tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post3160776348035197338..comments2024-01-04T04:31:00.481-05:00Comments on Mixed Race America: Sad way to celebrate new yearJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-45301249790573685462008-02-12T10:10:00.000-05:002008-02-12T10:10:00.000-05:00CVT,Please don't leave short posts! I really appr...CVT,<BR/>Please don't leave short posts! I really appreciated how thoughtful your comment was--and how important to remind us that standing up for others is, indeed, standing up for ourselves, in more ways than one.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good fight!Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-89954150019091691292008-02-12T09:57:00.000-05:002008-02-12T09:57:00.000-05:00Jennifer and Brian's remarks reminded me of how of...Jennifer and Brian's remarks reminded me of how often people DO allow things to go if it's "not about them." And how people expect that. As a very ambiguous mixed person (I am half Chinese/white, but don't really LOOK either), I have had people attribute all sorts of racial backgrounds to me. Everything from Hawaiian or Mexican (most common) to mixed-African-American. What I've learned through that is:<BR/><BR/>1) What people are willing to say behind other people's backs. Because of mis-attribution, I have often been around racist comments (usually jokes) meant to be "okay" with me because they assumed I was another race. <BR/><BR/>2) People will project whatever race is most convenient FOR THEM onto me, so that they can tell the jokes and keep the stereotypes they want to. Some examples are a guy who said all sorts of things about Asian women in front of me, assuming I was Latino and would think it was okay. Had he not had a stereotype of "Asian" in his head, he likely would have been able to take a step back, notice my ambiguous features, and perhaps thought better of his first judgement. I have had the opposite happen, as well. <BR/><BR/>3) This doesn't happen to my brother. My brother has very clear Chinese features. People may misattribute his "Asian"-ness (i.e. think he's Japanese and not Chinese), but everybody knows he's Asian. Therefore, he hasn't had the same experience as me. People don't "slip up" in front of him, and he is therefore unaware that people who tell one set of jokes TO him will say another set when he has left the room. <BR/><BR/>All this has caused me to have a very universal response to ANY prejudicial comments. Because of my constant "Other" status (no matter which race I'm with) I find myself identifying with whichever "Other" is the butt of the joke or comment at the time. I've even lied about my background a few times just to make my point hit home harder when I respond. This goes for sexuality and gender, as well (even though I haven't been judged as a female). But because I've had a taste of what it's like to experience prejudice on a number of levels (and "as" a number of different races), it's not so hard for me to get upset about other versions.<BR/><BR/>And so - to all those people of color out there: if somebody is willing to make a racist/sexist/homophobic comment about another category of person IN FRONT OF YOU, you can be damn sure that they are making similar comments ABOUT YOU when you aren't there. Think about that next time you condone ANY of that in the future.<BR/><BR/>Some day I'll leave a short post.CVThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04097386572053924474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-67761534324233295362008-02-11T22:24:00.000-05:002008-02-11T22:24:00.000-05:00Also as a black male in the US, I have always beli...Also as a black male in the US, I have always believed that there was this totem pole of racial offensiveness and response as CTV and Brian have mentioned. It amazes me.Jason Clinkscaleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11100315288752472586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-24205295722094589562008-02-11T22:08:00.000-05:002008-02-11T22:08:00.000-05:00Thanks everyone for your comments--and for your su...Thanks everyone for your comments--and for your support that this flyer is, indeed (as Jason says) DU-UMB and racist and offensive. <BR/><BR/>Paul, I appreciated the link to the blog about "political correctness"--I do think that there is an incivility that often rules, esp. in cyberspace. And CVT & Brian, yes, there does seem to be this sense that it's OK to make anti-Asian or anti-Latino comments to non Asian and Latinos (or sometimes in front of them) because somehow the scale of racism is going to be perceived as "less than" and I also think, as Brian noted, that there is also a belief that if you don't "identify" with the group in question then you won't be offended.<BR/><BR/>But I am offended not just by sexist comments because I'm a woman or anti-Asian remarks because I'm Chinese American--I am also offended by bigoted remarks against gay and lesbian people because although I'm not queer identified I am an advocate for queer rights and I find jokes against African Americans to be racist and wrong and I have told people so on the rare occasion when I've had the displeasure to hear such a joke (to be honest, I can't recall the last time someone told me a racist joke because they know I'm not going to find it funny).<BR/><BR/>Anyway, all of which is to say, we need the anti-racist praxis--we need to stand up to all forms of oppression, in part for what Brian also noted--just because the joke, this time is anti-Asian doesn't mean that next time it won't be anti-African American or Latino or queer, etc... etc...Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-67650996471656122322008-02-11T19:15:00.000-05:002008-02-11T19:15:00.000-05:00I agree with everything that CVT wrote. Unfortuna...I agree with everything that CVT wrote. Unfortunately, people don't take racist statements as seriously about non-black minorities. <BR/><BR/>I am a black male and I have noticed over the last few years that more non minority people are making racist remarks to me about Latinos or Asians as though I will condone it because it's not about me. What they often fail to realize is that I speculate that they would make comments about me if I wasn't around.Brian Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04734307636961609871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-9498628004420262332008-02-11T12:00:00.000-05:002008-02-11T12:00:00.000-05:00Ugh. As if "no offense" absolves willful use of de...Ugh. As if "no offense" absolves willful use of derogatory language. It's like saying, "I think you are stupid," and then saying, "no offense." :P<BR/><BR/>I just read this blog post about the valorization of "politically incorrect" that reminds me a bit of that celebration of racist speech as humor -- <A HREF="http://clairelight.typepad.com/seelight/2008/02/somebody-kill-m.html" REL="nofollow">"Somebody Kill Me Now"</A>.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10770791729085088857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-83156484171350193252008-02-11T10:03:00.000-05:002008-02-11T10:03:00.000-05:00This is a prime example of the interesting state o...This is a prime example of the interesting state of overt racism in the U.S. I have often contended that - in today's America - there are clearly races that are "okay" to make racist jokes about in public. Right now, I'd say Asian people rank right behind Latinos (specifically Mexican) for overt racism.<BR/><BR/>On a day-to-day basis, I believe I hear more racist Mexican jokes than any other. What with immigration being such a political lightning-rod, it seems high on people's minds. <BR/><BR/>However, in a more public forum, I think racism against Asian people is more obvious. How many modern movies make use of played-out "Asian shopkeeper" stereotypes for an easy laugh? The "Asian-as-foreigner" is often made fun of - fake "Asian" accents thrown around for comedic effect.<BR/><BR/>And then there's this flier. Doesn't particularly surprise me.<BR/><BR/>The reason I think this all plays out is because of the strength (or lack thereof) of political and non-governmental organizations that fight for "Asian" rights. In this day, there are a number of strong, predominantly African-American organizations that can bring awareness to overt racism on that side. But for Asians? Often overlooked or dismissed. And I put that (mostly) on the lack of prominent Asian people in government or media. Asian people are thought of as meek and submissive. Until we get some strong, prominent voices heard on a consistent basis (and respected for it), we will continue to be thought of in that way (and ignored when we try to speak up).<BR/><BR/>I'm lacking the ability to write clear thoughts right now, so I'll tie it off here. I hope I got my point across (somewhat).<BR/><BR/>- I should also point out that the strong presence is also why there's probably more hidden racism towards African-Americans than other races. Nobody wants to publicly get caught out saying something about African-Americans, but they sure as Hell will act out on it or say things when they think they are in private.CVThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04097386572053924474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658138279766595241.post-24241105320500312222008-02-11T09:37:00.000-05:002008-02-11T09:37:00.000-05:00Wow... that was just DU-UMB.I don't know if there'...Wow... that was just <B>DU-UMB</B>.<BR/><BR/>I don't know if there's anything else I can say about that.Jason Clinkscaleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11100315288752472586noreply@blogger.com