tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post4742593519151906593..comments2023-07-01T00:33:55.165-07:00Comments on Ben Efsaneyim: Seven Things.....Ben Efsaneyimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001682865274251483noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-72795770962658908092013-03-17T05:46:04.060-07:002013-03-17T05:46:04.060-07:00without a together people you cant have leaders. e...without a together people you cant have leaders. every now and again i see ' hey guys the face of asian this gonna change' or 'this time its different' being spouted by the latest asian american fad or trend. only to find out its just self promoting BS.<br /><br />to get a together people you need to promote interactivity and dialogue. the only interactivity and dialogue we get is commenting on blogs anonymously and playing white mans politics. <br /><br />asian togetherness is too superficial. because asian wants and needs are superficial. to change that you need to change a complete value system. and like i said, thats not gonna happen because asians are too superficial.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-47791908827511398672013-03-12T00:06:23.549-07:002013-03-12T00:06:23.549-07:00Drew
Sorry, yes I meant the Diversity post and to...Drew<br /><br />Sorry, yes I meant the Diversity post and to a lesser extent, the 8Asians post.<br /><br />I also want to clarify that I' not saying that an emotional response is feminine - I'm saying that the way we have come to discuss anti-Asian racism is emotional and feminine. Focusing on our emotional responses allows the bigger picture of prejudice to become secondary, when it should be the focus. <br /><br />Another way of looking at it would be to view race commentary as a role-model - just like a role model in the movies. We want to see role-models modeling behaviours that tell our stories genuinely. Likewise, we want to see race commentary modeling a way of discussing our experiences that goes beyond the emotional reactions, and widens its scope so that the main focus is to highlight the ways that America's culture of anti-Asian hostility manifests as discrimination in our daily lives.<br /><br />Naturally, in real life it is hard not to feel offence at things like these, but even then, being in a state of emotional reaction - I think - puts people at a disadvantage.Ben Efsaneyimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001682865274251483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-68423793853632180502013-03-11T21:26:51.021-07:002013-03-11T21:26:51.021-07:00Jimmy - I don't have a best course of action, ...Jimmy - I don't have a best course of action, I have MY best course of action. <br /><br />Ben - Which posts? Did you mean the "7 things not to say?" As for responses; I don't work in the corporate world (not yet, I want to). But what I'm working in something that is more casual - situations that are more "casual" where one isn't bound by rules of the office, etc. I believe that, if someone succeeds in that realm, "skills" achieved there will translate very well when say, a white co-worker would say something weird. <br /><br />Both of you - I'll go ahead and write up a post regarding my three recent incidents of racism. Nothing violent, but definitely mind boggling. Remember, I've never had to face racism directly until just this past yet. It'll be titled according so you'll know it when you see it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-78416441140940956552013-03-10T23:44:08.436-07:002013-03-10T23:44:08.436-07:00Jimmy
Welcome and thanks for your comment.
I hav...Jimmy<br /><br />Welcome and thanks for your comment.<br /><br />I have to admit that I have never actually experienced racism in this way before. I tend to be competitive and naturally bossy. I also have a very thick skin and I have a strong British accent - so Americans never really knew what to do with me. <br /><br />I have attained supervisory roles in just about every job I've had, and have done so because of my inclination to be competitive and bossy - I tend to boss people around even though it may not have been my actual job to do that.<br /><br />So I think that the answer to your question is to become bossy, confident, and competitive, such that these kinds of questions become self-evidently ridiculous and discrimination becomes transparent.Ben Efsaneyimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001682865274251483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-10167446952406723442013-03-10T22:24:01.391-07:002013-03-10T22:24:01.391-07:00Hi Drew
I think that in my view taking offence is...Hi Drew<br /><br />I think that in my view taking offence is a passive, feminine response. Even worse it fosters "gut reaction" type responses to racism which I believe is counter-productive. <br /><br />This doesn't mean that we should not confront racism in the moment - on the contrary I think we are obliged to - but doing so in a way that focuses on our feelings would seem to me to detract attention away from the actual racism itself.<br /><br />For example, in the posts I linked to, the focus is largely on being offended with much less attention given to how this kind of petty, seemingly innocuous racially inflected questioning is likely to reflect a company culture of discrimination. This is self-defeating and it may even suggest that we are developing a culture of avoidance.<br /><br />Even some of those who were quoted in the Diversity piece used language that focuses on their emotional response - they report being "frustrated" or "shocked" - few (if any?) are quoted as saying that they understand that these questions are likely to reflect discrimination in their workplace. <br /><br />And I actually agree that being an asshole is a useful state of mind to cultivate - but even that cannot happen if we become focused on hurt feelings!<br /><br />I'm interested in what you had to say about high context/low context households - I'm not familiar with those terms.Ben Efsaneyimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001682865274251483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-26385831628006933722013-03-10T22:08:23.241-07:002013-03-10T22:08:23.241-07:00What would you suggest would be a best course of a...What would you suggest would be a best course of action when faced with racism, dragonrider?Jimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12320834242414616730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-19700125858210562862013-03-10T22:06:16.750-07:002013-03-10T22:06:16.750-07:00A great read! What do you think would be the best ...A great read! What do you think would be the best cause of action when discriminated against? Have you been placed in this situation before? How did you overcome it?Jimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12320834242414616730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8566317761793185393.post-35350850226876571482013-03-10T20:28:25.710-07:002013-03-10T20:28:25.710-07:00"It is also fundamentally a feminine stance t..."It is also fundamentally a feminine stance that has no meaningful place in the dialogue and that also happens to offer little by way of solution."<br /><br />And by "feminine" you mean being a leader? I would feel that being "feminine" in a racist situation would be what you described: "assess the situation and adapt a more considerate position rather than a blunt and harsh position. <br /><br />This is a very interesting topic - I won't get into details (too long of a list) but it does have something to do with us (Asian American males) growing up in a high context culture household going up against a low context society.<br /><br />As for cultivating a certain state of mind, being a general asshole is a start. It's not the best I know, but one has to start somewhere. <br /><br />DrewAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com