a story as old as marco polo
we walked in for some laughs and drinks to celebrate the end of the quarter. i felt his eyes on me the moment we walked in. early middle-aged, slightly balding, white man wearing a tacky Christmas knit sweater. Later in the evening, after seeing out of the corner of my eyes that he was checking me out, he approached my friend N, who apparently had met him before.
N: This is my friend O.
chad/brad: What's your name?
me: O
chad/brad: Where are you from?
me: Massachusetts.
chad/brad: O doesn't sound like a name from Massachusetts... well I guess it could... be...
me: Why not?
[friends at the table except for N turn away giggling.]
chad/brad: (mutter)
[gets introduced to other people in the group]
chad/brad: (turns his attention back to me) So really, uhhhh, what's errrr your name? Korean? Chinese?
me: Chinese
chad/brad: well my name is Lee, and that can be a Chinese name but it's not.
me: uh-huh.
Turning to my friends, while N maintained a cordial conversation with chad/brad, I must have given J a look - the kind of look that must have said it all to a fellow Asian American who theorizes about Asian American-ness. That, my friends was what us Critical Race Theorists call a perfect example of a racial microaggression at the intersection of sexism. I also call it a fucked up, jacked up, lame ass typical white dude pathetically trying to make conversation ... bottom line: fucking pathetic and ridiculous.
N: This is my friend O.
chad/brad: What's your name?
me: O
chad/brad: Where are you from?
me: Massachusetts.
chad/brad: O doesn't sound like a name from Massachusetts... well I guess it could... be...
me: Why not?
[friends at the table except for N turn away giggling.]
chad/brad: (mutter)
[gets introduced to other people in the group]
chad/brad: (turns his attention back to me) So really, uhhhh, what's errrr your name? Korean? Chinese?
me: Chinese
chad/brad: well my name is Lee, and that can be a Chinese name but it's not.
me: uh-huh.
Turning to my friends, while N maintained a cordial conversation with chad/brad, I must have given J a look - the kind of look that must have said it all to a fellow Asian American who theorizes about Asian American-ness. That, my friends was what us Critical Race Theorists call a perfect example of a racial microaggression at the intersection of sexism. I also call it a fucked up, jacked up, lame ass typical white dude pathetically trying to make conversation ... bottom line: fucking pathetic and ridiculous.