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by jrs99 4025 days ago
Are you also a minority in the US? Did you live in different areas in the US? Were you physically attacked because of your race or sexual orientation in Japan?

Because if you're going by "casual daily encounters" that seem racist to you, do you ever wonder if a minority in 21st century america experiences the same?

1 comments

I'm Chinese, I live in Kentucky. People are wonderful here. I've also lived in Los Angeles - never had a problem, but I did meet lots of second+ generation immigrants who complained a lot about perceived racism, that were really just small things that come with cultural differences. To be honest I find that white Americans are mostly much more self conscious about saying something offensive than Asians would be.

Maybe I have to go further south, or be more homosexual or something, but I haven't experienced the hardcore racism you're describing.

Glad to hear your experience has been positive! I do wonder though if perhaps your desires are a bit different than those of second+ generation Asian-Americans. Whereas you see yourself as Chinese, and thus happy to be introduced to American customs and be the "foreign friend", Asian-Americans would find it somewhat insulting to be considered less than American.
For disclosure, I lived most of my life in USA. I played high school sports here, and most of my friends are white.

That being said, youre definitely onto something. Why should I be pissed that there aren't Chinese folks in cinema when I know that China has it's own massive film industry? I know what it's like being part of a massive majority, but some other asian kids I grew up with might not; they only have America, and they would be more foreign in Asia than here. I feel kinda bad for them, because despite being Chinese, they'll only feel different, instead of proud of being part of a great civilization/history.