Racism/Privacy/etc to non-Chinese/Asian looking people

[unixfudotnet]

I am an American and am from Irish/french decent.

Why is it that some people in Chinatowns still are not open to those that are not Chinese or appear Asian? I was told a story yesterday of someone getting kicked out of store because he was not Chinese looking and told him the herbs he was looking for were poison, when they actually were not. So, he sent a Chinese kid in to get the herbs he needed.

Why does this still exist? Maybe it is just something I am not getting, but I thought that we would have progressed as a society that this should not be going on. Have others had the same experiences in Chinatowns? Why are people like this? I mean if you leave your country, and come to America, yet deny access from people that are from America, that is a bit selfish, but it is your right to do so.

I suppose the whole thing of that if you are not Chinese or Asian then you are inferior in martial arts and eastern medicine just gets to me sometimes. We are all people, and it seems that one thing I have learned while doing martial arts and such, is that race, skin color, religion, etc do not matter and we all are working on the same goal and path.

It just frustrates me that there is still a closed door to non-Asian/Chinese people. Sure it has been pushed open and broken down into shreds in the last 60 or so years, just surprised is all. I am only 26, and surely ignorant of how so many things in the world work. A better understanding is all I am asking for.

Why?

[MasterKiller]

Might have something to do with a whole bunch of white people trying to take control of China about 90 years ago...

[David Jamieson]

Why is it that some people in Chinatowns still are not open to those that are not Chinese or appear Asian?

For the same reason there are non-asians who look down on asians and treat them poorly either verbally, physically or otherwise.

Racism, intolerance, hatred and refusal of acceptance is something every culture has yet to fully deal with.

Until then, buck up and go to another herbs store. Apparently someone don't like you at that one.

[lxtruong]

It's because we are better! j/k.

Well, I have the opposite problem. Some people assume that since I'm chinese, I should automagically be able to do lots of the wushu-style acrobatics, when I'm no more able to do a 540 anything into the splits than I am able to fly. However, I did get the "you're learning kung fu from a white man?" from my mom when I told her, so I guess it goes both ways.

Besides, if that storekeeper was stupid enough to turn away good business because of predjuice, then he deserves to not get his money and go out of business, I say. Stupidity should be rewarded appropiately.

[MasterKiller]

Originally posted by lxtruong
However, I did get the "you're learning kung fu from a white man?" from my mom when I told her, so I guess it goes both ways.

Kung Fu? I thought you were a Shaolin-Do student?

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

unixfudotnet,

Quite simply because some people have prejiduces and some people's prejidices are race related.

I don't know about the law of your land. In some countries, it is illigal to kick someone out of your school, store etc... on racial grounds.

[EarthDragon]

I lived in the heart of chinatown San Francisco. I used to go into the same chinese bakery every moring for pork bun and a hong kong tea.
I would get the funny looks, rude service and wispers. I was the only non- chinese person there,in the mornings, ever!
it was'nt until I went in with my shrfu that I got the respect and courtesy that I thought a daily customer deserved.
later my shrfu told me they thought it was strange that a caucasian would eat pork buns and tea instead of eggs and coffee. racial profiling indeed!

I wont even tell you about the time I went to a triad party with my chinese kung fu sister.

[Shaolinlueb]

i get it soemtimes, i jsut brush it off. i have seen my kung fu better then a lot of asian people. i went to nyc china town sunday and went to the herb store to buy it, the guy was very helpful. but its racism, it still exists from both sides. deal with it or try to change it by breaking it.

[SaMantis]

If you think about it, segregation & open racism have only "just ended" when you consider the decades -- centuries -- that such actions were sanctioned. And of course, less-than-subtle racism, assumption and outright ignorance, on all sides, still exists.

There are many people with still-open wounds out there. It's unfortunate that you ran into one of them. Maybe time will heal this person's hurt, anger and suspicion, maybe not. But I think it's good for you to vent here, rather than take it out on the shopkeeper.

[Icewater]

Why hate a group of people when there are so many reasons to hate people individually. Unless of course they are dirty liberals.

[GLW]

While there IS racism involved on both sides....it does get a bit different when you are talking about an herb shop.

Knowing a couple of people in that business, they are a bit worried about the Anglo clients because:

Some come in with self-medication ideas. They have no background in herbology but have a list of things they want. Sometimes that list, when combined, can be a not too good thing

AND...

Anglos tend to be lawsuit happy in their eyes. They are truly afraid of filling an herbal prescription in good faith and then later having the customer sue them.

Of course, there is still the old "You are not Chinese..." thing there as well.

[lkfmdc]

In NYC, everyone knows about Chan Tai-San's "talking monkies" but around the country I still have fun from time to time

The first time I went to San Francisco (years ago) I walked in to eat and ordered in Cantonese.... the guy blinked about 25 times, so I figured "heck, maybe he speaks Mandarin".... I orded in Mandarin.... still blinking at me he walks away from me.... so I get a little pizzed... follow him to the door to the kitchen... he starts screaming "come out here, come out here" and out comes the whole kitchen staff

"can you do that again" he asks me.....

Steve Ventura and I are at a dim sum place, a dad turns to his kid and says "look at the funny foreigners eating dim sum"

Steve turns to me, and LOUDLY says in Cantonese "where are the funny foreigners eating dim sum?"

The Chinese guy shrinks to tiny person size like a bad cartoon

Chinese DO assume we are all illiterate idiots, why I can't tell you. The number of times I've told someone "look, dont' be an idiot, we both know what is going on here" is legendary

[neit]

maybe they fear whitey will do the same to their medicine as some caucasians have done to asian martial arts. we don't exactly have a good track record.

how old was this person? if i was that shopkeeper i'd be kinda scared to sell herbs to some kid without knowing if he knew what he should do with them. if it was obviously a student with sifu's shopping list i bet it may have been different.

[neit]

lkfmdc - an alternate response to dim sum dad would be "yah look at all these foreigners, unlike you and me who were born here"

[SPJ]

Here is a couple of tips to make things friendlier.

Wear clothes with Chinese characters on.

Speak a few Chinese.

Mandarin.

Ni Hao. (Good day)

Xie Xie (Shie Shie). (thank you).

Ching Wen (may I ask).

Do Sao Chien (how much it cost).

Cantonese.

Zo Sen. (Good morning)

Men Gai. (Thank you).

Gei Do Ching (how much it cost).

Zai Ging. (Goodbye).

When I first came to the states, all I can say is thank you and excuse me.

People think I am an American Indian, Japanese, Korean or Vietnamese. Huh Huh I am a Chinese from Taiwan. Oh Thailand. You are Thai. No. Taiwan. Oh Thailand.

Where is Taiwan or Thailand?

Huh-- Never mind. I am cherokee, Navajo or Chaiyenne. Never mind.