If you are Chinese American, living in New York City will seem like living in the Twilight Zone. It's funny how some people in this city have gone backwards.
Just today, I'm walking and at an intersection about to cross the street. It's a crosswalk for pedestrians and there's a stop sign for cars. I see a car coming I see that he's not going to stop. So I stop abruptly to let him go. (I don't want to be killed maintaining my right-of-way.) The funny thing is that the driver running the stop sign looks at me and shakes his finger as if I am doing something wrong.
You must be wondering why this guy is thinking he's in the right. Well, this is not the first time this happened to me and I am not the only Asian who experiences these ridiculous incidences.
A bad driver and preconceived racist notions is a bad mix. I've had several encounters already, including one where the driver runs a red light.
If you're Asian, some people assumes that you're from abroad, like you're FOB (fresh off the boat) or something. Also, if something happens, you are immediately presumed to be wrong. Remember those racist T-shirts by Abercrombie and Fitch? "Wong is always wrong." "Two Wongs don't make a White."
The sad thing is this. If I am killed by one of these bad drivers. It won't be my word against theirs, because I'll be dead. It would just be their word. Since the preconceived notion is that the Chinese guy is always wrong, they would probably get away Scott free.
It's still very strange to me. Growing up in New York, most of the Asian people I know are Asian American. Most of them are born in the U.S. Now, I'm 36 years old. I don't get how, in the year 2011, the racist preconceived notions can still exist in this ethnically diverse city. I was not expecting this when I returned to New York back in 2005. Frankly, I am not sure if I want to stay in this city.
A lot of my Asian American friends when I was growing up have left the city.
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