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Racial Differences
"CHINK!!!! Yeah..that's right…look at us with those chinky eyes! Go back to where you belong!" Those words will forever ring in my ears. I was standing in line for lunch while talking to a friend while a couple of boys, fourth and fifth graders, were making fun of the only Asian girl in the school, me, a lonely kindergartener. I will never forget that moment when I realized that I was different.
Growing up in a predominantly white community, I had never thought of the issue of race as a child. My neighbor and I were best friends, and I never thought of myself as different. She had blonde hair; I had black. She had blue eyes; I had dark brown. We loved to play with the same things, thus we were friends. It was that simple. But on that day in elementary school, my world came apart, and I will never forget it. I was different, and I didn't know why. After those boys said that to me, I just stared in shock and got my lunch. I acted as though they had said nothing, and I was probably fortunate, considering the horrible things young boys can do. But when I went home, I cried. Why were people making fun of me? I didn't even understand what "chink" meant. It was only the motion they made by stretching their eyes that made me understand. I hadn't realized that I was different from everyone else. At home I spoke Chinese and watched some Chinese movies, but I did not think that made me different. I was still a person, a human being. Did it matter that I spoke Chinese and had black hair and dark brown eyes? Apparently to some people it did matter.
Every day I went to school with white children and went home to a Chinese family. For other people this was a line, a distinction that set me apart ...
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...h group celebrates the stereotype that society has imposed on them, and instead of celebrating individuality; they celebrate the sameness of race.
Living amongst white people I was initially teased because of my race, but I was more often liked and accepted for who I am. Living amongst Chinese people, I was initially accepted because of my race,but not liked for who I am. I am an American-born Chinese. These two sides make me. Without either one, I am not complete. When I walk down the street, I can never hide the fact that I am Chinese. I cannot change my Asian features. When I talk to people and voice my opinion, I am American. Yet I do not fit completely into both sides. I am different and proud to be so. Race does not define me; I define myself. I hope for the time when we stop focusing on race and can all embrace our differences and celebrate them.
Being Chinese, I understand first hand how discriminatory words can impact the way that you view yourself. I was really able to relate to Christine Leong’s, “Being a Chink”, and was able to empathize with her feelings of anguish over having a loved one called a derogatory name. Many times I have been made fun of due to my small eyes, flat face, and short stature, all of which are common traits that most Chinese people share. I have been treated differently, asked absurd questions, and been stereotyped all because of my ethnicity. The multiple times I’d been made fun of because I was Chinese are vividly burned into my memory, I can even remember the outfit I was wearing. That just goes to show how powerfully words can affect someone. My
...silenced in this country, in order to have voice and be visible in society, one must strive to be a white American. They feel the need to embody and assimilate to whiteness because the white race has a voice and is seen, rather than silenced and unseen, in society. They are privileged with the freedom of not having to cope with the notion of being marked, silent, and unseen in society. This creates pressures for Asian Americans and immigrants to suppress their own cultural identities and assimilate to whiteness in an attempt to potentially be able to prosper and make a life for them in America. Asian Americans feel as though being who they truly are and express their unique cultural identities will alienate themselves even more than they already are.
This cognizance really ensued when I first started work as an educational therapist in a residential placement for severely emotionally disturbed teenage girls. Being in such a arbitrary position of power was difficult enough with people who have issues with control and lack of respect from elders but I also happened to be the only male ever in this position at the facility and a "white guy" to boot. Ninety percent of my clients happened to be Latina or African American. This ethnic flash point did not initially bother me because of my lack of awareness of its existence and my naive determination that it was not important for my therapeutic and educational goals. However, of course I had not really considered at that time what being 'white' really entails in this society. Consideration of one's identity is obviously key to successful educational and therapeutic interventions but it took the actual experience of being what I call "white-washed" to make me realize that skin color may actually have something important to do with one's perceived identity.
Growing up was never easy for me; I am assuming it is never easy for anyone. I think it is certainly tougher for anyone who is of mixed races trying to figure out which one he or she best fits into. Growing up in a Japanese household, there were a lot of differences between my household and the households of all ...
I am an chinese and mexican american. You might think those are the best mixes of race you can get but you are truly wrong? Growing up in a small farm town in the outskirts of San Diego I truly wish I was white like the rest of the kids at my school. For the hardships I have faced with race discrimination I am truly ashamed of being the color and human genetics I have.
In this world we are constantly being categorized by our race and ethnicity, and for many people it’s hard to look beyond that. Even though in the past many stood up for equality and to stop racism and discrimination, it still occurs. In this nation of freedom and equality, there are still many people who believe that their race is superior to others. These beliefs are the ones that destroy our nation and affect the lives of many. The people affected are not limited by their age group, sex, social status, or by their education level.
Living in a world where African Americans are judged because of their skin color, while whites are passed by with no other thought is confusing. What do people think when they see me? I am biracial, and because of this, I’ve faced the struggle of having to explain my races to those who can’t tell, or just make an incorrect assumption. It’s not a bad thing, having two races and two cultures, because I’ve been open to multiple traditions my entire life, but sometimes it’s hard not being considered a whole person because I’m not considered one race or the other. Being biracial has shaped my life experience and the way I see the world in countless ways.
...on-Asians do not take the time to put themselves in our shoes. My mother who immigrated to the United States for graduate school faced racial discrimination. Many workers in restaurants, grocery stores, and administrators mocked her accent and believed her to be “inferior” in some way because of that. They did not consider that English is her second language. If they had just imagined if they were in Taiwan, struggling to adjust to the new culture and language and away from all family and friends, they would not have discriminated my mother. As the years go by, American society is becoming more accepting of racial minorities, but there is always improvements to be made. It is up to posterity to change this hateful practice of racial discrimination. Thus, it is our generation’s duty and responsibility to address these issues and strive to bring changes for the better.
I wanted to wear brand clothes/shoes they did, I wanted to do my hair like them, and make good grades like them. I wanted to fit in. My cultural identify took a back seat. But it was not long before I felt black and white did not mix. I must have heard too many comments asking to speak Haitian or I do not look Haitian, but more than that, I am black, so I always had to answer question about my hair or why my nose is big, and that I talked white. This feeling carried on to high school because the questions never went away and the distance between me and them grew larger. There was not much action my family could take for those moments in my life, but shared their encounters or conversations to show me I was not alone in dealing with people of other background. I surrounded myself with less white people and more people of color and today, not much has
This stage of my adolescent life was very memorable. This was the time when my life was becoming more complicated as I struggled to find my own racial identity, and constantly questioning myself, “Who am I?” “Where do I belong?” while facing the pressure of “fitting in” as a biracial teen in prejudicial Asian society.
These are the two questions that I get asked regularly by non-Asians. I always reply “Well I was born and raised in America but my family comes from Hong Kong.” I grew up constantly being told to take pride in being Chinese, however, I was also consistently told by my family to be proud that I even have the opportunity to grow up in America. There was never a definite answer as to what I was, so I learned to accept both. I am Asian American. Many people have questions about what “Asian American” really means and their questions brought on questions of my own. It was not until recently that Asian American influences became more prominent in my life. I was able to find books,
I am an Asian with yellow skin very differ with Staples's skin color, but I still was discrimination by some people surrounding me. I remember the first year I lived in America, I was in Middle School, eighth grade; I never forget the day I get in a school bus, everybody: Black, White, Asian, they placed their backpacks on empty seats, because they did not want me to sit with them. I went through all seats and looked around; I was lucky, there was only one back seat left for me in a corner, but when I stepped close to having a sit, a white young girl said, “This seat is taken.” All of them laughed very l...
They struck fear into their enemies eyes with their gruesome affect and fierce actions. They showed no mercy. The Mongols were also known for their surprise attack which spread to other armies making it a keen warfare used all around the world. This battle tactic consisted of a group of men who are fighting out on the battlefield and they begin to retreat only to draw the enemy into a trap. The enemy runs into a rain of arrows as the rest of the men are hiding off to the side with loaded weapons, and fierce ground fighters ready for combat. This is one key that the Mongols had to help them conquer
Throughout the Post-classical Era in ancient history, many different civilizations coexisted throughout much of the known world at the time. A plethora of the ruling empires during that time had text-book worthy advancements and its own fair share of conflict, however none would create such an impact on all parts of the world much like the Mongols did. The Mongols, originally a nomadic group which settled on the steppes of Central Asia, began the largest conquest recorded in history during the 13th century. At the end of their reign, the Mongols had acquired a massive area of territory stretching between continents and also they also gained the reputation as barbarians. A loose way to think of barbarians would be that they are uncivilized people with lack of culture, respect, and standard morals. Although many could argue that the Mongols were complete barbarians due to how cruel their military tactics were, the Mongols were in fact completely civilized because of their contribution to innovations which improved trading and the revival of laws that helped to create better living conditions for civilians with ideas of tolerance and safety. Overall, the Mongols rebuilt a foundation of peace and stability to the areas it conquered.
A social inequality that I would say I’m concerned with would be, racial and ethnic inequality. Racial or ethnic inequality is often established based on characteristics such as skin color and other physical characteristics, or a person’s place of origin or culture. Another meaning of racial inequality would be the advantages and disadvantages that affect different races within the Unites States. Race has become a socially constructed category capable of restricting or enabling social status. Racial inequality can lead to diminished opportunities, which can also lead to cycles of poverty and political problems. With this minority members in a society can result in discriminating actions such as; exclusion, oppression, expulsion, and extermination.