Quoted: Bao Phi on Grappling with Race
One of the insidious benefits of being a person of color raised in Minnesota is to be acutely aware of how race impacts you on several different levels. The fact that I have to explain much of my story before people can even accept that I have the right to call myself a Minnesotan is telling in and of itself. I can’t tell you the number of times that artists who have moved here from other cities have been considered Minnesotan or honored with trailblazer status before me, even if I’ve spent all but about 6 months of my life being raised in Phillips, and even if I’ve been a performer right here in Minneapolis since 1991. Because I’m seen as Asian, not American, I can excel at things but I can never be considered a creator. And then I’m told by people of all races that Asian Americans are the most privileged of all minorities and in fact most people don’t even consider us people of color, and in order to be down, we have to show solidarity with other communities (who are never pressured to show solidarity to Asians). Even if we have proof that overwhelmingly shows that these are false assumptions, they are still believed to be the truth even amongst those who would pride themselves on being leftists and community organizers.
Throughout my development, I have felt that pressure, to conform or assimilate to a population more visible, more respected, more feared and envied than mine. And in the past, I have. I dissed my own communities for my own gain, and dealt with the immense wells of self-loathing I harbored for myself and my people. And that temptation, to submit, still exists in me, because really, who wants to be hated for bringing up that loathsome specter called race? Especially for a group of people who are continually told that we have no right to complain, that we should be thankful for what we have?
A friend of mine just emailed me about this strange phenomenon we face, that we are intensely scrutinized while remaining completely invisible. People talk about us, hate us, and we aren’t expected to ever talk back, fight back. We belong nowhere. We have no rights to anything. Our bodies are not ours, and we have no voices.
— Bao Phi, the Blaog at StarTribune.com
(Thanks to Leah for the tip!)
(Image Credit: Hyphen Magazine)
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
nathan wrote:
This is painful to read, even though I have heard others in Minnesota speak of similar experiences. Although the Twin Cities – where both I and Bao Phi live, have become much more racially diverse in the past twenty or thirty years, overall the state is still living out it’s old Norwegian, Swedish, German, Irish identity. Whiteness is everywhere, and is difficult to break through. People like Garrison Keillor and Robert Bly stand at the pinnacle of the writing community. Visual artists of color have it a little better because of places like the Walker Art Center, but just barely. And even though African-American artists like Prince and the dramatist August Wilson have enjoyed a level of popularity and support, a lot of it comes from outside of our state.
It should be noted that Bao Phi has won the Minnesota Grand Poetry Slam twice and currently is a program director at The Loft, which is well known in Minnesota as the major writing outside of academia. So, he’s actually done better than many others who toil away in obscurity here.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 9:32 am ¶
miss a. wrote:
He’s written the very words I’ve felt for so long but never had the articulation to convey. Thank you to Bao Phi. I now know how to respond to people when they say that I’m a privileged minority but have no idea the impact of their words on my racial psyche.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 9:38 am ¶
Matt wrote:
So many Leftists, even among the anti-racist Left, are so sold on a heirarchy of oppressions, they don’t even see a lot of oppression. Which, of course, means victims of that oppression have no right to complain of oppression. In this case — certainly Korean- and Japanese- Americans have every right to complain about discrimination and racism, despite how our class-based immigration laws have kept out poorer immigrants from Korea and Japan, because not all oppression works the same — but Vietnamese-Americans are not Korean or Japanese!! Most Vietnamese immigrants were refugees from the war, who came without these same class-based privileges. Asian-Americans might generally be economically successful, but Vietnamese-Americans are generally not. In fact, among the least successful immigrant groups. But just try telling those “Leftists” that not all Asians are the same.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 9:50 am ¶
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist wrote:
It’s like that here in St. Louis (or as I call it, SHIT Louis), too. White and even black folks, refuse to believe that I’m from St. Louis like them.
yes, I’m an immigrant with parents from India, but I went to a Deaf school and then I graduated from high school in St. Louis. I spent a large chunk of my childhood here, but some people don’t want to accept that.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 10:27 am ¶
OOM wrote:
Asian American may struggle in purgatory, but they still have very positive steretypes overall and thus may only struggle with inidvidualizing themselves amongst Whites and other people of color. They are not seen as Low IQ wastrels and they are not seen as welfare queens and a drain on humanity. They don’t have to worry about people seeing them as the lowest form of of sub-human in America.
So I’ll take being perceived as an overacheiver “china doll” or geek Math genius any dayof the week.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 10:34 am ¶
Lola wrote:
It is not OK to minimize or dismiss someone’s pain, just because it is not your pain does not make it any less valid.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 11:09 am ¶
Eric wrote:
I had the pleasure of seeing Bao speak at the AWP Conference in Chicago this last year, where he spoke on a lot of the same issues in this article. Back then, his words really opened my eyes to my own personal situation, and really gave concrete substance to what had always been lurking in the back of my mind for years. Great stuff.
Re: OOM
It may be a fair argument to say that other ethnic groups suffer from more negative stereotypes than Asians, but is it really productive to start an “oppression olympics” argument about which group has it worse than which group? It’s bad enough that minorities have to fight the majority for their piece of the cultural pie, but when they feel they must attack each other for a larger part of that pie within an already hideously small slice is just annoying. Any race issue is an issue for any minority. I get just as upset when I read about the Jena Six as I do when I read about the desexualization of Asian males in America. As I do when prop 8 gets passed in California. It’s all the same — dominant white culture marginalizing minority voices. Breaking down everyone’s respective oppression status into hierarchies is self-defeating and misdirected.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 11:13 am ¶
Elton wrote:
see
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 11:20 am ¶
atlasien wrote:
@OOM: Where in his piece does Bao Phi say that black people have it easy? He doesn’t. But the mere fact of him complaining about his OWN life and his OWN experiences obviously strikes you as somehow not legitimate.
Asians Vs. Blacks 101: model minority versus scapegoat minority. Guess who wins? White supremacy.
Asians and black people have some things in common, some things separate (the same goes for different groups within Asian-Americans). Asian-Americans usually do not face the same amount of racism from the criminal justice system, and also suffer less from institutionalized economic racism. You can measure some of these things objectively and talk about them neutrally without resorting to “the mere articulation of your complaint takes attention away from my complaint”.
Racialicious is kind of a haven where people have moved past Asians vs. Blacks 101. Comments like OOM’s show what it’s like outside that haven though. And the reverse of your comment is equally irritating… when some Asian-Americans say “black people have it so good in the media, white people are intimidated by them, I’d trade places to get that power any day of the week…”
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 11:32 am ¶
Kandeezie wrote:
We need to *hear* more and *listen* more. It felt so good to read that kind of authentic reflection on identity from such a honest place. It’s so easy to forget how big the blanket of oppression is when you’re focused on your own identity and your own community.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 12:27 pm ¶
Aris wrote:
I’m black and unfortunately I used to believe that Asians had it easy, too, but Racialicious has taught me a lot about their struggles. That’s why I love this site, it’s really informative and helps you grow into a more enlightened person.
I really enjoyed reading this.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 12:42 pm ¶
Bao wrote:
Thanks everyone, for reading and commenting.
Thanks to Racialicious for posting.
A thought: stereotypes are not true. Therefore, ‘positive stereotypes’ should not be seen as an advantage, because they are by definition false beliefs reinforced by the status quo.
Asian Americans don’t have it better, period. Anyone who has done any significant community work or research in Asian American community knows that the numbers game is skewed, that Asian Americans face racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia. These are manifested differently, yes, but makes them no less intense for those of us who live in its reality.
And how ridiculous it is, to put us into a position where we have to wave our arms and shout, “hey, we’re oppressed, too!”
True coalition across communities requires respect, and has to go beyond inclusion: i’d argue that it works not when we argue that we are exactly the same, but when we learn enough about one another’s struggles to understand where we can best connect and build.
In any case, thanks for the dialogue.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 7:21 pm ¶
Joy wrote:
Quote from article:
“Because I’m seen as Asian, not American”
YES!! Dang it, I’m just an American! Soooo tired of sticking something in front of my national status (Born and raised! Parents’ parents’ parents’ born and raised here too, though of course that’s not required to be American. I’m just saying . . . )
@Eric – In my opinion I do not believe opposition to proposition 8 equates with racism or racial discrimination. At least not for the purposes of your argument.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 7:51 pm ¶
jmn wrote:
I heart Bao Phi. He puts solidly into words the thoughts and dreams that flow through my mind.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 10:52 pm ¶
ashlynn wrote:
You know, I used to be one of those people who would nitpick at how one minority has it worse than the other. But you begin to realize- especially once you become exposed to a continuous flurry of creative, intelligent dialogue like you do on here- it’s that very bickering that keeps a lot of racism
alive. Claiming that one has it better than the other does not create the alliances with each other that PoC need. There are some who experience a more overt racism, that often gets gruesomely played out in the media. But there are others who feel the sting subtly, who, because much of their torment is behind the scenes, are told that they are lucky and should be quiet, in fact, they don’t even belong! Granted, though most would probably take the subtle digs rather than the digs of police batons, the pain is still pain, we ALL feel it, and we ALL need to work together to heal it.
Sidebar: @DIMA You know, I never really equated your name with you actually being deaf(Captain Obvious reporting, over and out).
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 10:55 pm ¶
urbia wrote:
Your writing is beautiful, Bao Phi.
Thanks for coming here to talk with us.
Posted 02 Sep 2009 at 11:34 pm ¶
curlyscales wrote:
Bao Phi,
I do love your piece and I will be sharing it.
Posted 03 Sep 2009 at 9:48 am ¶
Restructure! wrote:
Thank you for this.
Posted 03 Sep 2009 at 12:05 pm ¶
Bao wrote:
Thanks y’all, for reading, posting, and the discussion. I’m glad I’m out here in the weird world of blogs with you. Peace.
Posted 03 Sep 2009 at 1:34 pm ¶
CVT wrote:
OOM (and others) -
The “Oppression Olympics” mentality is actually a colonial construct – you realize that, right? That white imperialists did all they could to set up people of color against each other (that’s why Asian-Indians are the “merchant class” all over East Africa, for instance) to keep them from uniting to fight back the REAL oppression.
The stereotypical “Asian shopkeeper” in America? Just somebody else to put the blame on for the urban poor, so the real problem is ignored.
This ridiculous contest is EXACTLY WHY things are so f-ed up here. Because the oppressors are so good at distracting us from the real goal: equality. So, instead, we focus on fighting over scraps and call it progress . . . Please.
I’ve got so much more to say on this, so for some “Asian-Oppression History” and connecting the dots, check this out:
http://choptensils.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/mexicans-are-the-new-chinese/
Posted 04 Sep 2009 at 1:30 pm ¶