OPEN POST: Minority Experiences with Racism in Austin (Houston, Atlanta: house, buy)
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In my last (and first) post on this forum, I detailed my pervasive experiences with racism in Austin as a gay Asian male. As expected, my experiences were met with sarcasm, denial, and outright hostility.
Not surprisingly, the most ardent dissenters of my experiences were white (a group who, in Austin at least, is not in a position to speak on the realities of racism as it pertains to minorities). I'm not going to remain silent on this just because it makes some of you uncomfortable. You may be unaware of it, but the reality is that Austin has a serious racism problem (in and out of the gay community).
In living in Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston, I can definitively state that none are as race conscious and blatantly racist as Austin.
Recent examples:
1. I was downtown with a group of Asian friends, and a group of white guys yelled, "Hey, it's the Asian Invasion" and proceeded to make ching chong sounds.
2. I was running in West Campus and someone drove by and yelled "go back to China" at me. I stopped, turned around and saw it was a white guy in a Prius.
3. As was advised by several members of this board, I stopped going to gay bars, instead finding some common interest social groups, in hopes of meeting some friends.
I was the only non-white person at all of these groups. I tried talking with people, but it was apparent they just weren't interested, and were very standoffish.
At one group, where I was the youngest person present, I asked some regulars if people my age ever attended. Instead of answering my question, they started telling me about the last time they had an Asian guy, and how it was so funny because they don't ever see Asians.
How condescending, I thought. As if it weren't already obvious, let's actually bring up the 800 pound gorilla in the room--my Asianness--as it pertains to this group.
I never did find out if anyone my age regularly attended.
4. I posted a platonic ad on craigslist looking for friends, describing myself as gay, plus my interests. I didn't mention the fact that I was Asian.
I received 10 responses (all from gay white guys), several of whom were near-perfect matches, sharing many of the same interests. Then, they'd send a picture, asking to see mine. Do you have any idea that upon seeing that I'm Asian, they ALL stopped communication?
How do I know it was because I was Asian and not my physical appearance? Because I'm fit, athletic, tall, and good looking.
To add insult to injury, I posted another craigslist ad, identical to the previous one, but this time describing myself as Asian. I received zero responses.
These are just a few examples of many, but I definitely feel a heightened sense of racism relative to the other places I've lived.
It's ironic because Austin holds itself up as this liberal, accepting place, when in fact it appears to only represent such qualities to white people. It has become abundantly clear that most white people here are only interested in socializing with people who look like them. It's a very off and very disturbing dichotomy.
What have been your experiences?
Last edited by curiousATXphenomena; 07-09-2011 at 01:24 PM..
What's your point? That there are jerks everywhere in the world? I'm not sure we needed a new thread to figure that one out. Two things to say to this:
Yes, there are jerks in the world. I've had people say ugly things to me before too. Some people are just nasty on the inside, so they find anything to say just to be rude. If it hadn't been this, it would have been that. If they didn't make fun of your shoes, they would have made fun of your pants. You get the idea. It's a waste of time to spend a lot of energy worrying about those people because they're not going to change, but fortunately, they are a small percentage of the population. There are plenty of good people too. Avoid the jerks. If someone says something rude to you, do like the rest of us do and shake your head, think, "Man, that guy's got problems..." and move on with your day.
I don't deny that you've had some run-ins with jerks before. But you need to understand that you are not unique. This is not a unique issue to being gay, or Asian, or anything else. Jerks find a way to be jerky to the person in front of them. You are not more of a victim than anyone else. You need to lose the victim mentality and get the chip off your shoulder, because that will infect any new friendships or relationships you form. Yes, it may have been because of looks, but it's a little ridiculous to arbitrarily decide you were rejected for race when someone doesn't want to date you. Plenty of online relationships fizzle when pictures are exchanged. Someone else not thinking you are hot enough to date is not necessarily a racial snub.
Find a way to let go of the anger and try to have a productive life.
Excuse me, but unless you've ever been directly (and repeatedly) attacked because of your race, you're in no position to tell me to "get over" my anger. And please do qualify how being harassed over shoes or clothing is in any comparable to racial slurs.
As for the craigslist example, do you have reading comprehension issues? Please show me where I mentioned the word 'dating'. Does it not say PLATONIC and FRIENDSHIP? Are you suggesting that iit's acceptable to refuse to be friends with someone because of their race?
"Victim mentality"? Are you serious? Do you actually think I leave my house everyday looking for this stuff? I'm simply sharing MY day-to-day realities of being an Asian male in this city. How dare you condescend my experiences that way.
Your post speaks volumes and is typical of whites who don't/can't imagine what it's like to be a minority.
In my last (and first) post on this forum, I detailed my pervasive experiences with racism in Austin as a gay Asian male. As expected, my experiences were met with sarcasm, denial, and outright hostility.
Not surprisingly, the most ardent dissenters of my experiences were white (a group who, in Austin at least, is not in a position to speak on the realities of racism as it pertains to minorities). I'm not going to remain silent on this just because it makes some of you uncomfortable. You may be unaware of it, but the reality is that Austin has a serious racism problem (in and out of the gay community).
In living in Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston, I can definitively state that none are as race conscious and blatantly racist as Austin.
Recent examples:
1. I was downtown with a group of Asian friends, and a group of white guys yelled, "Hey, it's the Asian Invasion" and proceeded to make ching chong sounds.
2. I was running in West Campus and someone drove by and yelled "go back to China" at me. I stopped, turned around and saw it was a white guy in a Prius.
3. As was advised by several members of this board, I stopped going to gay bars, instead finding some common interest social groups, in hopes of meeting some friends.
I was the only non-white person at all of these groups. I tried talking with people, but it was apparent they just weren't interested, and were very standoffish.
At one group, where I was the youngest person present, I asked some regulars if people my age ever attended. Instead of answering my question, they started telling me about the last time they had an Asian guy, and how it was so funny because they don't ever see Asians.
How condescending, I thought. As if it weren't already obvious, let's actually bring up the 800 pound gorilla in the room--my Asianness--as it pertains to this group.
I never did find out if anyone my age regularly attended.
4. I posted a platonic ad on craigslist looking for friends, describing myself as gay, plus my interests. I didn't mention the fact that I was Asian.
I received 10 responses (all from gay white guys), several of whom were near-perfect matches, sharing many of the same interests. Then, they'd send a picture, asking to see mine. Do you have any idea that upon seeing that I'm Asian, they ALL stopped communication?
How do I know it was because I was Asian and not my physical appearance? Because I'm fit, athletic, tall, and good looking.
To add insult to injury, I posted another craigslist ad, identical to the previous one, but this time describing myself as Asian. I received zero responses.
These are just a few examples of many, but I definitely feel a heightened sense of racism relative to the other places I've lived.
It's ironic because Austin holds itself up as this liberal, accepting place, when in fact it appears to only represent such qualities to white people. It has become abundantly clear that most white people here are only interested in socializing with people who look like them. It's a very off and very disturbing dichotomy.
What have been your experiences?
Im asian, havent experienced any incidents of racism in austin. Have lots of friends, mostly white
I don't understand why people like to trivialize these kinds of things. If I were black and someone yelled the N word or told me to go back to Africa, you'd all be outraged. Why is it okay to racially attack Asians?
I've had enough of this backward mentality. It's quite apparent that Austin is NOT a place for minorities.
I don't understand why people like to trivialize these kinds of things. If I were black and someone yelled the N word or told me to go back to Africa, you'd all be outraged. Why is it okay to racially attack Asians?
.
Anecdotes != statistics.
The reality is some people are just nasty and will look for whatever thing they can pick on to try to hurt someone else. If you were with a bunch of white nerds they might have made fun of that. If you were with some fat white guys they might have made fun of you for being fat.
You cant control other people, only your reaction. Who cares what someone says? Why does it bother you at all? People are trivializing it because it is trivial.
And yes I have had people in the past call me ***** or make ching chong noises.
Austin97, I'm happy to hear you've not had the same experiences I have, or maybe you've just been lucky. But it really shouldn't matter -- as far as I can see these aren't isolated incidents. Whether expressed or not, there is a level of racial bias here that is often brushed off as "a few jerks".
Again, your experiences don't invalidate mine and my experiences don't invalidate yours.
I am a police officer here in town. I think I understand what you are going through. Everywhere I go someone has something foul to say. People shout out obscene things just for me drivig by. I am cursed at daily and I have even been spit on. I have been threatened and assaulted. I am starting to think that maybe Austin isn't a good place for white police officers either.
I don't understand why people like to trivialize these kinds of things. If I were black and someone yelled the N word or told me to go back to Africa, you'd all be outraged. Why is it okay to racially attack Asians?
I've had enough of this backward mentality. It's quite apparent that Austin is NOT a place for minorities.
As a black male in Austin, I am very sympathetic to your plight here in Austin. I understand the need to state and relay your experiences. What is the purpose in this thread you hope to achieve? If its to inform everyone regarding the dichotomy between Austin's Texas liberal image vs. its day-to-day reality for some people within minority communities, I believe you've accomplished your goal.
hmm.. i'm black and i haven't experienced any racism (yet..?). i really am sorry to hear about the bad experiences you've had here. sometimes, though, i wonder if some people are downright racist or just "uncomfortable" with me because they just haven't been around my type often. anyways, those racial slurs... i can't believe someone would randomly say that without even knowing you. i haven't seen anything like that happen... if you've had nothing but bad experiences, why can't you just go back down to houston and just evade the city itself?
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