From rise jokes to squinting your eyes. From joking about how Asians can’t drive to just overall teasing and ignorance.
Racism against Asians is still not taken seriously more often than not.
For some reason, some people won’t even consider it actual racism. It is just people having fun and joking between friends after all, why should we take it to heart? Not everything is that deep but people being made to feel bad about their race sure is.
Why are we called out for being “too sensitive” for standing up for ourselves, for not wanting to be treated like a joke? Too many of us are too used to laughing it off rather than defending ourselves but inside it feels terrible. No one wants to be mocked over something they have no control over, something they can’t change, and shouldn’t even want to either.
Even if it’s just “light teasing” it can lead to people starting to dislike their Asian features and feeling ashamed of their roots. Everyone handles things in a different way and while some people can just turn their head the other way and ignore the comments, to some people they stick with them and feed their insecurities.
I remember being in around fourth grade, and having to listen to my classmates joke about me being Asian and my dad being brown. Around seven years later, I still remember the exact words they used and how bad I felt in the situation.
While I now love and embrace being Asian, when I was younger, sometimes the thought of being white seemed tempting so I wouldn’t be teased in school. Some people don’t find these jokes offensive, and that’s just how they feel. However, this does not mean that all of us are okay with it, and will stay silent.
Always remember that you don’t have to put up with anything that makes you uncomfortable or hurts you. Being Asian is lit, and you should be so proud. Diversity is, and always will be, a strength.
