You’re a China!
I recently started working with kids and I’ve found out that some of them have an interesting view of Chinese people.
A few weeks ago, a girl thought I was Mexican. She told me to take my glasses off and then she had the :O face. “You’re a China!!!” *laughing hysterically*
I didn’t really think anything of it. Yes, I’m Chinese and not a China, but she’s just a kid. I corrected her and moved on. What was so funny about being a China was unknown to me.
Today, there was a group of four girls that always hang out together. One of the girls asked me, “Are Chinese people yellow?” At first I thought it was a joke, but after a few more questions, I realized that she was serious. How does a kid actually think Chinese people are yellow?
I explained to the girls, “I’m part Chinese and I’m not yellow. *Points at Laos/Cambodian girl* Chinese people usually have a skin color similar to hers. After I said that, the other three girls in the group started laughing harder than I was while watching Fast Five. The Laos/Cambodian girl started crying her eyes out.
You might think she was crying because she thought she was being made fun of, which was true, but she took what I said about her skin color as an insult. It’s frightening that little kids think this. What and who is shaping their ideas? What is so bad about looking Chinese?
Anyway, this got me thinking about how I’m Asian and how that affects the way people perceive me. Since I was raised in Tracy, I went to school with a lot of the same people from elementary school through high school. I think people just thought of me as another kid instead of that Asian kid. When I went to college, I was surrounded by Asian people so being Asian wasn’t a big deal. In fact, Asians were the majority.
But now when I meet new people, I feel like I’m that Asian person instead of just a person. When I first met some middle schoolers, one girl said, “Are you a nerd? You look like a nerd.” Maybe it’s because I wear glasses, but maybe it’s because I’m Asian.
I was with a group of people I had just recently met and we were talking about alcohol. One guy said, “You think one shot affects me? I’m 6’5” 250. Maybe that would affect those girls…and maybe Scott.”
Wait, what? Why would he think that I have a low alcohol tolerance? Is it because of my size? I’m 5’11”. It must be because I’m Asian.
None of this actually bothers me, however. I actually find it very fascinating to analyze what people say and the reasons why they say the things they do.
