Slanty Eyes, Morning Interrupted

It's funny to think that today I woke up this morning feeling excited to remember and celebrate our great President's birthday. Then my morning enthusiasm was quickly shaken out of me during my regular 17 minute drive to work.

You know. My regular route. Familiar traffic lights, stop signs, and speed limits. I typically embrace the short ride in the morning, usually because I clear my mind with my favorite tunes or listen to NPR Morning Edition...

But today, it was different. My regular route was rudely and abruptly interrupted by a reckless-White-male-driver who saw me driving 45 mph... about 1/8 of a mile away from his wait at the stop sign to turn right on to the same road. This White man... with his blue trucker hat, riding in his damn dated-over-sized-fuel-guzzling-trashy-Bronco-truck, decided to make the right turn anyways... AND not even try to speed up to at least 40mph to avoid what could have easily been a collision had I not quickly changed lanes into a luckily open left lane. At this point, I'm quietly upset.

As I pass him on the left, I'm shaking my head, smiling... looking straight ahead.

Curious to see if I had amused him at all, I glanced to my right and lo and behold... the asshole has both his hands up to his eyes, index fingers pointed inwards to lift the skin on the sides of his racist eyes, slanting them up to creatively imitate, I guess... ME?

Fuck you guy, fuck you. You're so CLEVER! Thinking that though you were the one who made the stupid decision to take a high-risk right turn... to almost cause an absolutely preventable accident...to pretty much debunk the stereotype that Asian women can't drive because it is YOU who can't drive... that making an unoriginal slanty eyes face to mock me would make you feel better... about your ignorant, socially-unconscious-because-you-don't-have-to-be, limited in perspective thing... that you call your life.

A thirty second experience warped my thoughts to date back to 1979, the year my family resettled in America. Obvious instances and subtle stints of racist treatment that they may not even remember 30 years ago. Obvious instances and subtle stints of racism that exists today, still with the election of our first African American President.

Happy Birthday President Obama. Don't celebrate too long. We still got a lot of work to do.