That's me, at 13 years old in my junior high school uniform. Having attended school in Minnesota until 6th grade, I was forced to move to Japan, as my father pursued an employment opportunity. The photo was taken moments before I embarked upon my trek to the first day of class in Narita, Japan. I was one of the first 'white' people to attend the school, which brought a lot of excessive attention. As a lone American in a public Japanese school, my experience was quite contrary to the 'invisible whiteness' that most white Americans would face at home. Being half Japanese (my mother was born and raised in Japan), one would suspect that I would be able to fit in with other students, especially with the uniform. However, I was never able to be seen as a Japanese citizen or student.
Throughout elementary school, I have no recollection of race being an issue amongst peers. However, as we grew up, we began to absorb what our culture thought of race and how it affects one's place in society. When I moved to Japan I learned what it meant to be a white American, and when I moved back to Minnesota I learned what it meant to be an Asian in our society's eyes. I found it astonishing how easily I was assigned qualities by my peers. Although I have an equal amount of European and Asian ancestry, I was simply labeled as an outsider, no matter the location.
"Hey, you're good at math, right?"
"Of course you're agile, you're Asian."
"So, could you kill me with your thumb or something?"
So how is this photo raced? Well, it entirely depends on you. How you were raised, where you grew up, what race you are... When you look at this photograph, do you see a white or Asian kid? Had the photo been taken in front of, say, the Mall of America, would I be classified as a different race?
This post really interested me, because of the way you were seen in different cultures. it seems many kids of mixed races are seen differently and sometimes accepted in no group even in America. It was especially interesting that the japanese kids focused on your white heritage while the americans focused on the asian part. THis post really epitomized the way different cultures iew people.
ReplyDeleteReading your post, I found it very easy to relate to. Growing up being half "white" half "black" was hard especially when people decided they needed to point it out to me. It was hard to embrace both parts of myself when I was constantly marked as an outsider much like you yourself went through. When I was with someone "black" I was too white in their eyes and when I was with someone white, they couldnt help but label me as "black." It reminds me of Stuart Hall and his explanation of classifications. When one breaks away from these classifications it generates tension or, in our case, we become these sort of outsiders. But like you said,it really depends on what culture you find yourself in. Culture truly does effect how one is seen whether we are aware of it or not.
ReplyDeleteI find it so true on how you said that an individual will 'race' the photo depending on how you personally were raised, and even more specifically, the contents of the photo. When I first saw the picture, I admit that I assumed it to be taken in another country, definitely not from around here. But like you said, if the background was the mall and you were standing in shorts and a t-shirt, the possibility of this being taken in Japan wouldn't have even come to mind. It's astonishing that you were labeled an outsider, no matter the location. It's easy to forget how no matter the race, religion, culture, etc., a person is, everyone and anyone will take the time out of their day to classify the "un-normal."
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