... when the Iranian hostage crisis started, years ago. And in my own case, I have to admit that there have been times when people have asked me what country I'm from (my parents and I were born in North America) and I've been tempted to say I'm Inuit or even Portugese, rather than Japanese, after having been teased in school so much about kamikaze pilots! I had a roommate too, whose parents were German refugees, and people would throw garbage at her house and chase her down the street calling her a "dirty Kraut". (I was lucky that the bullies were scared that I might know martial arts, and didn't hurt me as much.) Even in Canada -- I am tremendously flattered that you would choose our country as one to identify with -- we have these problems. A lot of people don't think that "bad" history should be studied in school, and act like learning about the internment of innocent citizens during the war somehow detracts from the bravery of the Canadian troops, or something. They just don't get it.
Kids can be particularly cruel. I don't know what's worse, having to listen to ethnic slurs from those too young to be polite, or being among grownups who are thinking those things even if they don't say them out loud. And after all, the children don't just make up such hurtful things -- they learn from their elders.
At times I have to take out this quote from the woman who's Canada's acting head of state now, Adrienne Clarkson -- just so I don't feel like giving up.
"There seem to be two kinds of societies in the world today. Perhaps there have always been only two kinds – punishing societies and forgiving societies.... We try – we must try – to forgive what is past. The punishing society never forgets the wrongs of the past. The forgiving society works towards the actions of the future. The forgiving society enables people to behave well toward one another, to begin again, to build a society in hope and with love."
http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=1379Please tell your roommate that I am thinking about him, and wish him well. One of the people active in the peace movement in my city had a terrible time during the invasion last spring, because his daughter was still in Baghdad and was supposed to give birth around that time. The family had no communication for months. Luckily she and the baby were okay. I hope that his family will get through this too.
I would like to believe that being American is much deeper than just living in a particular location or obeying what the government of the time wants you to think. I think that you and others who are worried about what's happening right now and want to follow your ideals are more truly patriotic than those who are spouting about "supporting the President". Certainly you're the ones I admire the most, and it would be really sad if your part of America is silenced by the bigots.