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by minhwa » Sat, 09 Jul 2005 11:31 am
i can understand shasha's emotional response, but, i am sure she and most of us, when the temperature is down, fully subscribe to indi's rational perspective.
just as prostitution is the oldest profession, racism has always been with us. we seek commonality with others, seeking their approval, yet we cant wait to pick differences, pointing out any obvious and inobvious differences.
but, as we evolved to higher consciousness (not everyone manage to though), we cannot let incorrect primal and tribal instincts continue directing our future.
on one hand are high ideals of equality, brotherly love, etc, and on the other are deep rooted racism, or simply just racial awareness.
i TRY to come to terms with these 2 opposing forces within me by accepting that i have personal racial preferences, but a color blind all embracing constitution.
i think everyone is entitled to their own preferences, be it race, height, looks, etc .. i may prefer to date tall single lid chinese girls, while a south asian friend may prefer a big eyed high bridge south asian. nothing sinister, nothing malicious, just our preferences, which are not entirely racially based.
my racial preferences are influenced by my chinese upbringing, national environment of malaysia where malay (excessive?) rights are burned into the constitution, and my own brand of racism, no matter how light, i am sure it is there somewhere.
every race and culture has some ways abt them which others may not so readily accept. i think its ok and understandable to have these small tensions. its unrealistically naive to pretend there are no differences. this culture may eat noisily, that may like to apply body oil, this may be too brashly direct, that may be overly polite, this may have an overly focus on money, that may be a tad too laid back.
we see these differences from our personal filters. i dont see anything wrong with that as long as we know its our own subjective bias, and not let these personal preferences rise to universal standards and imposing truths.
if i cant put up with body oil, that's my prob, it doesnt mean he who applies it is wrong. while i have no right to tell him to stop with the oil, he in turn has no right to make me like the odour. just as he may think its disgusting of me to eat chicken feet, so i wouldnt force him to eat it.
as i evolved, i know deep rooted racism is wrong, i know blatant expression of racism is even more wrong. i embrace a color blind constitution, fully accepting and supporting its utopian ideals. in everyday lives, it means i befriend EVERYONE, with as clear a conscience and open heart as possible.
ok, i wont bore u with my multi-racialness with my multi racial frens (wah, what a guy!).
stereotypes simply mean a general observation. some may not be true, but surely there are some that is! this culture or that culture is usually like this or like that, but not everyone. i am aware of these stereotypes, but i try not to carry them around, and stamp it on the first person i see.
so, while i leave others to their racial preferences, but i hope they will give themselves a chance to know me, just as i will for them. at the same time, we owe it to ourselves, and the cause of a better world, to slowly peel away the layers of racism, of others and our very own.
hey ppl out there I have been reading a few threads in " making friends " column. Some of the response from the public out there is really contradicting.
