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Blacks vs. Asians?
Posted 04-20-2008 at 11:01 PM by 03elleinad
I find myself feeling very sad and disappointed today, especially in regards to Blacks and Asians. A part of me recognizes that I shouldn't be so affected, but the other is deeply disturbed and confused by what I have heard and seen. Where, I wonder, did this apparent racial tension between Blacks and Asians come from?
My aunt quite often complains about her job, and accuses her supervisor, who is Asian, of showing preference to Asians when hiring new staff. As a result, the office is becoming overwhelmingly mostly Asian. My aunt thinks her supervisor is racist towards blacks. In my mind, I don't see this as a racist act, but a sad fact of life. If she were in that supervisors position, she would do the same thing for black candidates. It is unfortunate that there are people with power who will choose others of their own race for that reason alone.
Then today, my aunt and her daughter were talking about their recent trip to downtown San Francisco. They went into Louis Vuitton, which was run by mostly Asians and had a majority of Asian customers at the time. My cousin said that two Asians bumped into her, and instead of apologizing, kept on walking as if she didn't exist. This led into them talking about how Asians are rude and uppity, especially toward Blacks. Again, I sought to rationalize this by saying it is probably just a city thing, as people in large, busy cities tend to be rude. This is a terrible generalization in itself, but I prefer to make assumptions about people as a whole rather than let things boil down to race.
We went to this new Japanese cuisine buffet with my aunt and my immediate family. Before entering, someone said "watch, when we go in, everything is going to go quiet cause Black people are coming in." Insert sigh here. So we go in, sit down, eat. I notice an Asian lady near our table keeps glancing over at us with a look of slight disgust on her face. This is the first time I've ever noticed (key word) anyone giving me or people I'm with a dirty look. After we were done eating, we got to talking about her staring. Again my aunt says Asians are rude and uppity, mentioning her supervisor as evidence. Even my brother's girlfriend (who is Latina) agrees with my aunt.
I just stare ahead, wondering what the fuck is going on in the world.
I had already begun to suspect that there is some racial tension between Blacks and Asians, mostly among older generations. I mentioned in my first blog Why I Like Asian Males, that I noticed tension between Blacks and Asians in relation to the Race Riots in Los Angeles after a falling out with an Asian guy that I liked in college. On this site I read a post, which I am too busy to look up and link, that basically said Asians and whites as a couple is most logical because their social/economical status are closer to each other - which I took to mean that Blacks are too poor/low class, to be with Asians.
The whole thing has me really confused.
I just don't see where all of this is coming from, and I'm having a hard time grasping it as a possible fact of life. I've met and associated with so many Asians, lived in an Asian country for 4 months, and I just don't understand why this tension still exists. Whether or not my family is justified in their feelings towards Asians, I cannot deny that there is tension. And with the Asian lady giving us dirty looks, I can still not deny that there is tension.
It really upsets me because I see it as a mark against the possibility of being with an Asian man. I fear that I'll never meet an Asian man who is free of those racial boundaries, who's family is also free of those boundaries. Yes, I know this is ridiculous, but no one says fears are logical.
I also hate being judged based simply on the color of my skin. I hate that there are people still out there who assume that because I am black, there is a 99% chance that I am uneducated, poor, loud, violent, on drugs, and on welfare.
I hate that there is even the smallest possibility that a race of people who were also treated unfairly and looked down upon, would adopt the feelings and beliefs of their former oppressors by looking down on Blacks as well.
I hate that I have to blog about this in the first place. Blacks vs. Asians shouldn't even be an issue.
My aunt quite often complains about her job, and accuses her supervisor, who is Asian, of showing preference to Asians when hiring new staff. As a result, the office is becoming overwhelmingly mostly Asian. My aunt thinks her supervisor is racist towards blacks. In my mind, I don't see this as a racist act, but a sad fact of life. If she were in that supervisors position, she would do the same thing for black candidates. It is unfortunate that there are people with power who will choose others of their own race for that reason alone.
Then today, my aunt and her daughter were talking about their recent trip to downtown San Francisco. They went into Louis Vuitton, which was run by mostly Asians and had a majority of Asian customers at the time. My cousin said that two Asians bumped into her, and instead of apologizing, kept on walking as if she didn't exist. This led into them talking about how Asians are rude and uppity, especially toward Blacks. Again, I sought to rationalize this by saying it is probably just a city thing, as people in large, busy cities tend to be rude. This is a terrible generalization in itself, but I prefer to make assumptions about people as a whole rather than let things boil down to race.
We went to this new Japanese cuisine buffet with my aunt and my immediate family. Before entering, someone said "watch, when we go in, everything is going to go quiet cause Black people are coming in." Insert sigh here. So we go in, sit down, eat. I notice an Asian lady near our table keeps glancing over at us with a look of slight disgust on her face. This is the first time I've ever noticed (key word) anyone giving me or people I'm with a dirty look. After we were done eating, we got to talking about her staring. Again my aunt says Asians are rude and uppity, mentioning her supervisor as evidence. Even my brother's girlfriend (who is Latina) agrees with my aunt.
I just stare ahead, wondering what the fuck is going on in the world.
I had already begun to suspect that there is some racial tension between Blacks and Asians, mostly among older generations. I mentioned in my first blog Why I Like Asian Males, that I noticed tension between Blacks and Asians in relation to the Race Riots in Los Angeles after a falling out with an Asian guy that I liked in college. On this site I read a post, which I am too busy to look up and link, that basically said Asians and whites as a couple is most logical because their social/economical status are closer to each other - which I took to mean that Blacks are too poor/low class, to be with Asians.
The whole thing has me really confused.
I just don't see where all of this is coming from, and I'm having a hard time grasping it as a possible fact of life. I've met and associated with so many Asians, lived in an Asian country for 4 months, and I just don't understand why this tension still exists. Whether or not my family is justified in their feelings towards Asians, I cannot deny that there is tension. And with the Asian lady giving us dirty looks, I can still not deny that there is tension.
It really upsets me because I see it as a mark against the possibility of being with an Asian man. I fear that I'll never meet an Asian man who is free of those racial boundaries, who's family is also free of those boundaries. Yes, I know this is ridiculous, but no one says fears are logical.
I also hate being judged based simply on the color of my skin. I hate that there are people still out there who assume that because I am black, there is a 99% chance that I am uneducated, poor, loud, violent, on drugs, and on welfare.
I hate that there is even the smallest possibility that a race of people who were also treated unfairly and looked down upon, would adopt the feelings and beliefs of their former oppressors by looking down on Blacks as well.
I hate that I have to blog about this in the first place. Blacks vs. Asians shouldn't even be an issue.
Total Comments 10
Comments
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It's too bad we don't live in a colorblind world - racism is everywhere. And it's not always whites against blacks or blacks against Asians - it's everyone!! I wish human nature was not meant to be so judgmental - life would be much easier and better for everyone. Great post BTW....Posted 04-20-2008 at 11:10 PM by sushirama
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Unfortunately, I have to tell you that I think in general older Asians (but certainly not all) tend to be racist towards black ppl. This really sucks because most black ppl are in fact very nice. I think black ppl just gets really pissed off when Asians, who's also a minority group and gets hate on by whites, also hates on them. However, I must say that the same thing can be said in reverse. I have encountered racist attitudes from black ppl b4 too, and I feel exactly the same way. I think minorities should really refrain from hating eachother cuz it does no good for the progress of any of us in the country...Posted 04-20-2008 at 11:13 PM by zLou 
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Yeah, I have no idea where that tension comes from, but I also know it exists. One of my friends is blasian, and she said that she can't consider herself Asian, but that pretty much she considers herself a black girl who's half Asian. I think that's kind of crazy because I say she ought to consider herself whatever she wants, and if she chose to identify more strongly with her Asian side, then people should accept that. But society won't have it that way, and according to her, some people of her mother's nationality would not have it that way either.
I really don't understand that at all, and the reason I don't is because it's the opposite when it's someone who's Asian and white, like my husband. He can consider himself whatever he wants (he considers himself Thai) and nobody minds a bit.
I think it speaks volumes about the tension that exists, the way people regard those who are half their nationality and half something else (in this case white or black).
I don't care for this racial tension. I think it's stupid. Furthermore, it's pretty much an American thing. I had a friend from Japan who said over there, people are more open to foreigners of all races. She said they find it intriguing rather than divisive. It's too bad people in the US can't be more like that.Posted 04-21-2008 at 05:26 AM by Nomad
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I am sorry to hear about your experience and hopefully it will be replaced by more positive ones. Just wanted to give you another possible explanation of what your cousin encountered when she bumped into the asians and she wasn't offered an apology. Living in the city maybe an explanation but it is also possible that it has to do with the culture. I can't speak for other cultures but in korean cultures, you will not find people saying "excuse me" to one another when bumping each other. That rarely happens because strangers are as a general rule are not given that kind of respect and kindness one gives to someone after being introduced. When I refer to strangers, I am not talking about an interaction between a customer and business but more of interaction between people on the street, malls, etc. In korea, a person to whom one has not been introduced, with no previous interactions or no potentional future relationship is considered a "stranger" and will be treated as such. Obviously things dramatically change once a person is introduced and they are no longer a stranger, but if you are a stranger, korean or not, you will get a treatment which may seem rude to someone from a western culture. This applies to koreans who have arrived here from Korea not to long ago or 1st generation koreans. I think those who grew up here, the 1.5 and 2nd generations here may not follow that but don't be surprised if they pick some of that trait up from the parents to a certain degree especially when it comes to eye contact. Eye contact is another thing that if you don't know the culture, you might think it is rude that the person talking to you is not maintaining eye contact when in fact koreans will not make extended eye contact because koreans consider that rude and even confrontational. While I do not doubt that there are tensions among the cultures and both sides have displayed behavior that is less then steller and downright prejudice , I also think lot of the misunderstanding comes from not knowing some of the culture nuances from both sides which fuels a lot of the misunderstandings and tensions.Posted 04-21-2008 at 07:48 AM by Hawkeye
Updated 04-21-2008 at 09:48 AM by Hawkeye -
I know exactly how you feel when it comes to the tension between Blacks and Asians. I know when I hung out with a Japanese friend of mine back in 10th grade, I would get looks of death from other people in Chinatown. People would harass me when I was with him, claiming I needed to "go back to my own kind" and told me "we don't do things like that around here." His own father called me something I would prefer not to repeat, and I was called a "no good dirty black ghetto hood rat" by a random elderly Asian woman. It hurt so much that I broke down and cried about it. Luckily for me he was very very sweet and would stick up for me regardless.
Also, I have a younger cousin who is black and South Korean. When she visits her father's side of the family (Her dad was black and Korean, with a Korean mother), she is looked down upon like she doesn't belong because she is half black. She picked up on their attitude and it hurt her so much that the other side wanted nothing to do with her just because she is half black. Blood is ALWAYS thicker than water, and although I don't know much about Asian culture, I always thought that family was a central value. To cast away a child because she is mixed is wrong on so many levels.
Why the hostility? I don't really know, but I do agree with you about how it makes it VERY hard for a black woman to get the chance to get with an Asian man. The chances are very low for us, and although many here do say that they are all for it (and I do thank you all for being so open minded to us sistas, we really need that enthusiasm) on the whole, the number on the whole relatively low. With the very rare interactions between black women and Asian men, the interests between them often go unrequited. We need to get bolder and wiser, but that takes time...Posted 04-21-2008 at 11:28 AM by Eiko212
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it is a very given factor. maybe not in sacramento, but around the country it is abundant. just watch the news or read a newspaper. you see it all over. unfortunately that is what spurred the la riots to get out of control. on the surface, it was all targeted to asian retailers and business owners. it seems out here that everyone is against or has trouble with black people in general. in other words, there is racial tension from every race against black people. and everyone hates everyone else. there is a lot of racism all over the country and the state and in local areas. mostly in the local areas, it is just more passive aggressive.Posted 04-21-2008 at 11:43 AM by xqzmi
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I think it's really unfortunate that these tensions exist at all... but I've witnessed instances myself of the black/asian tension. I've seen tensions for pretty much any race combination. I'm Latina, and generally Latin stereotypes tend to be not too different from Black stereotypes. Except maybe... add the illegal immigrant thing on top of all else. Anyway, there will always be racism and tensions based of prejudice... I've accepted that it's not going to go away anytime soon. But I can try to take it out of my life as much as I can by meeting people of different races and ethnicities and learning about not just what makes us different, but what we have in common. And in doing this, people will see that not all Latinos are illegal deadbeats or whatever notions they have.
My parents used to be openly racist towards Asians until I started dating an Filipino guy, and I think the exposure really made them realize that it's not a race thing-- it's a people thing. Meaning... there will be people you'll get along with and people you wont, and that will depend on your personalities (if they mesh well or clash) and not on their race.
I wish you all the best!Posted 04-21-2008 at 01:21 PM by Stopthehate
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I'm also saddend by this topic as well, we should be living in a world that should be accepting of people's differences, individualities , and cultures especially those within the the realm of race, but apparently the world has yet to see its flaws and has decided that it is time for change. I know using this as an example may be lame but, as I was watching past episodes of America's Best Dance Crew I noticed there were a lot of racial tension and comments between supporters of the groups status quo and kaba modern. Such racial exchanges of biggotry went back and forth, such examples as Black persons:"Fried rice is okay but fried chicken is better.", " Go have some babies who learn how to dance instead of making egg rolls and learn kung fu" Asians- "At least my children won't be on welfare", "At least I can afford a home"...it's childish the discussion is on dancing, their attributes, styles and etc. not race. I've noticed anger and rage can make people blind and jump to conlusions and falsehoods. As a personal experience, when I first moved into my college apartment complex and was heading to the office to pay my first month's rent, the person in charge of finances was black, not that it mattered to me. But as I handed her the check she said in a slight degrading tone "Matthew, your mommy and daddy pay everything for you". "What do you want now?" "Complaining again?" I agree that the check was one written by my parents, what would be the difference if my parents deposited the funds in my account and I wrote the check? I just turned around and said "wtf" in my head, did I do something wrong? Also, the roomate I was assigned was black, he was nice but when I addressed him about cleanliness issues and the need for quiet times before midterms, he had agreed. When I moved in my room had been used to house his brother who came every weekend to stay, I had 3 drawers in the kitchen to place my cooking supplies, he had rotting produce and beef blood dripping into fridge, had drinking and halo parties throughout the week. So naturally I couldn't take it anymore, I asked to be placed in a one bedroom apartment, but that was too much to ask, I was "complaining" and suggested I stay there for another year. I guess maybe she was in a bad mood or thought that I had a vendetta against blacks because of my roomate but I just felt like leaving the complex entirely. I had approched my mother about this and her answer was, "compliment her". At that point I didn't even want to acknowledge her presence but behold mother's wisdom pays off. Maybe she had misconceptions about me when she saw me but bottom line was I just felt like I was being treated unfairly. Eventually I got my own place and she is one of the nicest women I have met on the staff at my complex. Long story short, I've learned to not allow the negativity of others affect me as much as they used to. Through experience I've also learned you can't please everybody, thus, as an example I try my best not to discriminate, hate or be racial and try to be an example to others. I do agree with the cliche "Life's too short, stop the hate".Posted 04-21-2008 at 01:29 PM by Aznboi20
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I think some of them are just so duh and unfriendly like a deer in headlights and not necessary racist toward you. The body bumping happens alot to me when I go to asian markets. I am there checking out the fresh batch of mangos and these asian ladies would violate my space by cutting in front of me and just grab the box of mango without saying excuse me.
Also I recall this FOB viet girl in college taking someone parking space on campus. The car in front of her had the turning signal on waiting for the parking space. She, from behind, cut the car off and took the space. She knew what she did was wrong because she ran to this guy and me for protection. I told her don't do that shit again.
And when I go to saigon palace, a local pho restaurant here, they all stare probably just out of curiosty. They always do. When I do look at ppl, it does not matter what race they are, I always smile.
Posted 04-21-2008 at 02:18 PM by arra
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When I lived in Sacramento I can definitely say that me and my Korean bf got a lot of negative attention at times. Other times I think Asian people would just stare at us out of curiosity and sometimes they would even ask us questions. The only thing they didn't do was poke us with sticks. After several years together we broke up and though we never discussed it, I know that part of the reason we split was because he knew that someday his parents would find out that I was black.
After a while, I began dating another Korean guy, but he was adopted by white people. So I thought "Great, the stage for racial diversity has already been set." But even he couldn't get past the fact that I was black because of his own personal identity issues.
Finally, I started meeting Asian guys who didn't have racial hang ups and neither did their parents, phew! I had a Chinese professor during my first semester of college who said "You know, there is only one race and that's humans" which yes is cliche, but the fact that she was an older Asian lady saying it spoke volumes to me about peace between our two ethnicities. It may not be perfect, but it's getting better.Posted 06-23-2008 at 01:19 AM by BajenBaby
