Well just now when i was walking back to the room from the library along the road - it was past midnight mind you - this guy in a white pickup suddenly pulled up beside me and loudly cursed "f*** you, n*****!". Then he immediately sped off and that was the end of it - never even got a real look at the guy.
Of course initially i was a little shocked - then i prayed a blessing upon him (seriously) and laughed to myself, wondering if a) it was so dark that the guy didn't manage to take a good look at me before choosing his cuss words, b) the second cuss word has a broader meaning than what i had always thought it meant, c) the North Carolina sun has burnt me so much that i appear dark enough to have other people perceive that i'm of some other ethnicity...
Ah but more seriously - i wasn't like offended or anything (especially since the words don't appear to apply to me) - but still this has been my first overt encounter of anything of this sort since i've arrived here - i've experienced it before, yes, but never (albeit misdirected) verbal abuse - something to ponder over i guess...
Earlier today i had my xiong gender welfare class - which btw i almost never open my mouth at, mainly because my thought processes are so delayed that whatever i want to say gets mentioned before i can say it. Amusingly enough, my prof, this nice German lady asked why i wasn't talking more, especially when (and you have no idea how happy i was when i heard this) my written work was well-written. Then she remarked something to the effect of "but i suppose zat it is more difficult for you because of ze language barrier ya?" (ok she didn't say ya - i just added it in because it's like ten percent of the German that i know...) I immediately responded that no, English is my first language - though now methinks that maybe i should just have kept my mouth shut in order to use that as an excuse to keep quiet...
Shall be booking my tickets to Chicago shortly =)
4 comments:
Somehow, I don't quite know whether to laugh at the moron's stupidity or go over and give the schmuck a black eye, though both are decidedly un-Christian reactions... haha... Sometimes Americans can be so dumb, and I have the right to criticize them since I am *ahem* American. My grouse is probably more with the unwarranted cursing. The racist element simply makes me want to smack that idiot hard. But well.
Oh, and good job on your reaction Matt. It's an inspiration.
haha thanks - you know i was just studying for one of my mid-terms tomorrow and i thought of you - cos i was reading Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution which basically states that all those born in the US are automatically citizens of the US...
Ah well, most of your fellow citizens (gosh that just sounds weird) are pretty decent folk so don't feel bad...
Hey Matt! Haven't dropped by in a while, and haven't emailed in a while either huh...Have been extremely lazy to because my net is so unstable. And it's just my room. My bro's comp works fine. Bleah. Anyway, it's nice to finally come check back on you again. And hmmm. The experience can be quite scary. I met with a flasher in Kingston once!!! Anw...YAY! You're going to Chicago? It's loooooovely!! :) :) Have fun, Matt!!! :D
language barrier. tell me about it. my way of reacting was to refuse to speak in the american slang.. though, i don't know if it was to my detriment.. hahha. oh wellz.
i must say, being in chinese-domintated singapore, to be subjected to racial prejudice, is a very humbling experience.. sometimes, we never know, here in singapore.
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