Racist Rant

So I just feel the need to comment on this topic.

First, watch this video

Read this article for some history.

Here's the summary:

-- white girl goes to UCLA (which is predominantly asian, like 30 or 40 %, I forget)
-- white girl gets annoyed by asians
-- white girl goes on YouTube to blast said asians
-- UCLA says they will not take any disciplinary actions
-- white girl receives lots of death threats, and she apologizes
-- white girl feels uncomfortable and stops going to class
-- white girl drops out of UCLA

this blog, Angry Asian Man also gives another summary of events.

the reason I'm writing about it? well, first of all, I'm an APA (asian pacific american) myself. secondly, these things really tick me off.

most ppl don't care too much. it's easy to see why. it doesn't effect me directly. it doesn't change my daily routine. but what most ppl don't realize is that it does prove how some ppl still view me.

and yes, I agree, as a society, we've come a long way. but I despise when ppl say we've become "too PC". it might seem like issues are being made into issues. or that some ppl are just "too sensitive" now. but the fact is, without giving attention to the little things, then change on the greater scale will never be possible. therefore, it is important to bring these issues to light. for the general public to scrutinize, laugh at, make fun of, criticize, or ignore.

this blog here highlights a few reasons why we should care about this girl and her ignorance.

summary:

--White Privilege: Each time an incident like that happens, it reinforces the notion of White supremacy — that Whites can say and do whatever they want toward anybody at any time without facing any negative repercussions. Ultimately, suggesting to us that we should just “get over it” only serves as another clear illustration of White privilege — of those with in an institutionally superior position telling those below them what to do and what they should think.


--Colorblindness: Suffice it to say, and as this video shows, race and racial differences are clearly still very important today. They are still relevant because inequalities still exist and discrimination still takes place, and because colorblindness still provides a crucial foundation upon which White privilege can exist. In other words, if everybody is the same and on an equal playing field, it’s perfectly fine to joke about them however we want, right?


--Model Minority: In this particular case, I will hypothesize that Alexandra Wallace (and many others like her) presume that almost all Asian Americans are smart and successful but also passive and therefore, won’t care if she complains and mocks them. Also, I cannot rule out some degree of resentment about the success of Asian Americans as well, particularly at a university where 40% of the student population is Asian American.


--Yellow Peril: When people feel that their standard of living or “way of life” is being threatened, they are likely to get defensive, consciously and unconsciously. In that situation, one way to react is to draw a more rigid cultural boundary between “us” and “them.” In this case, Alexandra Wallace invoked this nativist sentiment clearly when she said, “In America, we don’t talk in the library.”

but besides that mumbo jumbo. I care. because the fact that these perceptions exist can really effect me and my future children. I'm american. I'm from maryland. sure, I was born in Taiwan. sure, I was raised by immigrant parents who instilled asian culture into my way of life, my method of thinking. but funny thing is, asians (not asian americans) make fun of me for being american.

I've taken my fair share of racist jokes. jokes about being different. about being asian. whatever. I've let it go. for the sake of not being the angry minority all the time. but fact is, these views about me do matter. why? let's see, if I'm ever up for a promotion at work and I'm competing with others who are equally as qualified, will my race be the deciding factor? it could be... whether or not that decision is made consciously, it certainly could be. this is when the "innocent" jokes about my vision or bad driving or can't speak right or having a weird name can turn into, well, not so innocent. jokes are funny cuz they're true. so if we're all laughing at them it's because somewhere deep down we actually think those things. who's to say if we can control who we think those things about, and when we think them?

well, you might say being asian could work in my favor. my boss might think I'm good at math, hard working, won't cause trouble... but I'm actually none of those things. so in fact it could create unfair expectations. either way, judging ppl based on how they look will always factor in. and so when it's done in a negative way about my ppl. about the way I look. I take offense.

I hope and pray that whenever my kids grow up... they can be viewed as plain ol american. they don't have to ditch the asian part. but hopefully they won't get the same jokes that I got. hopefully they won't be viewed differently just because they're my kid. hopefully they can be proud of who they are in this country. hopefully they never have to feel ashamed for having my genes. my parents genes. my ancestors genes. things don't change unless we change em. so the least I could do was write about it here...

the sad part. the part that really made me want to write it on here. is that if she was making racial slurs and jokes about blacks, she would have been kicked out of that school so fast. in fact, she would have been probably too scared to even post the video. and this is what I mean. I hate that asian americans have this reputation for being passive. I hate that asian americans aren't more active and vocal about our rights in this country. where's our NAACP? I'm not hating on blacks. I'm envious of what they have in terms of representation and civil rights. again, more proof that racial inequities still exist and matter oh so much.