The Beauty Within

I just read this on Kimchi Mama and ugh, I feel so disgusted yet fortunate at the same time.  Here’s the link:  http://kimchimamas.typepad.com/kimchi_mamas/2007/03/paranoia_you_be.html

Quick run down:  Mama Nabi over at Kimchi Mama lives in a supposedly “diversed” neighborhood with her non-Asian husband and their hapa child.  She noticed that her neighbors made damn sure to avoid all eye contact from her, going even as far as HIDING in their garage until they left.  Her husband however never encounter that with the same neighbors!  What is that then.. RACISM!!!!

It’s got me thinking about how fortunate I was to grow up in a truly diverse and welcoming neighborhood.  Racism never seemed to affect me personally and I seriously thought being Asian in this society was no biggie.  Although my view has personally changed, I still do thank my upbringing.  I grew up in this neighborhood that was half filled with caucasians that’s lived there since the 50s and 60s, and half filled with Japanese/Koreans/hapas.  My next door neighbors do look like the typical blonde: blonde hairs, blue/hazel eyes, and unafraid of tanning.  Luckily their personality was extremely welcoming and they saw outside of race.  They were extremely welcoming to our family (1 of 2 Chinese families at the time, 1 of 4 Asian families), and til today, I’m still excited to see the mom everytime I go home.  She’s a fantastic person with a wonderful heart that didn’t mind looking after us.  Yes, she disliked her Japanese neighbor across the street, but it wasn’t because they were Japanese.  It was truly because that family was a bit weird.

Then there was the super nice mixed family that lived around the corner.  Nobody saw them as weird or different, but rather saw them as the *******.  The mom was the one that organized all the block events like 4th of July party and Christmas party.

I’m not saying there are no racists in the city I grew up.  I use to work at the ticket stands at the HS football stand with the student groups’ accountant, a nice Japanese women, and sometimes she did get discriminated against by random old white dudes.  For example, once during the band’s lovely rendition of the national anthem, she wasn’t able to drop everything in her hands and salute to the great ol’ American flag.  Some old white dude made this comment accusing her of not being patriotic because she was Japanese!!  It’s like, OMIGOD, it’s 2001, and you accuse this lady of not being patriotic because she’s trying to take care of things for the local HS football game?!??!???

Overall, incidents like that were isolated (thank goodness), and the diversity in the area I grew up in has helped me be less intolerant.  However, sometimes I do wonder if I’m just talking the talk rather than walking the walk since I think everyone is racist against me.  And I feel like I do judge people when by their skin color.  Although sometimes I dislike a person for who they are first, then find out their ethnicity later, but I don’t stop disliking them either.

Argh.. back to writing my report..