It started off with me receiving an e-mail from my boss asking me if I'd be interested in attending a particular event as a representative of my company. It is a recruitment event taking place at my alma mater (and incidentally - it's where I am currently going to grad school… does that make it not my alma mater anymore?). He started off the e-mail saying that he knew I was a past student of that University so thought perhaps I'd be interested in talking to some students about my experience at my current place of employment.
Okay, no big deal. It makes sense - I went there and I can still connect with today's youth. I'm hip.
As I scrolled through the e-mail, I saw this:
Hhhmm… I hate to be the girl who cried, "Wolf!" or in my case, "Asian Girl!" but COME ON! A diversity event? An Asian woman holding a globe? There are 2 other individuals in my group that I'm thinking were not presented with this offer. Regardless, I wasn't offended. I found it to be hilarious and I actually accepted the offer. I'm happy to reach out to my people and let them know, that even though we're minorities, white people will always feel like they have to hire us… you know, so they look "diverse".
As I was coming down from my laughter of that incident, I had another one yesterday. Another manager (okay, more like supervisor) and I were chatting about cooking. This person is taking an interesting cooking course that I'd like to sign up for whenever I get the opportunity.
This person is now learning to make sushi. Vegetarian Sushi. Very cool. I mentioned that I really wanted to take the class in the summer and this person actually said, "Oh - well maybe you'll have a better time understanding the teacher than I do."
Hmm… okay.
"She's Japanese. The accents are like Korean ones, right? She just speaks so fast."
I'm not sure what expression I was making. I was in shock. Really? Didn't you take a DIVERSITY TRAINING CLASS? This is the same person that reprimanded me for accusing a co-worker of being a homophobe. Yes yes… it was a bad move on my part to say it. I know that now! But you'd think that the person who's very PC wouldn't say things like "Koreans and Japanese are the same, aren't they?" to me.
Oy. Next thing you know, one of my ex's fathers will pop up out of the blue and tell me I look like Ann Curry again.
3 comments:
Haha, I get picked at work as the token hispanic. They put me in such committees as Cultural Proficiency and the Culture Fair Preparation. People also assume I can make a mean cup of coffee and rice and beans. They'll be sadly disappointed.
Wow. How do you even respond to something like that?
Oh sheesh. I don't know how I'd respond to that... Actually, maybe I do. I get picked on a lot by my boss for being the only American in the lab ... I usually respond by giving him a look that tells him I think he's a total idiot. Or just telling him that to his face. Ah yes, work. Such a *lovely* place...
Post a Comment