I don’t, as a rule, bring up race. More often than I’d like, I find that I’m placed into a situation where it is an issue.
But growing up Asian is awesome, right? Don’t I get the perks of Asian stereotypes, for instance, “hard working,” “model minority,” and “smart?”
Sadly, it depends, like most stereotypes, on your appearance. I’m on the darker end, so I get all of the totally awesome racial traits like, “possible shoplifter,” “ignored in lieu of lighter skinned folk,” and my new personal favorite, “terrorist.” Good times.
I do have to recount an interesting moment that occurred during the media hoopla about the Justice of the Peace in Louisiana that wouldn’t marry mixed race couples. That guy resigned, by the way. My girlfriend was talking about that judge when she said,
“You know, that’s awful, I don’t know what I would do in that situation because—WAIT! WE’RE IN AN INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIP!! HOW DID WE NOT KNOW?!”
She didn’t actually say that. What she did say was in fact way more eloquent and thoughtful, and not filtered through my gross, light hearted hyperbole. However, I’m not exaggerating when I say that we were both kind of shocked. We had never really thought about it before.
We were just, well, “us.”
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