"you're so whitewashed"

Me clicking post knowing this blog's going to be controversial

When I was younger, I didn't even know what whitewashed meant. And now, I regard it with a kind of distasteful familiarity. 

"Ugh she's so whitewashed"

"Yea....but like she's a white Asian" 

I grew up hearing some version of this. Usually it wasn't me being labeled as this but instead, people around me, fellow classmates.  Now I know it just seems like silly gossip: the kind of mean-spiritedness you would expect from middle schoolers. But when you actually get down to it, what does this say about our culture and our definition of race?

The very idea of saying that someone is whitewashed is racist in itself. It implies that that person isn't living up to your idea of what that race should look or act like. Is this not the definition of racial stereotyping? It's detrimental to the minority community itself - enforcing the idea that we need to live up to a standard, that we need to be strive to be Asian enough. 

I remember feeling this as a kid, I was one of 3 Asian kids in my predominantly white private school. I was always the academic overachiever type but sometimes I felt like a walking stereotype - ya know, the Chinese kid who's supposed to be smart? I felt this pressure to simultaneously represent my culture (as if I was some type of Chinese ambassador) while also trying to fit in with the rest of the kids. But then when I finally moved to Troy, I felt like I wasn't Chinese enough! I mean, I couldn't even speak Chinese unlike all my other Chinese friends. I felt like an imposter in some sense. 

And it doesn't matter what race you are. I feel like all of us at some point have struggled with this idea of if we fit our culture. As if your race can be defined by one standard, as if it's truly that superficial. 

And Maus provides great commentary on this idea that race is superficial (wow smooth transition there Allison). The characters constantly wear masks and take them off, suggesting the idea that too often we categorize people by our general idea of what their race is rather than actually learning about them as an individual. Maus also speaks to the struggle of defining which racial or ethnic identity you belong to - one prisoner is both German and Jewish but can't wear both his masks at once, so he must decide which one to wear. 

But going back to my whole rant on whitewashing...

This "labeling" is so toxic for minority communities - instead of building each other up, we're tearing each other down while simultaneously encouraging the racial stereotypes that if anything, should bring us together. But it's not just minorities - this type of mentality is hurtful for all of us. It creates deep divisions in society - the type of division that just breeds more hate and resentment between racial groups. 

So instead of using whitewashed, let's just not even go there in the first place! Let's not try to classify people by stereotypical behaviors.  Not all of us can be civil rights activists or start woke revolutions, but if we all do this it can make a world of a difference. Changing the language around race is a just a small step toward making the world a more tolerant place.