You just don't see it.
I knew undercurrents of racism were still around in America. I knew that they were probably in Rocklin. But last Friday was the first time that I actually saw it completely uncovered. Pure hateful racism.
As many of you know, Khuyen and Niraj won for Homecoming Queen and King. They deserve it- those two are the most hardworking, intelligent people I know. But many of the spectators around were not.
They were sitting behind me- a group of white men, maybe in their 40s. Probably parents. They began cursing and using a copious amount of racial slurs and expletives about Khuyen and Niraj, and eventually minorities in general.
As a short Asian female, I was starting to get nervous. By the time the dance team was performing, I was really scared. Not just scared for Khuyen and Niraj; for myself.
I left the stadium after half-time ended.
Maybe they were drunk. Maybe they didn't realize they were scaring the little girl sitting in front of them. But that doesn't excuse their bigoted behavior.
I understand that prejudice against others has been around since the beginning of human civilization- from the early caste system in India, to the slavery of Africans and eventually the fight for African-American rights, to today's gay and lesbian debates. But to hear people saying these hateful things out loud was shocking to my ears.
I don't understand why others can't be tolerant. That's like saying a blue M&M tastes better than a red one. They are all the same inside- they just have different outside colors. That's just like people.
Everyone is different, but in the end, we all have feelings and souls and beliefs. We all have families. We all have problems.
We are all human.
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4 comments:
I cannot stand ignorant people, and those racists are lucky that they had a person as kind as yourself sitting in front of them rather than someone like me; I would have torn them apart. But I'm not surprised that you would find such people in a place as conservative and sheltered as Rocklin, it's pretty sick the way people think that they are the center of the world and so powerful just because they live in a predominantly white town; I'd love to see them try to get along in the real world.
And you have no reason to fear, they all talk with such hatred but they are shallow, cowardly people.
How selfish of those people. How wrong of those people. How STUPID of those people to say that. If I were you Amanda I would turn around and perform the best way to hurt someone. Remember Ms. Congeniality?? And how she performed the SING?? S- solar plexar I- instep N- nose G- Groin. I would have coaxed them down to the platform and then perform these steps. Best way to send a message?? probably not, I would run away right after but that;s what I would do.
They are the people who don't care what they say or think before they speak. They are the ones who cannot see beyond the curtain. They are the ones who are blinded by the hate and racism and stereotypes of the world. I'm glad you spoke up about this incident.
I knowit's pretty stupid. It genuinely pisses me off, whatever though.
I too have felt the effects of racism. I am half Mexican and am always feeling that people look at me and see my light brown hair, green eyes and light skin and do not believe that I am Mexican American. This too also hurts because it makes me feel like half of myself and my Mom's side of me isn't being represtented just because I do not have dark skin and dark hair. I feel like people stereotype my family's heritage as being gardeners, maids, gang members, or illegal immigrants picking vegetables in the valley, but that is not all that we are. We are UCLA graduates, real estate agents, graphic designers, and successful businessmen. These are achievements that my Mexican side of my family has made, so people need to learn to look past stereotypes and evolve past racism
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