Two close friends of mine are individuals of different
ethnicities. One being Japanese American and the other is Latino. Growing up in
southern California and going to public school I was very aware of being
Caucasian. I find my self in situations where forms of micro aggression are occurring
through sarcasm and comedic intentions when my friends are making jokes about
their own ethnicity and race. One friend makes jokes of being Mexican and the
other makes jokes of being Japanese and the cultural connotations that come
along with those stereotypes. When my friends are making fun of their race I
find myself uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond. I am not certain what
to do in these situations whether I should laugh along with them or shut my
mouth creating an awkward moment with the lack of response.
I can relate to this, as when I went to high school I we one African-American friend. Really, he was the only African American in our small school. But, he frequently made self-deprecating race jokes about black stereotypes, and occasionally just stereotypes in general. But, we had all grown up with him, so we were used to it by high school, and we all felt okay chuckling. I guess we were just desensitized to it. But since then, I've thought about it, and I'm not sure it was a good idea to just let him make fun of himself. He insists it was okay, but I just don't know...
ReplyDeleteI can also relate to this. Its not an easy situation to handle. I also have friends who are of different ethnicity and they tend to joke about their race. In the past I have found that the best way to deal with these kinds of situations is just to communicate. Let them know that you don't know how to react. I'm sure if you talk to them they will give some good feedback and it will make your friendship even stronger.
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