So, I get recognised and remembered a lot. I know. You’re thinking I must be a big deal. People everywhere tell me they know me from somewhere.
“Oh,” I’ll say in an airy tone, “I get that all the time…”
But seriously. I do get it all the time.
And the reason is not that glamourous.
It’s because I’m…
ASIAN.
And a whole bunch of people seem to think ‘we’ all look the same. Yes. That.
I’m always probably related to someone. Or the SPITTING IMAGE of someone’s best friend (ahem – I think their Asian friend needs to get better friends who pay more attention to them). Or didn’t I come into the store the other day for that thing? Nope. Nope. Nope. Wasn’t me.
No. It was definitely you! You bought the thingy with the other thingies and we talked about stuff and things!
Um. No it wasn’t. I didn’t do it. I have an alibi.
Pretty sure it was you.
Nope.
Let’s agree to disagree. I’ll just stare at you like you’ve got it wrong until you feel uncomfortable and leave, OK?
Um. OK.
Unless there’s some crazy doppelgänger of mine out there, I’d say it’s not just some crazy coincidence. Unlike that amazing Twinsters doco (you can find it on Netflix), which made me secretly fantasise that I did indeed have a twin I didn’t know about. How wild would that be???
Years ago, a mutual ‘friend’ confused me with another of my friends (who is also adopted from Korea but looks not much like me). We are still not impressed.
Did you know that Chinese people look different from Thai people, who look different from Japanese people, who look different from Indonesian people, who look different from Korean people (and that’s not even covering anywhere near all of the regions and countries)? Yes. That’s right. We are all different. And even then, our looks might not dictate our culture (as in my case as an adoptee). Also, just like ‘white/Western looking’ people, we are all as unique and as similar as anyone else – who would have thought. ‘Asian’ is not a nationality, y’all!
I am not going to intimately understand the life of your Chinese sister in law. Or your Filipino aunty by marriage. Unless, you know, I’ve actually met them.
Yes, I am aware of the Gangnam Style dance, along with the rest of the Western world. No. I will not do it.
It can honestly be as simple as treating each person as an individual. Getting to know them. Seeing them for who they are (and listening when they tell us). I think it’s simply ignorance that stops people from being able to get past the ‘they all look the same’ concept.
Expose yourselves to people of all different races and nationalities. Learn about all of the world’s cultures and show an interest in those who defy the stereotypes. Let people tell you about themselves and really listen. Your life will get way more awesome.
~ PSA Over ~
Peace out! ✌️
This video is seriously my life ?
