“[Racism] is something that everyone has experienced or talked about,” Kyle Tianshi said. “Without even realizing it, you may be doing things that are racist to some people.” [Source]
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Unrealized racism
I read something today that made me uncomfortable.
“[Racism] is something that everyone has experienced or talked about,” Kyle Tianshi said. “Without even realizing it, you may be doing things that are racist to some people.” [Source]
Doing things that are racist without even realizing it. Ooooh yeah, I thought. I know what he's talking about. I've done that stuff.“[Racism] is something that everyone has experienced or talked about,” Kyle Tianshi said. “Without even realizing it, you may be doing things that are racist to some people.” [Source]
Stuff like what Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke did to Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) back in March 2018 -- greeting her with a "konnichiwa" in front of a congressional hearing. [Source]
Zinke may have thought he was being welcoming -- "acknowledging and accepting of diversity" -- but the reality is that he treated someone differently because they looked different.
It wasn't in front of a congressional hearing, but I've done that.
Tianshi added, "A lot of the things, like microaggressions, are something that I've just become used to experiencing for my entire life."
That sounds familiar. I've asked the question "Where are you from?" followed by, "No. Where are you *really* from?"
Mm. It seems like such a little thing, but those things build up for the people who get asked that. Death by a thousand cuts.
Writer Thuc Doan Nguyen talked about being mistaken for Japanese. "It might be a small moment, like a salesperson greeting you with 'konnichiwa.' Despite not being Japanese, I cannot tell you how many times someone has said that word at me while I've minded my own business." [Source]
I can't say I've done it while the person was minding their own business, but In the four years I worked in Waikiki, I sometimes greeted "Japanese-looking" people the wrong way. It was embarrassing. I should have just stuck with English.
I've also asked about a person's ethnic background without realizing that -- coming from a person with *my* ethnic background -- that's not really an appropriate or comfortable topic to discuss the first time you meet someone.
Cringe-worthy memories.
But there was something in Tianshi's use of the term "racist" that I appreciated -- he used it as an adjective, not as a noun that labels a person.
To label a person like me "racist" (i.e. "That guy's a racist!") for the mistakes I've made is problematic. I've also done a lot of "non-racist" stuff in my life. It's far easier for me to admit that I've done racist *actions* if that admission doesn't define me as a person. I've learned from my mistakes, and I'm grateful to the people who -- instead of writing me off -- have helped me understand how I've affected them.
So I'm glad Asian Americans like Kyle Tianshi are speaking up about their experiences. It may not stop deliberate hate crimes, but maybe it will help people like me understand better how to be more considerate.
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