Since the beginning of this semester I have noticed that topics I’ve discussed in class have followed me out of the class, and into real life. I feel as though I am much more observant than I was just a few months ago. I have begun to notice more biracial students on campus, at work, and just meandering around town. While on campus I have taken notice and appreciation of the student body population and how integrated the many cultures and races are. Many groups consist of a myriad of people from different backgrounds, and it seems to be of little concern to any of the group members. In fact, during a recent job fair, there was an emergency restoration company that must have had an employee of every ethnicity represented in their company. I believe they do restoration services for people’s homes, when they experience, fire, water damage and so on. They seem like an awesome company to work for so if any of my local readers are interested, their website is phoenixwaterdamage.org. Anyhow they were running a demonstration in front of a large group of students, and it was awesome to see how much fun the employees and students were having and how there was not any sort of acknowledgement of ethnicity, even though most of the employees were predominately foreign with noticeable accents. It’s moments like these where I think how beautiful our multiracial world is when everyone just accepts one another, and sees each other for their similarities and not their differences.
Obviously universities are very different than the general population and have a tendency to be more open minded, and culturally interactive, and for the most part it appears to go unnoticed a majority of the time, with an occasional random stereotypical comment that is generally all in good fun. From my observations it actually appears that most of the time the one making the stereotypical comments are themselves the individual it’s aimed at, meaning that the person is just poking fun at themselves. I am assuming this is done to distinguish one’s self from others in a comical fashion.
Though these comments are insignificant to those individuals, there is a seriousness that needs to be acknowledged when it comes to promoting stereotypical comments like that. So I have actually done my part in addressing this problem with a few biracial friends of my own, and insisted that they refrain from the stereotypes, even if they hold no negative connotation.
Additionally, when I watch T.V. I have seen a few interviews lately on television that discuss celebrity’s experiences as biracial citizens in America, and have taken note of television shows and how they portray multiracial individuals, and incorporate stereotypes at times. Some of the shows that use to captivate me are no longer desirable for myself to watch based on the subtle stereotypes they incorporate. This is surprising to me though, for some of these shows I have been watching for many years, but with this new sense of knowledge and understanding, I can’t completely enjoy them anymore.
Whether it’s in the media or in real life, this new found perspective has affected the way in which I view things. I am thankful though for it seems to be a more intelligent and mature view of the world. I am curious as to how it will develop over the next few years, as I grow more conscious and aware of this subject. I imagine that my university classes will promote me to take a deeper look into the effects of being a biracial individual in today’s society.
