"Racial Spy" Syndrome

[pandaroo]

I think Carmen Van Kerkhove invented the term, and you'll hear her talking about it in her lectures. The 'racial spy' issue has become something I've had to deal with several times in my life. It's basically a situation that arises when you're mixed and you meet others who don't know you have whatever ancestry you have, and decide to say racist things about part of your ethnicity. Because you appear mixed/ambigous, others assume that it's "safe" to get away with saying racist things. You hear things that you're not supposed to hear, and probably wouldn't hear if you were monoracial.

I hate it. I have dumped many "friends" once I discovered how racist they were towards my own ancestry. Stupid thing was, many didn't even know why I was reacting the way I was after I got angry at them for saying racist things.

I think it was March, 2007... we were starting year 11 and a boy in one of my classes approached me:
Me: Hi Tom
Tom: Oh hi Lily, how are you finding Society & Culture?
Me: Glad I chose it, I think it's interesting. Better than maths, I'm no good at maths.
Tom: Me neither.
Me: Mr Karanges is a nice guy, hey?
Tom: I'm just glad there are no Asians in this class.
Me: What?!!! What the f*** did you just say?
Tom: I just said, it's a good thing there are no Asians in this class. There are Asians in all of the other classes I have...
Me: *furious* HEY! What about ME?!!
Tom: What do you mean?
Me: *storms off*

Anyone else here willing to talk about their "racial spy" experiences?

[cinnamoroll]

I look too Asian to be an Asian racial spy... but I def can be a spy when people can't figure out which Euro country my white side is.. Plus I've got a fairly good knowledge of all West Euro countries, so enough to out-smart your average Joe.

[ConceptDesign]

^ me too.

[cjsdad]

Interesting topic.

I wonder if "Tom" was glad no Asians were in his class since the stereotype is that Asians set the curve and are "brainy".

Either way, it was a stupid thing to say, it doesn't make what he said any less objectionable.

[devinsky]

that's a good point! usually for me it's people insulting First Nations people in front of me, they'll talk us down and then i'll be there thinking "jeez are you that stupid?! look at me!". Some times at work someone will make fun of asians, saying we're horny and perverted(his proof is hentai and japanese school girl stuff) and they wont believe you when you get offended. on the other hand though, i work with 90% filipinas , so i get to hear the opposite side

[straylight]

I overheard my one of my friend's girlfriends chatting away not too long ago and making a joke about "Asian men's penis" sizes. I don't know... Some part of me got offended. Felt like whipping it out right there. Haha


[edit] Uh, and sorry if that's obscene. Just thought it was relevant and a good example of observing racism right in front of me.

[halfbreed]

Yeah, I hear a lot of things I'm not supposed to. One was about 'we should kill all the asians' complete with gun hand action!

They don't like Asians and though they don't consider me Asian, I consider myself Asian, so it really makes me feel like I'm not wanted, hated, and don't belong.

[Paddy]

About 10 years ago when I started living in China, I was talking to an English teacher who was in my football team. He was a balding, early 40s expat living in Asia - I'm sure you can picture his sort (without wishing to appear too prejudiced myself!).

As we were chatting a Chinese girl walked passed us. I saw his eyes follow her form and he said to me, 'Do you do those?'

I replied, 'My mother is one of those.'

[halfbreed]

^ Then what did he say?

[Paddy]

He was smart enough not to say anything.
Wouldn't have been hard to dig himself a deep hole.

There was another time when a friend of mine came out with a crazy comment that I'm sure he wouldn't have come out with if he recognised my asian heritage.
'Chinese girls - they just stand there waiting to be f*cked.'

Woah Nelly, that one nearly knocked me off my feet.

He's a scary one - runs a trading company that exports sex toys. Proper pervert.

[~MangO_O~]

Well... I dunno if you ask me there is a clear seperation between westernized asians and asians. Personally I can hardly stand FOB asians, call me racist but that's just me.
There's something with their attitude and way that just makes my insides scorch. They do things that would be acceptable in Asia but intolerable here. For example, they cut lines, in the cafeteria the FOB asians are so LOUD I mean louder than the Italians! and trust me that's pretty hard to beat. And it's an annoying loud, you know that kind of "I think its cute so I make weird noises" type of annoyance. Its something that would be passable in asia but is just annoying here.

I'm not saying everyone should be westernized, but something just annoys me when some asians start babbling off in their asian language, when people in the same group don't speak it.

[Paddy]

You should see the FOB westerners in Asia!

[mrxcloudyxloc]

Nov 15, 2008 5:08:27 GMT -5 Paddy said:

You should see the FOB westerners in Asia!

yeah, thats the truth. I've had Americans complain to me that they can't read the street signs, and that there needs to be some English under the damn signs and so forth. Or in restaurants, and I'm like, fool if you're going to live here at least learn the alphabet. Like, you old redneck foos want immigrants to speak and learn English in America, but you won't when you live in Korea?? Ridiculous.

[ChickenSoda]

There's a Korean deli by my studio that I go to a lot. We got into a conversation about my ethnicity that led to "You're father's Korean, so that makes you full Korean". Generally, I tend to get more of a "You're one of us" attitude from Asians, and a "You're Asian" attitude from whites. It's not the kind of thing that I really take badly or all too seriously, though, and it's definitely opened up more doors for me in life than it's closed. One of my favorite things somebody's told me: "You're so lucky to be white and asian- it means that you can get any kind of girl".

[turboman]

Nov 16, 2008 22:34:35 GMT -5 mrxcloudyxloc said:

Like, you old redneck foos want immigrants to speak and learn English in America, but you won't when you live in Korea?? Ridiculous.

Exactly, bloody hypocrites.

The 'racial spy' thing happens to me surprisingly often, and when you openly display your disgust, they look at you like "WTF are you on about? why should you care?" (Even though it should be visibly obvious that I'm part Asian).

But it's pointless getting pissed-off about it, since they'll say it regardless, whether you're around them or not.

When a white family member starts making derogatory remarks right in front of you though, that s*** is unbearable.