Walking around the neighborhood trying to get errands run I walk by this old man who says, "Chink!" turning his head as I pass him clearly directing the comment at me. This hasn't happened to me since I was in grade school. Okay, maybe high school. Back then it would take so long to register than a person had said something unkind and racist to me that I would say nothing in reply.
This time in response I took the high road and started yelling at him right on the street.
We had a nice loud exchange of unkind epithets in which he called me a "Chink Bastard" and I called him a "Racist Jackass" and each proceeded along our merry way.
At which point I felt a little bad for yelling at a mean stupid old man.
Then I tried to imagine how much work it would be to say "Honkey" or "Cracker" every time I passed by a white person.
Or how much effort would be involved in saying "Bitch" to every woman I passed on the street.
And I started to laugh.
3 comments:
wow. I could almost imagine that happening somewhere like Idaho or South Dakota or something, but New York? That guy must lose his voice entirely if he ever happens to wander into Chinatown!
How rude (in Michelle Tanner voice)! You should have totally kicked him in the shins!
snowc: Peace and love, snow. Peace, love and shouting obscenities.
kat e: Just goes to show that cosmopolitan environments can harbor as much ignorance as any other.
molly: Very rude. What they teach our old people on that damn television is a travesty.
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