It has been so long

When I was just a little kid, I was at the playground (across from my Grandmother's house on Clark Street) with my brother and my Uncle Mike. Some guy walking by yelled "Hey what are you doing hanging out with those gooks?" My Uncle went over and punched the guy in the face a couple times. Later that day the guy was riding his bike past the house and my Uncle Robert ran out, dove Superman style, and clothes lined the guy right off his bike. Then he punched him in the face a lot of times.

Maybe it didn't happen, maybe I didn't notice, either way I never had an experience of racism in elementary school. I think maybe it's because I was in a small school in a small town. Maybe it is because everyone knew me as long as they could remember. Maybe they were just really secretive and didn't say anything to my face. I guess it only matters that I never felt that I was any different. I never felt that my Dad was any different than anyone else's Dad. Until middle school. See our "junior high" was where kids from other schools really came together. Add to that it's when you hit puberty and being different is the last thing you wanted to be, and BAM! I am half Asian. Didn't bother me. Didn't seem to bother anyone else either. I just never saw it that way, but I had become aware that other people did. The best way I can describe it is..... I never referred to Tim as the black kid, and not in an effort to be P.C. I just don't see the world that way.

Anyway, I was at work tonight, washing the windows. Actually I had just finished and was emptying the bucket of water when a crappy white / primer / rusty Plymouth came around the corner and headed down the row that I was in. The car was going pretty slow for a car in an empty parking lot. I looked up to see 4 guys in the car. The guy sitting in the back on the driver's side yelled to me "Hey learn English MOFO." Learn English MOFO? What the hell do you say to that? All I had was "Just as soon as you move out of your Mama's trailer, jackass."

This is the first time that I have admitted it, but I am very happy that Tyler has light brown hair and blue eyes. Because people are frustrating enough in their general stupidity, throw in their ignorance when it comes to other races and it's.... well it's more angst than I want for my children.