Ethnicity: Shouldn't Matter to Anyone, So Why Does It?

It is the moment my sister dreads most when she is at a gas station. The cashier hands her the change and asks, "Are you Persian?" Everywhere she goes Persians are trying to identify with her.

Wait… you're not Asian?
The men at the gas station are not entirely off base. My sister and I are a mix of Mexican and Israeli. And it's not that my sister has anything against Persians. So why does it bother her? That question, after thinking about it for some time, is very hard to answer. I think it has something to do with the fact that no ethnic group likes to be lumped with one they are not. It seems especially ignorant when Caucasian people do this. One of my closest friends, who is as white as they come, thought I was Asian, probably for about four years of our friendship. I couldn't believe it! It bothered me so much, not that someone would think I was Asian, but the fact that someone would be so ignorant as to see tan skin and make his own wrong judgments. Then again, it really shouldn't matter. Unfortunately it does.

Non Parlo l'Italiano
There are so many good things about being mixed and being a minority. One of my favorites is being able to blend into a cluster of different countries when I travel. On a trip to Italy, people constantly approached me in Italian, assuming I was a native. It was very flattering. But then to be fair, I would have to ask, why is it OK for one to assume I'm Italian or French, but I get offended when I'm mistaken for Asian or Persian. Hmm…I don't know if I want to know what that says about me. The fact is, thanks to societal standards, some ethnicities are considered more desirable than others.

So this Mexican Walks into a Bar…
Race jokes don't often create any rifts, mostly because if one does get offended, they're usually chastised and someone yells, "Damn, take a JOKE!" My first semester at ARC, I admired my Sociology teacher, Shayla Mokhtarzada, for teaching our class not to laugh because it just exacerbates the problem that is racism. I think that a lot of the jokes are in good fun. But when certain ones bother me, I'm not going to lie, sometimes I laugh. Sometimes it's easier than being sneered at for being sensitive.

My Maid is Mexican, I'm not Racist!
What strikes me as really ignorant is when people assume the right to be as racist as they'd like, citing, " My boyfriend's black, I'm not racist!" As if having any kind of relationship with a minority excuses you from stereotyping or bigotry. As long as you hold views that separate or compartmentalize a race, you are being racist. Often, being called a racist is an extremely harsh accusation. Few of us think we are racist, and would probably be defensive and deny it if accused. But the ideas so many of us still hold subconsciously are, well, racist. Maybe if we stop denying it, and make the effort to change, these beliefs can be cleared up.

Black Dude/Girl Trying to Act White
Sometimes I think about the black community's role today and how it got to be this way. Whites and blacks are expected to act so differently. I think a person, white or black, is going to act accordingly depending on his or her environment. And, as fellow Current writer, Monique Worthington pointed out, "Just because I use more vocabulary doesn't mean I'm trying to act white. I just want to be educated." I don't think it's fair to make fun of a guy who "acts white" or to fault a black guy for "acting black."

Stingy Jew
I don't think everyone is a racist. Rather, I think a lot of the things we are taught is through language. People understand and use phrases and stereotypes like a "toothless redneck" and "Indian giver." I was guilty of using the phrase "stingy Jew," even though I'm Jewish myself, making me guilty of what I was just complaining about. I didn't even know what exactly I was implying until my mom made me stop saying it. The thing is, you never know who you are going to offend. So I suppose you should try to become well rounded and try to learn as much as you can about all races, and, as Sesame Street has always taught us, judge people as they are on the inside.