it says that, although Asia's vast ethic diversity means we're forced to confront the very real & many differences -Cultural, political, economic- that exists among us, these differences sometimes erupt in violence.
At least half the world's armed conflicts are in Asia, of which, nearly all ethnic-based. But the bigger reason why Asians dont focus on commonality is because their societies don't encourage it.
In many countries, ethnic divisions are institutionalized.. strict laws governing what one race can or cannot do.
In largely homogenous Japan, it's extremely difficult for a non-Japanese to become a citizen even if born there... In Malaysia, an affirmative-action program gives preference to Malays over the country's sizable Chinese & Indian populations in everything from university places to government contracts.
Leaders argue that these kinds of measures help maintain harmony. Maybe so, but its a superficial harmony that reinforces stereotypes n hinders the creation in the long run of genuine tolerance & understanding.
In Asia, it is acceptable to be racist, or at least unapologetic about being so.
In Asia, race is your face...
According the TIME correspondents around the region, when Asians look at Barack Obama, they see, above all else, a black man. And most are convinced that Americans will not, in the end, choose an African-American as its leader- simply cause it has never been done before. That the President of the United States should be white is a truism....
To Asians, its enough to say that Obama doesn't look "presidential" enough for his assessment to be devoid of a critical examination of his values & vision.
How Obama Looks will NOT, of course, determine how he would intern govern if elected -_-
If it were not for the colour of his skin, or whether or not he looks "Presidential" enough for asians to want to vote for him, would be that he's still Democrat, & Democrats have traditionally pushed protectionism & human rights, issues uncomfortable for Asia.
However, Obama's key constituency is the U.S... yet the world has already gained from the Obama candidacy. In one sense, & one sense alone, his skin colour does matter. In Asia, it is virtually unthinkable that an individual from a minority could rise to become a national leader.
Despite what we may think of the U.S, of its hardly stellar handling of the conflicts in Iraq & Afghanistan, of its lack of oversight in the financial meltdown, the fact that Barack Obama can overcome the disadvantages associated with being black is a possibility that cannot be entertained in the same way anywhere else.
And even if he doesn't win...
thats the lesson America frames for us all, whatever our race~
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alot of my friends know my standing in terms of racial discrimination... or any discrimination for that matter be it religious or gender related~ And it does feel weird knowing that about the conservative state of Asian society~ Hopefully it'll change in the years to come...
on a lighter note, Driving school ain't that bad... drivin is fun, occasionally i pull a crazy Taxi n get screamed at by the instructor, otherwise i'm like Paul Walker doin a 2Fast2Furious bit with the Land Rover~
the ppl there are from all walks of life... but its mainly split into 3 grps, the cheena neenas, the Mat yo yos, and the white boys... but we all get along just fine, everyone's just hangin out with everyone else... i love the diversity there~
i learn a vast vocabulary of vulgarities in all sorts of languages...
ccb- smelly vagina
pcb- broken vagina
lcb- old vagina
ljb- Penis face
and in a sentence, it goes something like...
"i put it to u, that you are a smelly vagina and ur face resembles that of a male genitalia!"
*bitch slaps face with glove~
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last night was off the hook, fancy ass dinner at a fancy ass place... but the emo trippin was just way too much.... halloween party next week? i dunno man, im so outt've it~
once a Ninja, always a Ninja~
i got 2 mths to get my body hawt enough for the tatt show in 2009...
imma put the sistine chapel on me & pull a Michael Scoldfield~
anyone wanna get inked with me?
anyone?
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