When Thoughts Collide

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Inside my little skull.

Someone today linked to this song:


While I was listening, I thought of my son telling me that people are always surprised to find out that his mother is Filipino, because he doesn't look like she would be. And suddenly it came to me; so in honor of my son, I give you:

There's a man who lives a life Caucasian
No one ever guesses that he's Asian
With every test he takes
Another 100 he makes
I guess that he won't have to pay for Harvard

Secret Asian man
Secret Asian man
You're very good with numbers
So what's with that last name?

Beware of round-eyed faces that you find
They might not like to meet an inscrutable mind
Be careful what you eat
Whites don't like chicken feet
Sea urchin eggs are gonna bring you sorrow

Secret Asian man
Secret Asian man
You're very good with numbers
So what's with that last name?

Comments

  1. lomacious1:07 AM

    Gene i think this is great.

    The whole concept reminded me of this wonderful art installation by the anti-racist feminist philosopher adrian piper, called "cornered." Take a look, and it might be interesting for Eamon to see as well if you think so. It's in two parts on youtube, linked below:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUJ8MhXTwtI

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIkvjGq7VgM&feature=related

    - elijah

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:21 AM

    I think that you should stick to the drums. Haha! Just playing with you. I am glad to hear that your son is good at math, because I have found mathematical skill to be lacking in most Americans. I was always great at math, but I hated it. So, I must ask, does he enjoy math?

    If I may, I'd like to offer a few observations from my time in the Navy (there are a lot of Filipinos in the Navy). I met many Filipinos that didn't look Asian at all. Some have looked more like a Pacific Islander, some have looked almost Latino, some have looked almost Native American, and some have almost looked Italian. Of course, the majority have looked Asian, but not nearly all. Also, those that were only half Filipino rarely looked Asian at all (at least to my eyes).

    Another thing that I found is that some Filipinos hate to be called Asian and would rather think of themselves as Pacific Islanders. Obviously, this is incorrect geographically, but I have met a few Filipinos that actually got offended that I called them Asian.

    Like I said, these are just observations from my own experience, not a critique of your little ditty. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. gcallah6:10 PM

    Joseph, the population of the Phillipines is largely Austronesian. These people are spread across southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and, oddly enough, Madagascar. The Hawaiins and the Easter Islanders are Austronesians. So saying the Filipino people are Asian or Pacific Islander both make sense.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous1:09 AM

    That makes sense.

    ReplyDelete

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