Stranger article nails it I wish he could’ve grasped why his remarks were so objectionable, why Asian Americans are still so touchy about questions like “What are you?” and “Where are you from?” and “No, where are you really from?” when we were born here, when we’re as mainstream as anyone could be. No matter how long we’ve been in this country, we keep being regarded as foreigners, aliens, people who aren’t real Americans—the possibility precluded solely on the basis of our Asianness. These kinds of questions and comments might seem innocuous, born out of benevolent ignorance or curiosity, or mere stupidity (see also Macklemore, Gringo de Mayo). Yet, to people of color, the cumulative effect of these microaggressions can be as hurtful and pernicious as more blatant forms of racism. They reduce us to categories or caricatures, denying and nullifying individuality. They diminish and dehumanize anyone who’s different. They assert power and privilege, demarcating who’s an insider and who’s an outsider, who’s normal and who’s abnormal. thestranger/seattle/thats-kind-of-racist-dude/Content?oid=19707369
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 20:18:01 +0000
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