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impressionism
What you see is the surface.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” - Audre Lorde 1
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You and your sister went to the grocery store on a Friday night during Thanksgiving to buy more food for the next feel week that you are staying. You were in the mood because you are happy that your school officially went on break so there was no homework assigned, which means you get to spend the entire break at your sister's apartment without constantly being anxious when an assignment is due. You began filling up the entire grocery bag with sushi, kimchi, some snacks of your favorite and proceeded to the cashier. While you were waiting, a man suddenly cuts you in line that left you in confusion. You looked up and saw a tall, broad, blonde man in front of you. You wanted to ask him why but your sister's hand kept you back. “Endured it", she whispered. You let it slide. You were in a good mood anyway. The morning after that, your sister asked if you wanted to stay with her at the library because she had to study for an upcoming exam. Although you hate waking up early in the morning, she promised that to treat you hotpot for lunch, therefore you got up quickly and get ready. Who doesn't love a good hotpot right? You sat there waiting while your sister focused on her thick Pharmaceutical Analysis: A Textbook for Pharmacy Students and Pharmaceutical Chemists t extbook. After a while, you lied on the table, covering up your face to block any ray of sunshine from entering your sweet dream and fell asleep. You suddenly felt something cold on your back, your arms and your hair felt wet. You thought you were probably sweating in your sleep since the library’s heat was overbearing. You thought you were right. You weren’t. You sat up to see what was actually happening - what you saw imprinted in your mind until this day. A group of white boys, about your sister’s age, sitting at a table across from yours, throwing ice cubes towards your direction. So that was what you were feeling the whole time, it was not melting ice-cream or sweat, it was frozen-cold ice cubes. You asked your sister what was going on, “Are they joking? They are your friends right, sis?”, but your sister didn’t respond. She sat there, just staring in blank space as if she was waiting for someone else to find her a suitable answer to give you. “Endured it”, she said once again. You didn’t let it slide though, you asked why. “Please, for me, endured it”, you saw her eyes glistening with tears so you sat down and stayed quiet. You hoped that they would stop but seems like God was punishing you, they continued. Your sister quickly packed her book, held your hand until you both got outside on to the blustery street of Boston. She took you to your favorite hotpot place in China Town, both of you ate in silence. The hotpot tasted weird today. It’s salty. 3
In the crowded restaurant, the waiter carefully placed the hot pot into your seating booth. As you look at the boiling broth, you don’t know whether your eyes wearing tearing up from the joy of getting your favorite food, or from the fact that you for the first time experienced what was referred to as “racism”. The waiter came again, bringing your Diet Coke i n a glass full of ice. You refused to drink it. Today, you prefer drinking water without ice. Today, you feel uncomfortable working in a library. 4
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At the end of a brief phone conversation, you tell the manager you are speaking to on the phone that you will come by his office to sign the form. When you arrive and announce yourself, he blurts out, I didn’t know you were black! I didn’t mean to say that, he then says. Aloud, you say. What? he asks. You didn’t mean to say that aloud. Your transaction goes swiftly after that.
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You are walking to the manager’s office who you were on the phone with a while ago, who you informed that you will come by and talk to them about signing an important document. They sounded so friendly and welcoming on the phone that you didn’t expect otherwise when you walked into their office. You knocked on the door, come in they say, so you did. From the chair, they frowned, eyes on you every step until you settled in your seat like they were trying to search for the tiniest flaw you make to kick you outside of the room. Somehow, you understand that it is expected of your race that you do everything perfectly. Oh, didn’t you come in this morning, they asked. Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that but you all look so similar. You all are the same, you say. Pardon? They ask. The worker at the coffee shop said the same thing too. You signed the paper and exit the room after that.
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III.
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A similar cultural insensitivity occurred at Miss Universe pageant in late 2018 where Miss USA, Sarah Rose Summers and her fellow friend during the competition, Miss Australia and Miss Columbia was accused of being ignorant and racist. Summers, 24, appeared on an Instagram live stream, one of her viewers asked: “How is Miss Vietnam?”, and her answer shocked the whole internet. “[Miss Vietnam] is so cute and she pretends to know so much English”, Summers said while imitating H’Hen Nie’s nodding impression “after having a whole conversation with her”. While she expressed her sympathy towards Miss Cambodia for not accompanied by someone who speaks the same language as her, her comments during the live chat juxtaposed what she said earlier about Miss Cambodia. Cambodians called her out for criticizing Miss Cambodia, who was not able to communicate with anyone during the competition because “not a single person here speaks her language”, and “she doesn’t speak any English”, Summers said to a cameraman during one point of the competition.
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One day after her comments faced outraged, she issued an apology via Instagram by saying she was only “intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters”, that she “never intend to hurt anyone”. Instagram user diet_prad once again commented,
In Miss Universe 2018, Ms. Vietnam H’Hen Nie made it to the top 5 overall. She became the first pageant to ever went that far into the competition and was acclaimed for her kindness and courage to battle against all controversy. Vietnamese from all over the world cheered her on for her journey and her fans were out waiting for her arrival when the competition ended. 14
In Miss Universe 2018, Miss USA Sarah Summers made top.. 15
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No use to say Wendy Chen that I was born here in a small red house on the Connecticut River. In the winter, we’d walk by its strip of Listerine blue ice, knowing spring would turn our prints to water, and water to New England clay. No. I am not American. For you, I am from no country but the East, my body fragrant as star anise.
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Where do you come from?!” a little girl confusedly asked me one day in the middle of class. “I come from Virginia, just like you.” “But why do you look like you come from China?” “My parents grew up in Asia, but I was born here in America. People like that are called Asian Americans.” “That’s weird!” -
Sherina Ong
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Interrogation of the Hanged Man Monica Youn What is your face?
A house, of sorts.
What is your foot?
A chipped stone blade.
What did you dream?
A rain-washed road.
What did it mean?
It meant nothing.
What have you learned?
The sky forgives.
What does it forgive?
Each jet its wake.
What do you want?
A smile, of sorts.
No, what do you want?
I want nothing.
What’s in your hand?
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A leafless twig.
No. Show me. What’s that in your hand?
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The Asian Song uh Herro? I selling shwimp fwied why… Five dollar. Egg Roll? Five dollar. Oh you want more shwimp? Five dollar, Haha! My name is Dr. Chopstick Ying Kung Pow, and I like to eat puppies, (do do doo, doo, dooooo!) My mom and dad will karate chop me in the penis, if I don’t bring home all A’s (do do doo, doo, dooooo!) We’re all Chinese, we’re all half blind, that’s why none of us can’t drive, keep crashing on the highway (do do doo, doo, dooooo!) So if you see me on the side changing my tires, don’t be surprised, at least I made it out of the drivewayyy (do do doo, doo, dooooo!) Hey, how much is gonna be for two pieces of chicken. “Two piece chicken? Five dollar.” Oh okay… “One piece chicken, five dollar.” Wait, what? “Fork?? Five dollar.” Hold on now…. "Everything five dollar.” You’re doing too much now... Um…. Chinese food always have me like, “I want mo',” Cuz Asians practice Tae Kwon Do on cats, yep, we be karate chopping kittens, And then we take ‘em to the kitchen to make Kung Pow Chicken, And mittens, Ching chong, ching, My penis is the size of a pinto bean, They call me Spongebob, and I don’t know why, Probably cause we’re both yellow and we can’t drive “I wanna stab you with a chopstick right now!” “I’m gonna roundhouse kick you back to Tokyo!"
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Cover Page. Maketh The Man Title: many hats do maketh the Vietnamese Man
Page 5. Hebert Lawrence Block
Title: G o back! Wrong Boat! graphite and brush and black ink, heightened with white Collection: Rosenwald 19 x 14 ⅜ in. Page 10. Moriz Jung Title: A Small Incident color lithograph on card stock 5 ½ x 3 ½ in. Page14.
Screen grab from Miss USA Instagram live stream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsbuer5Z3ik Page 17 14th Amendment Page 20 Dorothy Simpson Krause Title: V ietnam Journal : Burdens of Body and Soul digital inkjet print in color on heavy white wove Arches paper; plate six from a set of thirteen, in paper portfolio; hand-applied color exists in the set of thirteen Collection: Americas, C ontemporary Art, P rints and Drawings 22 x 30 in. Page 22. Screen grab from The Asian Song Courtesy of Z-Flo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpNkfaMCFqE 23
Referenced: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/14/us/nyc-subway-tirade-arrest/index.html https://qz.com/quartzy/1494674/miss-usa-is-shocked-miss-vietnam-and-cambodia-dont-speak-fluent-engli sh/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/12/13/miss-usa-accused-mocking-others-not-speakingenglish/2300626002/
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