Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Sadness.

I've written before that I wasn't raised as a Filipina because my mom, the Filipina, wasn't super proud of her heritage for various reasons still unbeknownst to me. But just because I wasn't raised Filipina didn't mean that I wasn't treated differently because of they way other kids saw me and my sister (who is also Chinese). So I clearly remember being taunted with the pull-your-eyes-down-Ching-Chong thing that kids like to do when they aren't told by their parents that it is hurtful and racist. I don't remember a lot about my childhood but that one sticks out like a beacon.

Which is why this post by an adoptive mother is so very disappointing.

And sad.

And I wonder, in 15 years, when her daughter is old enough to realize that her mother posted that photo on her blog and others commented that it was "hilarious" and her daughter has more of an awareness of what it means to grow up Chinese in the US of A, in a white adoptive family, what will her daughter think of her mother then? Will she be sad too?

And I think, instead of reinforcing the negative stereotypes that our children of color will be bombarded with their entire lives, why aren't we arming them with the tools to feel empowered and to battle those stereotypes instead? Why aren't we arming our white children with tools of solidarity and brother/sisterhood so that they know teasing based on ethnicity is not tolerated?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

well said! I was also saddened by that post and the responses by the poster to those who suggested how such an attitude could be problematic...

Anonymous said...

That blogger goes out of her way to stir up the pot so that her like-minded readers can reinforce her ignorant beliefs.

It's especially disappointing because I believe the majority of her readers are white adoptive parents of transracially adopted children.

-m