Caveat Emptor! Minus the buyer.

To digress from the subject, I just want to clarify that my blog title does not refer to the pop song “Call Me Maybe”, but rather the first line of Moby Dick, “Call me Ishmael”.

What is marginalization? It’s when people are treated like outcasts and relegated to the darkest depths of society. Most often, it has to do with one culture or race believing themselves superior to another. Different heritages, I think, should be celebrated, not just tolerated. They are my raison d’être! Our backgrounds make us unique, but sadly, it is also what creates those stereotypes where we’re aggregated with others and then judged.

Sherman Alexie does a fine job of expressing the hurt and pain from being marginalized so often. He is able to address those “Indian” stereotypes in such a way that you sympathize with him and realized that everyone is human. Through his fictional characters, he states that others perceive him as being the apotheosis of Native Americans: stoic, long flowing black hair, brown skin, drunk, poor. While some parts may be sadly true, he doesn’t enjoy the fact that people tend to group him in with all of the others, such as where the 7/11 worker in “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” thinks he’s a robber because he looks menacing. In “Indian Schooling”, he even profoundly delves into the fact that “being brown doesn’t make you brothers”, that some of the worst struggles are within the culture itself. He hints that some cultures are being divided by certain expectations, and that they hold themselves back. Overall, he demonstrates the deeply seated friction between his culture and others.

Being an American Born Chinese (ABC), I can somewhat relate to Sherman Alexie and marginalization. Although it is not as prevalent as before, my antecedents must have suffered discrimination. But, I have faced the impatient person who believes that minorities are somehow ignorant, or cannot speak English. Several times I have heard others speaking to my parents with the loud, childish babble that is often cooed to pets, even though my Dad has a Ph.D and my Mom a Masters, and both speak English well enough to be understood. Even though the scenarios are extremes and have long since changed, the ringing disparaging words still make me feel persona non grata and somehow not part of American society, even though I celebrate Christmas, cheer for the American team, and go to an American school.

Going on a tangent, I find that it is crucial to keep traditions alive. I am American and want to assimilate further, yet I don’t want to cast off my native roots, which make me whole. It’s the reason why I still speak to my parents in Chinese in public and in private (even if my accent is ghastly), ask my parents to explain ancient proverbs (and use them in conversations), and eat Chinese food more often than not. So many American-Chinese have lost sight of their past; embracing another culture does not mean throwing another away!

What are really frustrating are the cold-blooded battles within; we’re all brothers and sisters, and should help each other, not marginalize each other and divide an already divided culture. Mainland vs. Taiwan. Really? We’re all people. Instead of strengthening stereotypes that only skew the perceptions of others—and don’t represent the whole population—emphasizing individuality is key. (Maybe it’s understanding that’s a problem. It was only last year when I asked a fellow student what “white people eat”, because I couldn’t understand why they seemed to eat cheese and pizza all the time.) But, no one wants to be seen as a nameless face in a mass of yellow, or white, or brown, or red. It is all in the delicate balance between cultures.

Sincerely yours,

Annie