Cultural Deviance...

One of my students the other day was going on his racial tirade...

I don't understand how kids can possibly believe the things they openly say in public (it just goes to show how they don't take their education seriously because they misinterpret everything they learn).

This student from one of my advanced classes was commenting on how there's no such thing as racial equality in terms of how Asians are left out of the civil rights movement.

This student used MLK's "I have a Dream" speech to demonstrate how racial equality did not extend to other racial groups and how Asians are not a part of the civil rights movement. The student implied that the only equity that came about from the civil rights movement is between the whites and blacks. In some convoluted way, that translated into me being inferior because I'm Asian... Uh huh...

It's one thing to be ignorant. But it's another thing to think you know everything and demonstrate ignorance on a whole new level.

I feel like many students are culturally blind, especially upon introspection. They openly comment on how I should be ashamed that I don't know my own native language. Such hypocrites... I can speak perfect English but no Korean. They can only speak broken English and grammatically incorrect Spanish. Congratulations, you're the cultural example that I should aspire to. Rather than perfect literacy in one language, you've accomplished incomplete literacy in 2 languages (and the chances of them achieving complete literacy is slim).

I hate to say this but it seems like the more kids say stupid shit, even if they don't mean it, they eventually start to believe it. Otherwise what's your point? Why else would you say something so stupid as to suggest that I am somehow culturally inferior when you have committed yourself to neither culture? So to think that you've somehow scored some moral victory by making stupid comments like that is just ridiculous.

This isn't the first time I've been called out on my cultural deviance. Faculty members and other students have called me out on it and I've put forth my best arguments to address their criticism. I don't need to speak Korean fluently to be proud of my heritage, if you think otherwise, go fuck yourself.