We can’t overlook the ever-present racism among minority groups. According to Wikipedia, interminority racism is defined as prejudice or discrimination between racial minorities.
Typically, the common belief is that people of color are less likely to discriminate or hold prejudices over others based on race. We all share similar struggles so why ostracize one another?
However, prejudice and racism still exists among people of color.
Recently, two short video clips have gone viral on Twitter posted by user @Maxx_kee on Nov. 11. The two videos follow a black man filming and pranking two Asian restaurants.
The first clip shows him asking an Asian man in a restaurant if they served cats and he replied: “Next door.” The man then goes to ask an Asian woman in the adjacent restaurant if they serve “fried cat.”
Currently, the second video has tens of thousands of retweets and likes.
The backlash among social media users included pointing out the hurt on her face and her obvious distress about the racism she was facing throughout the video. The controversial video has garnered outraged comments from every side.
In our current news cycle, black Americans are reported as recurring victims of police brutality and seem to be the most oppressed in modern America.
However, they aren’t allowed to be racist when it’s funny for them. Any person of any race should be wary of when to make a racist joke.
It’s hypocritical to call out racism solely when it affects you.
Speaking as a Vietnamese-American woman, I recognize Asian-Americans aren’t as oppressed and victimized by institutional racism as other races are in America: At least not in modern-day America.
However, we’re still susceptible to prejudice and are not fully regarded as equal.
But what about good stereotypes?
Many believe good stereotypes can’t be offensive because they are preconceived compliments. We’ve all heard the saying that all Asians are smart and good at math. How can that be offensive?
Even though these aren’t hurtful they still perpetuate the idea of inequality. They allow us to put people in boxes and label them based on the color of their skin.
But what if the stereotypes are true?
Naturally, stereotypes must stem from somewhere but we can’t let them dictate how we view others. We can’t put people into neat little boxes, because at the end of the day we’re all human and have unique stories.
Racist mindsets that are built into our country are sprinkled with stereotypes and divisive language.
In our increasingly unpredictable political climate, we must maintain a sense of empathy.
Basically, being a people of color doesn’t make it acceptable for you to be racist even if you are just joking around. You also aren’t allowed to say the N-word if you have a black friend.
I’m a fan of dark humor and laughing as much as the next person, but beware: Many jokes can have tidbits of judgment and continue the cycle of racist perspectives.