Login
Forgot Password?

OR

Login with Google Login with Twitter Login with Facebook
  • Join
  • Profiles
  • Groups
  • SuicideGirls
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Shop
Vital Stats

djpj69camaro

Member Since 2004

Followers 74 Following 164

  • Everything
  • Photos
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Groups
  • From Others

Monday Jul 25, 2005

Jul 25, 2005
0
  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
So I watched Griffith D W's "Birth of Nation." Don't ask me why. I guess it was more out of curiosity. I grew up in California so the South is very foreign to me. I guess I watched it with the perverse intention of trying to understand how the South "became a nation." Let me tell ya. I couldn't watch five minutes of it without fast forwarding. Not only was it a silent movie, but the blatant racism became apparent very early in the movie. There were allusions to the degradation of the white race by Negro blood and so forth. It was almost hilarious how dramatic they made it seem when the Black council made it legal for interracial marriage. Somewhere in the middle of the "blackfaces" and the befuddling justification for slavery, I stopped the movie. It puzzles me how America used to think this kind of movie was acceptable. I'm assuming that back then, Art (if you could call movies back then "Art") imitated Life. I doubt it highly that Life imitated Art. Anyway, I still wonder what if would be like being a Chinese person in the South during those times. Or would I ever be allowed to be in the South?

I'm only wondering these days, because living in Reno has made me acutely aware that I am one of the few Asian people living here right now. Actually, I am one of the few "colored" people living in Reno. It has been a completely different demographic in Reno than when I was in Chicago. In Chicago, most of my patients in the county hospital were African American. There are clear distinctions where Black people lived and where white people lived. And here in Reno, it's been all Caucasian American. Normally I'm so busy at work to realize the difference, but I was reminded of my foreign identity when I encountered a patient who asked, "Are you Vietnames, Japanese or Chinese?" I answered calmly, "Chinese." Then he proceeded to add, "You look like one of my buddies in Nam." I laughed one of those uncomfortable laughs, waiting for him to call me a Gouc or Nip or something derogatory. Then he said, "You know what they say, 'You guys all look alike.'" I was pissed. I retorted, "Is that what THEY say? Who are THEY?" I was thinking, "You mean YOU say that." He was silent and he hobbled back to his room. I made sure I wad loud enough to get my point across to whomever was standing around me. I was sick and tired of comments like that.

I get mixed up with my fellow resident on my team a lot. He's Vietnames and about my height. We don't look anything alike, but I get called his name and he get's called mine. He's got the thickest Vietnamese accent you can find, and I have none. Yet, I am always mixed up with him. I don't get it. It just shows me that people are not willing to know someone and learn their name and recognize their identity as an individual. When I meet someone, I remember their name forever. I associate something about them that distinguishes them from anyone else. I remember who a person is and not what the person looks like superficially. Why can't everyone do the same? Because people are lazy. People have lost the decency to know someone and recognize their Individuality. If we were all meant to blend in, we should cease to exist. There would be no need for many, because one person could represent us all. But we all have our individual qualities, desires, and ambitions. We have our own nuances, pet-peeves, and indiosyncracies. So why do we continue to lump people into groups or is it that we chose to categorize ourselves into groups?

Anyway, just a thought. I've learned how to be independent to the point when I find it hard to associate myself with any one group anymore. Identity is given to a person these days. It used to be that your earned your identity. You claimed it for yourself. But because identity is now defined by others, I have lost mine since I chose not to be defined. So complicated. The only way I think I can feel some sense of comfort is knowing that I have everything I need right now to make me happy. I have my family, a roof over my head, the beginning of a arduous career, my iPod with my music, and my neverending string of thoughts, senses, and emotions. That is all I need right now.

More Blogs

  • 11.23.10
    2

    Tuesday Nov 23, 2010

    I accidentally opened up a neighbor's water bill today. I was careles…
  • 11.17.10
    0

    Wednesday Nov 17, 2010

    My third day rolling at BJJ. I feel more comfortable grappling now. B…
  • 11.09.10
    2

    Tuesday Nov 09, 2010

    good to see Conan back on TV
  • 11.01.10
    1

    Monday Nov 01, 2010

    uh, where the hell are the good clubs in Monterey. This one is like a…
  • 10.18.10
    0

    Monday Oct 18, 2010

    I love eating lunch while watching The Wire. Good times. I wish the l…
  • 10.14.10
    1

    Thursday Oct 14, 2010

    Ugh. That turkey burger ain't right. Pepto-Bismol. Now.
  • 08.14.10
    0

    Saturday Aug 14, 2010

    So many decisions! Reno vs Monterey? where should I be next? St…
  • 06.06.10
    0

    Sunday Jun 06, 2010

    I'm troubled by how many people out there believe doctors are "all ab…
  • 05.23.10
    0

    Sunday May 23, 2010

    I need a distraction for the next 3-4 weeks. Awaiting news and it's d…
  • 05.11.10
    2

    Tuesday May 11, 2010

    Had one of those days that reminds you that Life isn't perfect. Could…

We at SuicideGirls have been celebrating alternative pin-up girls for:

23
years
10
months
1
day
  • 5,509,826 fans
  • 41,393 fans
  • 10,327,617 followers
  • 4,596 SuicideGirls
  • 1,119,978 followers
  • 14,934,393 photos
  • 321,315 followers
  • 61,427,284 comments
  • Join
  • Profiles
  • Groups
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Help
  • About
  • Press
  • LIVE

Legal/Tos | DMCA | Privacy Policy | 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement | Contact Us | Vendo Payment Support
©SuicideGirls 2001-2025

Press enter to search
Fast Hi-res

Click here to join & see it all...

Crop your photo