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Asians are often stereotyped as lacking a sense of humor or being uncreative. Also, they are not significantly represented in the media. They are sometimes shown are caricatures in film and television. Some people do not intend to offend Asians with insidious phrases like (ching-chong), but they don't think about them either before saying these them. Asians do not tend to usually make a fuss over these things in public, but it doesn't mean that they like the way they are portrayed. The same can be said for Native Americans.
You nailed it. I (briefly) lived in Asia, and now live in a predominantly Asian neighborhood, and as I get to know and hang with my neighbors, I have been able to see things I really never thought of before along the lines of your post. I always thought of myself as knowing a lot about history and culture, but even some of my notions have been challenged. It is never good for any group of people to be mischaracterized. Ironically, there is one Asian character on TV whom I love because he has a wicked sense of humor very much like mine.
I also have to say, though, that many Asians and even Asian Americans go out of their way not to mix with those not of the same ethnicity. In many ways they close themselves off to others. So some of the barriers are of their own creation.
It is a fact that Obama is of mixed race. If you want to emphasize his appearance, that's your choice. What is actually more significant is that he was raised in a white community, with his socialization taking place among his mother's (white) family. I think your point of view about Obama is inaccurate because it is incomplete.
Again, maybe. I happen to think they're sending an irresponsible and, frankly, mean-spirited signal. There's a larger issue at hand, though.
Let's accept that he is biracial, despite the fact that it's a gross oversimplification. Obama is undoubtedly a person of color. He was born from a Kenyan father. He spent a good chunk of his childhood in Indonesia. He came back to an America that considered him, apparently until he won the presidency, as a black man. To other individuals of color, he is a symbol rather than a racial caricature. We can debate his scientific, however nonexistent blackness/whiteness all day. Culturally, he's a huge paradigm shift for America.
Stating that Obama is black is a gross simplification because again, it's incomplete and therefore inaccurate. As a biracial person, I actually think that people who want to place us in their category (whether they are black, white. asian, whatever) are doing society and us a disservice. We don't need to fit into anyone's category, we don't need to "belong" to any one race because we are NOT one race or the other. We can be both whether you, or society, like it or not (no wonder so many biracial people have identity issues... because people won't let us be ourselves). I can see how people deem him a symbol of progress in our nation (which he is) but acknowledging one part of him and not the other is a very narrow view. Imagine, if my race was dictated by my darkest parent... that's antiquated and ridiculous.
a feeble attempt to exclude mr obama from "the club".
mr obama is a positive example of a true afro american.
lots of people i admire have been excluded from the club,
bill cosby, jessie jackson to name a few.
And if the category "caucasian" appears on the form - I make sure to ask the person who handed me the form "what's a caucasian"? I've yet to hear an answer which makes any kind of sense.
This is my own preference - whatever words people choose as a description of themselves is just fine with me.
if Obama doesn't do a great job- all of his supporters black and white will acknowledge shortcomings
you white people will make any attempt to speak negatively about blacks but the minute you get pinned as racist, xenophobe bigots- you start to backpeddle or make excuses as to why your your negativity is justified
im sorry but white people in the US are not oppressed in any way by black people in the same manner that black people have been oppressed by white people in this country
if Obama doesn't do a great job- all of his supporters black and white will acknowledge shortcomings
you white people will make any attempt to speak negatively about blacks but the minute you get pinned as racist, xenophobe bigots- you start to backpeddle or make excuses as to why your your negativity is justified
im sorry but white people in the US are not oppressed in any way by black people in the same manner that black people have been oppressed by white people in this country
Maybe you should reread your own thoughts here before asserting that only white people have problems with racism! Yikes!
And if the category "caucasian" appears on the form - I make sure to ask the person who handed me the form "what's a caucasian"? I've yet to hear an answer which makes any kind of sense.
This is my own preference - whatever words people choose as a description of themselves is just fine with me.
David Beckett
LOL, that's funny, I do the same thing. It used to be on forms would state: "race - please check one", I'd check all of them... petty I know, but my way of being passive aggressive.
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