Racism is everywhere and it’s usually hard to deal with. Stereotypes and racial slurs are thrown around casually everyday; how does one respond to them? These days, people tend to make attempts at being humorous by saying racial jokes that actually offend the people the joke is aimed at. Also, a certain person might feel the right to treat another person of a certain race a specific way because of stereotypes. This sense of superiority over another race is not one that should be followed.
Stereotypes may be funny at first but begin to get annoying after a while. The typical “Asians are good at math” and “Ching chong” thing aimed at Asians is something I really hate. You can’t assume a person is good at something just because of his or her race; I have a Chinese friend who is horrible at math and gets offended when someone asks her for help in math. And for someone to degrade the Chinese language into two words digests me. This is the language of my ancestors and for it to be made a joke out of makes me shake my head at mankind.
We may look different and have different cultures but in the end, we are all people and should be treated equally and respected. Chinatown is a neighborhood rich in culture and history. There is a park near Canal Street where senior citizens go to enjoy their time, playing music and putting on a show for others. This happens almost every Sunday and have been so for the past couple of years. Lately, young, wealthy people of non-Asian descent have been moving into the neighborhood and can’t stand this “noise” and file noise complaints against these senior citizens, resulting in their expulsion from the park. These newcomers need to respect the rich culture that is Chinatown and start by learning about the culture, not abolishing it.
Racism is a hard thing to get past. After all those years of leaders attempting to make the world a better, more equal place, the separation is still evident. Ignorant people need to get rid of these strict lines and immerse themselves in new cultures to get a better understanding of the world. Knowledge ends ignorance.
