Sam Yoon is running for mayor of Boston. Yoon is Korean Korean-American. It only makes sense, then (*sarcasm*), that the Boston Phoenix illustrated a story about his race against incumbent Mayor Tom Menino with the follow picture:
Screen shot for context and posterity:
Race is made to matter. Sotomayor can’t just be a judge, Gates can’t just be a suspect, and Yoon can’t just be a candidate. If you are not white, then your race will likely be used to denigrate you, make fun of you, or question your competence and entitlements. This may not happen all the time, but it will happen often enough.
Via Resist Racism and Slant Eye for the Round Eye.
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Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments 13
Jennifer — July 24, 2009
Why does he have to be shirtless?
Magnetic Crow — July 24, 2009
Or your gender if you're not male, or your religion if you're not Christian, or your weight if you're not "thin".
Yes, we get what "normal" looks like. :(
That image is upsetting and embarrassing on so many levels...
Rosemary — July 24, 2009
The Phoenix is lower than even the Boston Herald in terms of credibility, but that's a new low even for them. Menino's actually a decent guy who does a lot of work with the minorities in the city, so I don't imagine he's too amused by this.
Sue — July 24, 2009
I haven't read the Phoenix and years and was never a regular reader but I thought it was an intelligent, savvy, alternative paper. Guess I was wrong.
The image is silly and insulting in so many ways so that elaboration seems unnecessary, but I order regularly from a Korean takeout place and they don't use containers like that. I've only been given containers like that at Chinese and Japanese restaurants.
But all Asians are alike, right?
Buddy D. — July 24, 2009
Awesome !
julian — July 24, 2009
OMFG.
Someone allowed this?!
Duran — July 24, 2009
>> If you are not white, then your race will likely be used to denigrate you, make fun of you, or question your competence and entitlements.
And if you are white, it will be used the same way:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22angry+white+male%22&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=white+people+can%27t+dance&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g8
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/
Meems — July 24, 2009
@Rosemary, I was going to say the same thing. The Phoenix? Ew, no.
Carla — July 24, 2009
No one reads the Boston Phoenix. This still sucks, but at least it isn't coming from a respected news source.
Not to nitpick, but Yoon isn't really "Korean." Yes, he was born in Korea (as was his family) but he's a US citizen as much as I am. It would probably be more accurate to describe him as "Korean-American."
Carla — July 24, 2009
^ By family, I meant his parents...he's married with kids now (all of whom I believe were born in the US).
Lisa Wade, PhD — July 24, 2009
Thanks Carla. Fixed.
Bagelsan — July 24, 2009
I think we should do a post on Duran sometime (though I guess it would be more psychological than sociological.) There has to be something interesting going on in the mind of a guy who takes a relentless verbal beating from anonymous strangers every day but comes back for more so eagerly nonetheless. :D
Angela — July 24, 2009
Bagelsan - He'd like that too much.