Re: Asian-ness (was Re: "Whiteness" Re: Obseneties)

In a message dated 2000:09:02 10:51:52 PM, LAOKOU@EMAIL.MSN.COM writes:

>Nor am I sure that the term "bok qwai", if it means what I think it does,
>is thrilling me a whole bunch.
>
    It is my dad's bitterness creepin' up... He had to deal with a lot of
caca growing up Colonial in Malaya in the late 1940's & early 1950's before
Malaysia gained Independence.
    There were libraries that had signs saying "No Dogs, No Malays, No
Chinese Allowed." That has always irked my dad.
    In England, he had a Commonwealth Colonies scholarship to attend the
Central School of Arts. First day he even set foot in the doorway he was
insulted by no less than 16 people (4 who were professors & one Irish
student, who my dad thought would be less prejudiced being one of the
"Colonized"). The worst insult was some professor saying to another loudly
that "Chinamen have never amounted to much in England, much less here [in the
School]."
    Grinning and "eating bitter", my dad just stored that remark away, "got
down to the brass tacks" & he graduated in the 4th rank of his class (an
Indian beat my dad to 3rd, guess he was also "steamed" [A Scots woman took
1st ... back then that was rather unusual]).
    My dad said in that very week IIRC Bob Dylan's "Change is Blowin' in the
Wind" came out... My dad is a big fan of Dylan.

    czHANg