I have gotten into a weird argument last month with another intern in UAE. I guess we somehow got into both of our nerves. The result, he started insulting me on how white-washed I am and how I shouldn't call myself an Asian. And 2 months ago, I went to this Taiwanese gather up party with my Taiwanese friend (I'm from the mainland China), and some people didn't really like my heritage.
These events made me realize that some things about my past, or anyone's past should be hidden sometimes. Not all the people in the world can be open to some of things in your past. Foe example, I'm born in China, but I have spent 11 years of my childhood in Japan, thus I more native to Japan than I am native to China. In addition, I also do not speak Mandarin, I can only understand 60% to 70% of what people say in Mandarin. Whenever someone asks me where I'm from, I don't hesitate and just say I was born in China, raised in Japan. However, this information can actually disturb people from China and Japan equally. Since China and Japan never really had a nice relationship with each other, sometimes I'm torn between the 2 heritages that I represent. When I'm talking with some Chinese or Korean people, sometimes I have to hide the Japan part of my heritage. And when I talking to Japanese people, I have to hide the Chinese part of my heritage. It kind of sucks, but the world hasn't really healed from the wars that happened over the centuries.
Overall, I really learned that I can offend a person so much just by telling where I grew up. It totally sucks to keep a secret or make lies to certain people.
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I don't know - you humans all look and act the same to me.
I personally don't give a flying cuckoo where you have been - who are you now at this moment? Who do you strive to be? You are what a Canadian *whale oil beef hooked*
Black, white, yellow, red, brown - what are humans when you slice them open? They are books of blood - for they are red....
Secrets make us sick(er) and secrets keep us sick. Be that which you are - a human being like the 7.3 billion or so other human beings on this god forsaken planet.
No the world hasn't healed over its past mistakes, because the world refuses to forget. And it is individuals who, like you refuse to let it go.
Waylon - who ever, and what ever you are - healing doesn't begin until individuals decide to stop wearing the uniforms of conformity and start wearing what they feel most comfortable in. Blacks didn't win the rights they had by wearing white make-up. Gays didn't win their rights by conforming to straight standards. The colonies didn't break free from imperial rule by being imperialists.
Each and every one broke free by being who they are and being proud enough to be that which they are - not that that society/majority wishes them to be.
Break these chains - be yourself.
Fuck the rest of them if they can't accept you for you. That is their problem. It is not your problem unless you choose it to be your problem.
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Thanks Bowyn. I'm really proud to be who I am. It wouldn't matter to if you are an orc or and elf. But it does suck to be insulted because of where you grew up from. Words are words, but the intention is not something that's nice to feel. I stand up for who or whatever I am, and it's nice to be with people that accept you as who you are. Moving from a place where you have friends that accept you to another country with strangers made realize how lucky I am that I have my friends and how alone I am once I'm away from them. It's really a nice experience though, to learn to just talk to people and to learn different cultures.  Thanks for the reply!
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Waylon777 Wrote:Overall, I really learned that I can offend a person so much just by telling where I grew up. Nope, nope, nope.
You don't have any responsibility for the stupidity of other people. Believe in this.
You must continue to tell the truth, I really feel silly having to say this thing. You're proud and this is so good.
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Speaking as a southerner, when we are asked "where are we from", we usually respond more generically to the state we are from.
Where are you from?
"Well, Im from Texas"!
If they want to know more, then they can ask. Telling someone what state you are from usually makes them happy and they go on to some other question.
In your case, while living in Canada, I would say something like "My home is in Canada right now".
If they want something more specific, then they can ask. If not, then they just go on to something else.
I can understand the mentality behind the region difference. It is that way for some true southerners. They still dont like "Yankees". And that stems from the Civil War here in the states.
Humans LOVE to feel sorry for themselves and make others feel sorry for themselves, as well as have reasons to blame others for their misfortunes. Wars are the perfect reasoning for these people.
You had no control over where you were born, much less where your parents took you.
If these people dont have enough intelligence to realize something as basic as that, then they arent worth even talking too. They have dug their educational hole in the ground, crawled in, and covered themselves with self pity and arrogance. No need to waste any time on them.
But if you are looking for a vague/basic answer to people asking you where you are from, then just answer with a generic answer. "My home is in Canada right now". If they want to ask you more personal questions, then they will. And if they get pissed because they dont like your answers, then thats on THEM....they wanted to know.
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Waylon, regardless of what heritage you have, other's will be upset with at least one aspect. But my question to you is, why do you care what they think? With being gay, a lot of people hate it and the people who are gay, bi, trans, or lesbian. I am unashamed of my orientation, and if they don't like it, they'll miss out on who I really am. Heritage, or orientation, is only a small part of the bigger picture that makes up you.
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I can see were it comes from, with Japan Imperialistic aggressiveness in the early XX century, Korea annexed, China invaded...ugh....not much love going with those 3.
but Japan is hardly that kind of country anymore, China is different now...but I guess people don't know how to let go..
which is sad, cause both Japan and China have uber economies and would do well increasing cooperation..:frown:
I don't understand this whole white-washed thing...sounds to me like they want you to be some kind of stereotype of Asian that they have in their heads...
nonsense...
I for one, find your heritage fantastic, and your interculturalism something to be admired...  mile:
don't let people like this get you down...they're not worth it..
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Waylon, you should try my life! LOL
I was born in Liverpool and have lived about 12 miles away in a town called St Helens all of my life.
Liverpool and St Helens have quite different cultures despite only being 12 miles or so apart. I don't have a trendy working-class accent or a regional accent of either Liverpool or St Helens. The St Helens accent is very Lancaster (Think the Granada/ITV1 Soap Drama "Coronation Street").
Neither St Helens or Liverpool people will fully accept me as one of their own. To St Helens people I am a Scouser to Liverpool people I am a "Wooly Back" (A reference to the mainly agricultural industries in and around St Helens).
People who live only about 5 miles either side of both places are referred to as "Plastic Scousers"
And all for a difference of 12 miles or so.
I've always said that if intelligent life exists elsewhere in the Universe than Earth, they would be screwed from the start if they visited and tried to live amongst humans. Humans can't even get along with someone from a few miles away, Europeans enslaved people from Africa, we suffer from misogyny, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, homophobia and the rest of the people-based phobias and issm's...
What chance to extra-terrestrials have!
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Waylon, you come across as a very inoffensive person so if anyone has offended by you then my guess it's them that has the problem not you.
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When I lived in Japan I learned of the 'hatred' between the Koreans, Japanese and Chinese but I could never understand it.
Having said that, change begins with 1 person and there is no reason why you should not be proud of your birth nation and your adopted nation because you are part of both.
What people thing of your heritage does not reflect on the person who you are, it reflects on the person THEY are.
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