COLORBLIND

“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.” 

― Muhammad Ali

RACISM is the prejudice or discrimination directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief.

  I am a mixed raced individual. My dad is European, English to be exact and Mother is Asian, A beautiful Filipina. I grew up in a diverse household where different races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs were present. My dad being a businessman dealt with everyone we had customers from Middle east, Asia, Europe, and America and my father treated them all the same. He never distinguished one from the other and I never heard him relegate someone capabilities based on where they were from or the color of their skin. What I am saying here is that my father was a man of the world and he judged people on what they were as individuals rather than what they looked or the color of their skin.

  “Racism isn't born, folks, it's taught. I have a two-year-old son. You know what he hates? Naps! End of list.” - Denis Leary

   So it always takes me a back when people judge people based on the color of their skin and it is worse when they say its just the way they are. Racism is not something we are born in, it is something learned. From tv, radio, media, environment, and a general culture of hate. This is wrong we can always choose not to learn and to take no participation in it. I have read in other blogs and have heard from some of my classmates that they are slightly racist or that they don’t know, therefore I will speak up in my blog and in person and state that RACISM IS WRONG. No matter if its a little or a lot racism breeds hate. We can be proud of who we are and what our heritage is without demeaning those of others. We can share what us special and interesting as a people and others can do the same. The world is big and diverse enough for all cultures. We all come in various shapes, colors, and sizes but in the end we are all HUMANS. 

"Racist thought and action says far more about the person they come from than the person they are directed at.” ― Chris Crutcher

DOMINATION AND MARGINALIZATION

I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.

Jackie Robinson 

According to Merriam – Webster the definitions for Domination and Marginalization are as follows. Domination is the control or power over another or others or the exercise of such control or power. Marginalization is to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group or to relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social standing. These are such grand terms that seem foreign and distant yet these are experiences that we and others go through in our daily lives. In our day to day lives objectification, exploitation, and oppression/persecution happen these are forms of domination and marginalization. Whether we realize it or not we are participants in these interactions we could be either subject or object regardless of if we are aware or not.

Objectification, Exploitation and Oppression/ Persecution

     I have experienced objectification from both perspectives. As the receiver of this type of treatment it comes in various ways from the unnoticeable from my dad it was the pressure to succeed whether it was sports or school it was always that I had to be the best. I excelled in one but I rebelled in academics I felt that the burden and pressure was too much especially going into college. My dad wanted an engineer or lawyer but I chose Political Science. In my athletic career I felt that I was a an agent used to represent the school for school glory and I liked it the joy of winning and showing love for the alma matter cannot be beat. Recently after looking back and analyzing with the new analytical tools I have I realize that I am a commodity that was used to promote the school without being paid and was treated along with my team mates as sort of commodities. Not that this was bad but as I see it now this was a form of objectification that I went through. I have done this to others but I don’t think I am fully aware of most of it. An example I can give is when some of my employees seem interchangeable in their roles and I don’t care who does it or how capable they are so long as they do it. In the same breath I can say that my talents have been exploited by the system or institutions that I have been part of from teaching for free to contributing money that they should have paid for themselves I have experienced it. I have both been exploited in school work and have done the same to others whether it was not doing my part well and others picking up the slack or me doing the same for others. Subordination is something that as a son and athlete I have grown up with it. We all experience subordination at work, home, school, team, or events. When I started my company it was the first time I felt that I was subordinating someone else and the first time I realized it and I think this seems to be a part of life and that everyone goes through it. I don’t believe I have ever been oppressed or persecuted and I have not done that to anyone this is, in my opinion, the most extreme form of domination and marginalization. This is something I hope to never do to anyone and hope that no one does it to me. I believe that it all comes down to everyone RESPECTING each other. We may be players willingly or unwillingly thrust into these situations but all interactions must boil down to RESPECT between humans.

KNOW THY SELF

“There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.” -Benjamin Franklin 

WHO AM I? To this day is still one of the hardest questions I have ever been asked. How do we truly define ourselves? Are we defined by the things we own, by the friends we make, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the places we go, the religion we have, our race, or by our culture? I thought long and hard about who I really am but then another question came into my mind, am I defined by who I think I am or am I defined by what others think I am? To answer this I began asking people what they thought of me both good and bad, I know that this may be unreliable or inaccurate especially from friends, but the best judgement comes from ones we love because usually they tell us the honest to goodness truth and some of it hurt a little while others felt good to hear. The run down is as follows all the good, the bad, and the ugly.

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” 

― Oscar Wilde

How people see me:

Positives:

Athlete, Funny, Friendly, Happy go lucky, Loyal (to a fault), Laid back, Curious, Generous, Outgoing, Confident, Independent, Determined, and Hardworking

Negatives:

Noisy, Too laid back, obnoxious, does not take school too seriously, stubborn, Over confident, does not listen to advice most of the time, not very focused (except sports), does not follow routines well, does what he wants when he wants, does not always follow what I say (My dad said this and he wasn’t too happy) and looks scary because he is so big.

Physical:

Fat, Big, Looks good when clean, (No idea what that means), Wears the same, stuff, does not really follow fashion, laid back outfits, hates formal wear, White, Asian, and scary looking.

After hearing and reading these descriptions I do agree with most if not all of them except the looks good when clean part I AM ALWAYS CLEAN and I ALWAYS LOOK GOOD (here is my confidence and over confidence in one line). Anyways, after I started reflecting on this I realized that what they saw was true and that was who I am for them, but that is not the whole of me that is the public or peoples perception of me. It may not matter whether I agree or disagree with they think or say because for them that is who I am, but that is not the whole me.

“You are who you are when nobody's watching.” 

― Stephen Fry

I believe what Mr. Stephen Fry said to be true, when we are alone all our masks and defences fall off, our insecurities peel off, our weaknesses are allowed to be acknowledged and what hurts us is given space to breathe. On the flipside what truly makes us happy is allowed to flourish without fear of judgement or ridicule.

“Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.” 

― Bernard M. Baruch

After all of this the question still remains who am I? There are thing about me that are given I am a son, a brother, I was born and baptized into the Roman Catholic Church, I am White and Asian and I am Male. Those are the things that were pre determined when I was born however; I came to realize that the rest of who I am is what I chose to be. I am a person who is built by the choices I made and the things that I have experienced. I am an Athlete, a champion to be exact I have won both in HS Basketball and In college Judo and BJJ, I am a student of Politics (though my parents wanted otherwise), I am a fan of anime and cartoons (DVD’s), I love playing video games, I am a fan of comics, I love reading books, I love my family, I am a LaSallian, I don’t watch cable TV, I am a movie fan, I love my girlfriend, I am a loyal friend, I am laid back sometimes even lazy about most things, I am super chill to the extent that annoys most people, and so many more. I am a hodge podge of traits I am a combination of a jock, geek, and couch potato who is just a big kid and wants to be happy and is contented with what I have. I am blessed for all that I have and I know it. People may like me, hate me, or not care and it does not bother me because Bernard M. Baruch said it best.

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” ― May Sarton