I wasn't sure if I should post about this, but what the heck, its the internet and there is certainly more controversy elsewhere. I have been noticing that Lana seems to have a concept of her race at least to some degree. On one hand I am surprised by this, given her age, but on the other hand she does look in the mirror. So perhaps she is not so intuitive on complex concepts, but rather she is just seeing what is similar in herself and others from a very superficial level. She told me that she looks like June from the Little Einsteins, which is the Asian one. She also repeatedly gravitates toward other children that are either Asian or look Asian. Like when we were in Buffalo, there was a whole beach of children and she made a beeline for the family with the Asian dad and white mom--she played with the kids and ate their pretzels. Like I said, I doubt that she is feeling ethnic unity in others like herself--its probably just "hey they look like me". But its interesting anyway.
Then yesterday we were at the beach here (what is it with the beach to get me thinkin?) and this woman says to me:
Weird woman--is that your daughter?
Me--yes
Weird woman--what is she mixed with?
Me--Chinese
Weird woman--what are you?
Me--i am your basic white person.
WTH did she mean,"What are you?" Umm, homo sapien, purple people eater, alien? I am not exotic looking and my skin could not be paler. I mean, I am kind of getting used to answering questions about Lana b/c well she looks different and I suppose its natural to be curious. I do believe that while it is natural to be curious--KEEP YOUR CURIOSITY TO YOURSELF PEOPLE! Its freakin rude! I don't care about your ethnic background, quit asking me about Lana's or mine (that's a new one!) The weird thing is that where we live is very ethnically diverse--that was something I really liked about it when we visited. When I was growing up, I lived in a very white town--my high school had very very few minorities represented. Yet, I have grown up to not even see people's skin color. I don't see people as Chinese, Indian, African-American. They are just people and I would never ask anyone--"What are you? What are you mixed with? Did you get her from China?" The last question I like to respond with, "No, I got her from my uterus". My point is that I wish people would mind their own business and just say something like, "cute kid!"
About Me
Blogs I like
- Jenn--Three boys and a girl
- Stacey--One Tree, Many Nuts...
- Jessica--For the Love of Dog
- Outnumbered Gal
- Amalah
- London's Calling
- Joanna--Sidewalk Chalk and Sippy Cups
- Megan--In pursuit of balance
- Maria--Oh I likey dat
- Lindsay--Crawford House
- Jenn--Staying in touch with the Funny Noses
- Desi--The E Family in Sin City
- Bridget--Equilibrium
- Laura--Laura's Mommy Journal
- Beth--Working it Out
5 comments:
Yeah we get plenty of rude questions with twins. Are they natural? Nope, they are fake. Which one is the bad one? YOU!
That is interesting Lana notices her own ethnicity. Very interesting. These little kids are smarter than we think!
Kids are observant, more so than we think. We could probably all learn a thing or two from them. Especially the part where they are observant without being rude. You were way to nice to weird lady. Stupid questions deserve stupid answers.
We were at the beach and Zach had on a wetsuit type swimsuit because he is the whitest child in FL. He also has really short hair. Some guy asked me where were from and down here that's a common ? b/c of all the tourists. I told him originally were from Buffalo but we had moved down here not too long ago. His reply? Oh I thought you were European because of your son's hair and swimsuit. A@%##@! The Europeans wear Speedos, not wetsuits, get it straight! WTH is that? You go Lana girl!
Very interesting. We get SO MANY rude or just curious questions about J because of his coloring and his very random hair color, from black and white people. "Where did that hair color come from?" umm...God? "What is he mixed with?" Me and my husband, of course.
It's interesting to me when people say that they "don't notice" another person's skin color...of course they notice it, as much as you notice that someone's hair is red or that they wear glasses. There's nothing wrong with noticing it, that's one of the great things about diversity. It's just the way you respond to that little observation and how much weight it carries with you that makes all the difference.
Thanks Desi for your thoughtful comments! I was actually thinking of you when I wrote this post b/c I remember that you had some rude comments about your son as well.
Also thanks for pointing out that of course I "notice" race--I obviously noticed that Lana gravitates toward others that look similar to her. What I meant to convey is that it doesn't matter to me what you look like--race or otherwise--what I DO notice is if someone is kind, polite and has a good heart. You make a great point and I was silly to say I don't notice :)
Wow! What dumb comments! Reagan has noticed diversity in her way, but she's got a ways to go. She knows that some people with darker skin speak spanish so instead of saying "hi" she greets them with "hola." Only she hasn't been able to sort out latino from Asian and Indian so she just greets anyone with darker skin with "hola." It's a start I suppose.
Post a Comment