A patient at the clinic told me the other day, "You remind me of another Oriental that I know!" My two attendings (who are white males) stood next to me, speechless (because they were used this kind of subtle racism? Or because they were surprised? I don't know). Once we got back to the physician station, one said, "Boy. How about that?"
How about that?
It's something that I hadn't really experienced blatantly up until that point while here in Iowa. But my other Asian classmates (of which there are only a few) have stories
-A standardized patient bluntly asked K, who's Chinese, and B, who's Ghanian, "Are you both fresh off the boat?"
-A standardized patient told S, who's Chinese, that when she enters the room, she should declare that she is fluent in English. S is an MSTP student (combined Phd/MD track) who is immensely talented, articulate, and will have more degrees than most of the world by the end of the 8-year ordeal.
-A standardized patient told me that he didn't want to carry out my graded interview because I am "a woman, and women should be put in their place. And you also don't look like me."
-I had to tell a classmate (who's white) to stop saying things like "It's because you're Asian" because it was getting annoying/offensive. (Me: "That was such a cold night, I had to use five blankets!" X: "It's because you're Asian.")
Mind you, these standardized patients are people who are hired by the University to help educate students. They aren't just people off the streets. So imagine if I actually had a life outside of school and actually interacted with the population at large.
Sometimes it is surreal to me that people still use pejorative terms so casually. I guess it's simply because they don't know any better. It is not even necessarily something that anyone can change about the culture here in the Midwest. My idealist friends back home, very much immersed in a culture of changing the world and embracing cultural identity, might balk at this acceptance of How Things Are. I don't have enough energy or time to even clean my bathroom (I had a dream about this)....how am I supposed to care about these microtransgressions against Asians?
1 comment:
This definitely happens in California, too. It's only in the Bay Area and LA that this happens less.
My friend was asked, "What's your REAL name?..No, that's your English name. What's your REAL name?" My friend doesn't even speak Chinese due to being 4th generation.
In the hospital, I've been told the following:
"You're Asian? Asian women are such good people. Make good wives. Submissive."
"Your family's from the Orient? My son just recently returned from a trip there!"
As long as pts are willing to participate in therapy, I don't care what they say. And most of the time, they mean well (and if not well, at least not malicious) and just want to connect and find something to talk about. That's what I choose to believe anyway. I never correct anyone's remarks because I'm not going to change a perception that's probably been held for longer than I've been alive. I just smile, nod along, and redirect the conversation to something more acceptable.
You are right that it's not worth the energy. :)
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