Our country today continues to be plagued by racism. For example, groups like Black Lives Matter speak out against the injustices they believe they've suffered. I have many opinions on that in itself, but I'd like to focus on the other minorities: the mixed kids. Now, I'm not just talking about half black, half white people. I'm also talking about people mixed with rarer combinations, like me. I'm half-Filipino, half-Irish. I like to refer to this as Filirish, or even Iripino, in humor. When both of my parents immigrated to follow the American Dream, I was born. There are many others like me who are a mixture of two or three random ethnicities, and, speaking for myself, I find the entire race thing ridiculous.
I was not raised seeing the color of people's skin, but rather, the content of their hearts. Being half white and half Asian, I received both ends of the jokes. I received both ends of the stereotypes. However, I never thought of the occasional teasing as racism. There was no hatred, no prejudice. Maybe this simply means I have a backbone, but maybe this also means that I don't see color and race from the same perspective.
I grew up in a home where we had lumpia for lunch followed by afternoon tea. I went to the Philipino parties and listened to the ladies gossip in Tagalog for hours. I went on family vacations to Ireland where I was surrounded by the culture. To the Philipinos, I'm also a white girl. This isn't too terribly rare, given many immigrants from the Phillippines marry/have children with white Americans. To the Irish, I'm also an Asian girl as well as an American. While this perspective has never affected the way they treat me, it slightly alters the way I view them. I'll never 100% look like or fit in with either side, and that's totally okay. I've learned to welcome my uniqueness in a world where society insists on categorization.
I'm not suggesting by any means that racism does not exist. I see it every day, especially on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It's not just the white population expressing this racism, either. It's those of all races spreading hate their prejudice with hateful words. While many races have histories of oppression and slavery, there must be a point where we back up and realize the time we live in now. While an individual might act with prejudice, society as a whole has become a very accepting place.
To put the ridiculousness of this tension into perspective, let's look closer. St. Patrick's Day is the one day of the year where "everyone is Irish", correct? People dye their hair carrot-orange, talk in accents, dress up like leprechauns, and drink "like the Irish do". What if we had a holiday every year where we painted our faces black and did stereotypical "black" things? It would be regarded as an absolute atrocity. So why is it any different because it's a different race? Why can't we celebrate people from around the world instead of taking offense at every little thing that is different from us? While I think St. Patrick's Day is fun-filled and celebratory, there is a clear double standard presented.
I'm extremely proud of my mix, but overall, I'm an American. That's the beautiful thing about the big melting pot of the US. We come from all of these places around the world to follow the American Dream, and we become Americans. While I cannot and will not speak for others, I openly embrace the melting pot we've created in America. We can spread kindness insead of prejudice, and we can encourage equality while still remaining unique.
