"My Identity is Very Different Than My Color" by Eric Wong

I learned my Chinese name as a child and then I forgot.


I HAVE a cultural identity!
I'm holding it in the palm of my hand.
I can't feel it.
I can't touch it.
But I'm absolutely positive it's there and its mine.

I'm not white (says everyone when politically/socially appropriate and usually convenient). I'm not Chinese (so says the Chinese) "you NO Chinese!". Visually challenged people often think I am white because I SOUND white. I SOUND a COLOR!

Ethnicity is inescapable! However, my dual tribes have nothing to do with MY cultural identity. That special thing we construct over time (via school, family, friends, community, traditions, rules and rituals). Like, proud to be Irish. WHY? Are you proud because you drink excessive amounts of beer, eat a lot of potatoes and are the only peoples that believe in leprechauns? Proud to be Chinese because we have a really big wall and a really long history of being Chinese. Oh, because we are the original Asian! All others are derivatives of da Chinese.
People attach themselves to bigger things (usually groups) to feel more important and to have a kind of structured position within the world we live in. We do this to feel some sort of meaning or purpose in life. This is another system used and abused to control and manipulate peoples, populations and countries. What this cultural pride equates to is a competition of the species.
Irish are better because...Irish have more of this and more of that than the british or the Chinese. Chinese have discipline and know the importance of community. Our history is more and we are better because. Chinese are better at math, shy, non-violent, eat rice and have small penises. Where as Africans have very large penises, are more violent, less shy and intelligent. In contrast, Africans were the first civilized peoples. They are better athletes, more in tune with nature and have a stronger sensibility to music and dance. This is all gobbledygook and is the first, prime ingredient for hate, war and all the tragedy that comes with it.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with being interested and/or participating in a particular culture or even preferring one over another. Not at all! What I am saying is that culture and identity is not inherent, natural or physically/biologically assigned in our DNA. That pride in such things can be and are often times very dangerous. Another important point in summary is that identity is ephemeral. The individual and what they believe is their identity will always be changing. Ultimately, it's very much like choosing a different costume every year. This year I think I may be Italian. Seriously! Probably next year as well! Who knows? That's the exciting part of living, choosing and coexisting between obscure realities.