The struggles of an Asian American: Problems occur anywhere especially at work, school, or anywhere in public.
Hi, My name is Andrew Kenekham. Stove Top Media Journalist who covers underground and mainstream hip hop, fashion, and art. I been reading a lot about Asian Discrimination for the past year and I am aware it is rough because we live in a country where there is a diversity that separates us all. Being a Laotian American, I felt a gift and a curse living in this country and outside of my traditional music, fashion, and art; I have stepped aside to tell my story on Asian Discrimination.
Growing up, my family practiced their customs they grew up with in Laos. They came into this country in 1980 after the Vietnam war aftermath. Coming into this country, they had to learn and adapt to American Culture. Can you imagine coming into a new country and you have no choice but learn to network with very little English? That is the struggle for anybody who migrate from another country.
Hearing stories from my brothers and sister talking about kids dissing them for not knowing the latest fashion, lingo, or the tv shows that people watch. Listening to their stories, they made me believe I am lucky to be an American born Laotian but apparently I if not close felt the same near discrimination. I would get made fun of because when I went to a private school called. Seton Catholic School, I get made fun of for being an Asian living in the poor community. There is a kid named Kevin but we will call him Karen (disguise his name) that would stereotype me and walk up to me like a rapper like “yo what up” and make some remarks like don’t kung fu kick me because your too hood. That would make me upset to the point I would go to the school skate just to fight him but apparently, my parents never let me go to the school skate like that because my dad did not want to pick me up at 10 pm and he had to work at 5am. I was not feeling it because I did not walk up to him dissing him for being white although if I did, he would of sliced his wrist and cried to his parents.
School was the worst place to be bullied or even singled out at but when you are work, you should of not feel this type of way. For instance, when I was at work, I had a customer ask me if I had any cousins who are wanting an arranged marriage. This was back in 2017 and I looked at it like a bug bite; something that sting but the pain will go away. People also assume that Asian Discrimination has happened around Covid-19. Here is the breakdown, Asian Discrimination happened before then and it got worse afterwords because of the stereotypes we been getting and it does limit us in certain places. I felt that Asians get dissed on and stereotyped quicker because White America makes us look like we all are friendly and forgiving. Understand this White America, Us Asians have emotions and feelings too and if you are not respecting it, we do not have to shake your hand.
Asians are even discriminated at work or even singled out and sometimes get treated like punching bags. My biggest story was when I was working at a local fast food franchise, there was a total of 4 white people, 4 black people, and I was the only Asian. The manager who worked at night assume because I am Asian, I was going to do extra work without getting praised because he believed the stereotype that Asians were the type to do labor without getting asked. .So therefore on cleaning list, he would make my task longer than anyone else and I almost lost my job trying to fight him on the clock for him pushing me, harassing me, and even went out the way of putting his hands on me. He did that for clout and reaction and I really was tired of him and the incident. I literally hated him so much, I would try to close on his shift so I can sneak punch him in the parking lot after work. He knew I wanted to fight so once he knew,he quietly disappeared and he was never seen again. I felt that I should not have to threaten to fight him for him to quit harassing me but if you did what I did, I am not mad at you because nobody should be bullied or harassed at a job.
People understand this; Discrimination isn’t all about name calling, physical and mental pain, but it is also about singled out and left out. Back in 2017, after years of me working at the local food service, unfortunately my GM left in 2016 to open a new store and I got stuck with something I call a cancer to the business which is a manager who made toxic decisions. I felt the hate and distance towards her because she asked me to come to her party and then told me not to show up, she was respecting all her employees but steadily disrespecting me to the point I went out of character and snapped on her and worse, she would throw company parties and not invite me. She even cut my hours back because I would not kiss her ass and she knew I am there to work, not socialize.I knew I could not take it but I do not have to take her garbage she is feeding me. This one month, I ordered Chinese food twice in the same month because I wanted something different aside from the typical burgers and fries we sold.I would get disrespected for ordering it and she would try to step in and tell me what to buy with my own money.I looked at her like “ Are you paying for my lunch” and told her to mind her business. I remember walking in one day and she walked up sniffed me and said I smell like Chinese Food. First of before work, I had a bologna sandwich and chips so I did not smell like it and two, bologna and chips do not smell like MSG. So was she doing this to gain clout or have the staff laugh at me? I was wondering and thinking so on why she would do this.So I ended up hanging out with employees who did not like her as well and she felt distant because I choose not to speak to her unless it is about the company. First of She tells me she is not racist because she got a Taiwan Friend and she can’t even spell it (Taiwan) and two every Asian person that I was friends with, she would ask me inappropriate questions like “are they related to me”? I knew she was doing that to be funny and she would ask me stupid questions like why do my eyes get low when I am mad just to be funny or disrespectful. I am aware that she causing a commotion just to get me overwhelmed and upset because she knew for a fact I was not going to take her crap. This would continue on for 6 months so I ended up treating her the same way she treated me by throwing house parties and burning other people cds mixes and excluding her. For as slow and tedious as she is, she finally got the point that I choose not to respect her because I caught on to the disrespect she gave me even though I gave her warning shots from the first time it happened.Apparently karma struck and after 5 years of working in the fast food spot, business shut down. She asked me to come to her disgusting goodbye party and knowing it was young and rebellious me, I showed up drunk of Hennessy and Reenacted the same scene from the 2000 movie, Half Baked, and told them all fudge them in alphabetical order. She looked at me like she made a new enemy but one thing she did not know, she been treating me like an enemy so I treat her like an opps. Where she at now? Who knows at the same time I could careless about what she does or say.Where is the first manager who did it first? Who cares because I do not have to deal with that ignoramus. End of the day there a million clones of the managers I worked for that put me through mental discriminating pain.
Word of advice for the Asians in America who dealt with what I have, It is okay to forgive but do not take there poison if they are feeding it to you to lesson one out. There are a million me’s who worked hard to be where they are at and do not let any scrub step on your toes because all they are doing is picking on you for clout. All the Asians here in this country, please stay strong and those who got their head high, don’t let them trick you out your spot because you claim your position as strong, resilient, hard working individuals who refuse to let a lame ruin their character.
Sincerely,
Andrew Kenekham
