Imitation of Life, Or: The Further Adventures of the Stealth Mexican.

[nyssa23]

Eric likes to call me a "stealth Mexican" since he maintains that my ethnic heritage is not immediately apparent from my looks. I guess that's true enough, since folks back home usually thought I was either white or half Asian; out here I'm often taken for Hawaiian or another sort of Pacific Islander. That should give you at least some idea

Comments

[kcobweb]

*hugs* Good for you. I know about passing a little bit, as a red-haired, blue-eyed Jew. Growing up in states with practically no Jewish population, I heard "You can't be Jewish! Jews don't have blue eyes!" *ALL* the time. It's hard to defend the reality of your own life against people's uninformed stereotypes.

A few years ago, I had a friend who was dating this guy who would say outrageous things just to piss people off and get attention (and then say "oh, it's just a joke"). Sometimes racist. I'd get infuriated, call him an asshole, etc. Couldn't stand the guy. What really made me angry was that no one else in our little circle of supposedly-progressive friends would call him on his bullshit, and I wanted someone to put their money where their mouth was...... Most of the situations like this where I have any regrets are because I *didn't* say anything. So I say bravo.

[kassrachel]

Oh, honey. I don't even know how to begin to reply to this. Well, first of all, hi! and it's so good to see you here. And secondly mazal tov on being inducted onto the board -- that's completely awesome.

I mean, except, of course, for the ways in which it isn't, and this is high on the list. From a distance it's easy for me to say that this kind of experience offers that lady an opportunity for some serious tikkun ha-nefesh (repairing of the soul, e.g. making herself a better person) but it seems wrong and painful that in offering her that tikkun you yourself have to suffer

[girllikething]

you know what i think is aweful.. its that everyone gets this now. i am very white and not at all racist but where i live... its like i am. i am a minority around here and get treated like it. i am sorry to say that there are people out there that judge you by the color of your skin.

i live in a more run down part of town and i have to keep telling myself NOT to be racist as it isn't their skin color that makes them that way.. its the way they act. (hope that didnt sound bad)

people are stupid.

[invader_tak_1]

I know I'm going to just catch hell again, but most of the well to do Jews I've known have been profoundly and unapoligetically bigoted. From the guy in my gaming group who thought ANYBODY black was a mugger, to my pen pal in Israel who thinks the wholesale ethnic cleansing, and murder of Palestine is justifiable cause "They don't like us" Gosh I wonder why. :/

It never ceases to amaze me when a group of people who have suffered so much bigotry and hatred seems so willing and enthusiastic to do the same to others. :(

[afleck]

Ugh. I'm sorry Lady ruined your evening. It's so awful that her initial response was "No, you're not!" like what she said would have been any less offensive. Props to you for speaking up. That took a great deal of strength and you should be proud of yourself.

When I was younger I recall the look of panic in peoples' eyes when they found out I was Hispanic as if they were trying to remember if they had said ever said something offensive in my presence. Then they would say something asinine like "You don't look Hispanic" to which my response would be "what is a Hispanic person supposed to look like?" Which is hopefully the point where they'd feel pretty dumb.

Oddly enough, this has been less of a problem since I moved to Wisconsin where the Latino population is much smaller than in Texas.

[invader_tak_1]

"to which my response would be "what is a Hispanic person supposed to look like?" "

The average "no think" bigot has a mental picture of Chech Marin in "Up in Smoke" filed in their head under disposable Hispanic stereotypes .

This is making me think of the song "Everyone's a little bit racist" from the musical Avenue Q.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu5b1i6V7B8