[Joseph-C29101]

Andrew, I'm an Asian-American, born and raised in the US. I don't even speak my ancestral language. While growing up, I had a hard time understanding why people approached me in a differently from my caucasian friends. At that point, I was just a child and I didn't see the difference. Everyday I would be reminded, not always in a negative way, that I was different ethnically from caucasians. But the point is, different is different. People are always asking me what country I'm from, and America is not good enough. Isn't it funny using sticks to eat? 'Joe, I love those 'chink' bitches, know any I could meet?' Have you ever been the focus of a racial joke? Even if it's not focused on you but on a racially similar group, it's isolating. It makes you feel like you're different somehow. I'm not chinese or japanese but the words 'chink' or 'jap' make me cringe, my parent's birthland is awful close to those countries. The hyphenated designator gives minorities a group to fall into. It provides a comfort zone for the hyphenated person. Until there is blind quality in this country and I no longer feel like a 'jap' or a 'chink', I feel that hyphenation is a necessity. I AM different, but even if I'm different, the hyphenation tells me that I'm not alone. It tells me that there's more similar people than just me here.

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Name : Joseph-C29101, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 29, City : Killeen, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Soldier, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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