My younger daughter is no shrinking violet. She feels strongly about things and lets people know it. This is my kid who, when she was in 2nd or 3rd grade, proudly wore a Yankees jacket onto a school bus in diehard Red Sox country, when the Yankees and Red Sox were in the playoffs together. She didn't even care that the kids on the bus were boo-ing her. It made her that much prouder to be a Yankees fan. I love this about her.
About once a week she comes home from school and tells me about some racial incident that happened at school, to her or someone else, that I should put in my Honorasian blog. Most of the incidents are so small that I consider them not to be blogworthy. Recently she asked me if she could write her own blog post, since I was so unwilling to do it. So, this week Honorasian, has it's first guest blogger. I did not edit it at all, so please forgive my 13 year old's grammar and spelling errors and her general contempt for 13 year old boys. So, without further ado, here it is:
"Hello. You people may know me as DD2 or something like that. Being an asian girl in middle school can be very frustrating sometimes. I’m here to tell you guys what racism is like through a 13 year-old girls eyes. Middle school boys are known to be extremely ignorant and unaware of the delicate feelings of girls. Sure, there’s a couple boys that are nice but sometimes I wonder what happened to gentlemen. I could go on and on about individual times where I wished I could explode in peoples faces for making fun of Asians RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. But, I’m just gonna tell you what it’s like. Imagine sitting in class next to a couple of your fellow goody-to shoe friends just trying to listen to the teacher talk. The boys sitting behind you are joking around and not being quiet after the teacher has shushed them twice. The only thing you can hear is the boys talking about football and such (things that I gag at). But, suddenly, you hear them talking in an Asian accent, saying they like to eat rice and fish, making their eyes look slanted, and pretending to be a tiger parent. It’s times like this where I wish I blended in. I don’t resent my heritage but sometimes it’s hard to be different. I’m not saying that I feel like they were making fun of me, but they didn’t even think to LOOK RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM and see that an Asian girl is sitting right there."
So there you have it.
Wow, what an appalling incident. Never mind what happened to gentlemen, what happened to civilized behavior? I know, these are middle school kids, but still I expect better. They are old enough to know better.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is, this kind of behavior is not uncommon, nor is it restricted to middle school kids. I grew up with this, even in NYC, a city that perhaps epitomizes multi-ethnicity. And I still hear it today. Perhaps I'm sensitive to this, not only for myself but also as a way to protect my kids, but one learns to live with the small but persistent strain of racism that still exists. Did those kids mean to hurt DD2? Probably not. Did it hurt anyway. Yes, of course it did.
ReplyDeleteYes, those mean kids are rude and ought to know better. As this blog has pointed out, adults should too. I'm proud of DD2 for having the courage and eloquence to share her experience, and to perhaps be a small voice in raising awareness of what still goes on today.
Sounds like DD2, (which is an AKA she should embrace since in my blogging my kids have Nicknames like Spock, Kirk, Angelica (RugRats) and Stewie (Family Guy)), has figured out that 8th grade boys are nearly all ijits. The stupidest/jerkiest/meanest guy in the group of boys because the level that all the boys stoop too. That's why mothers of sons always worry about who their sons are "hanging with".
ReplyDeleteI think it would be fine from time to time for DD2 "explode in peoples faces for making fun of Asians RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME."
Not all the time, but used judiciously, it would help identify the merely clueless from the people who one should avoid because their stupid/evilness is bone deep. The clueless guys will apologize and think twice in the future. The stupid/evil will say "can't you take a joke" to which when faced with similar stupid evil/people in my Jr/Sr High, I would reply "Jokes are things that make everyone laugh. You're just a dupa."
Great post. I hope to hear more in the future.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful. Good for DD2 for writing how she feels and what it's like to hear people talking so insensitively. You get points for coming online and talking about it. Love you.
ReplyDelete