -- and rather matter-of-factly -- means that it's still prevalent in society that I'm not One Of You. Because I look different. And it's not like it would be okay to ask someone who is black if they're "from Africa" (because Africa is one country, of course) or someone who is Hispanic if they're "from Mexico" (because let's face it, how many Americans know many Central or South American countries?). The fact that people think it's okay to ask me without even considering if it's offensive basically drives home the point.
By the way, I'm "from" Pittsburgh. And I turned in my voter registration to the state of Virginia yesterday. Oh, and I currently have an apartment in Baltimore and not Hong Kong because believe it or not, it's easier to get to work in Baltimore if you're not on another continent.
And it's not that I have any problems discussing where I'm from or what my ethnicity or background is. Yesterday, I did an interview with a guy who was really friendly -- he asked me where I was from, and I said, believe it or not, Pittsburgh. And then we laughed and talked about the Ravens-Steelers rivalry and he also asked me about school and my job.
Asian people are not ~pets~ you can just pat on the head and ask about where they're from and how different they country they're ~from~ is. And it's fine if you think the culture of a particular Asian country is cool or something, but it's not exotic or whatever. It's just the way people live their lives.
I don't know what's going on lately, if I'm just noticing it more or it's bothering me more, but I feel like I've never been condescended as much as I have this year. Like, what is even going on right now.
By the way, I've never been to Hong Kong. I'd like to, though.
This entry was originally posted at http://koyuki.dreamwidth.org/354055.html. Please comment there using OpenID.