The X-Word

I wrote this at work when I should have been doing something else more productive. A white co-worker was having a conversation about ethnicity with a black co-worker. I started listening around here:

White: I'm full Polish on both sides.

Black: Oh, so you're Polack

White: Oh, um I guess. Isn't that the bad word for us? Like isn't that like the N-word for Poles?

For some reason, the black guy and eye looked at each other and then looked at her and silently shook our heads as if to say, "No, sweetie. You don't have one of those. You're white."

But afterwards, I thought, why is that? Thus the inspiration for the following incomplete piece.

The X-Word

Do I, or rather do we have an N-word?

Because, say nigga to a black person and you risk alienation, injury, or even death.

"What'd you say?"

"Oh hell no!"

"This cracka..."

I get it.

There's a history there.

But more importantly, it has been a visible, nationally observed and recognized history.

A history of slavery, abuse, murder, and systematic oppression.

The black man in America is unappreciated by a country that was built on his people's whip-scarred backs.

But...I wonder,

What's the difference between them and I?

I know that people give words their power, so if we just stop being offended then it won't be so offensive.
We so often forget that words also get their power from history,

And people don't know our history here, hell no one does.

And I can't blame them:

In school we can learn about Rodney King but not Vincent Chin,

We learn about the Atlantic middle passage and the Amistad but not the Pacific voyage and the Libertad.

We learn about Auschwitz and Dachau, but not Topaz and Manzanar.

We too have suffered forced labor, abuse, murder, and systematic oppression.

We too live in country whose foundations are soaked in our blood.

So NO.

I won't "get over it."

In fact, this is an open call.

A call to all of my yellow, brown, and otherwise hyphenated-Americans

To all of my fellow model minorities!

To all of us perpetual foreigners!

I say let's NOT get over it!

In fact, let's get under it and lift the issue of our collective respect up to national attention.

Next time you hear someone called chink, wetback, sand nigger, coolie, A-rab, Charlie, towelhead, or even "exotic looking," let's fucking say something!

Don't bow your head, walk away and cry about it later. Remember colonialism is over.

So stand tall, step forward and scream NOW!

Make some noise, rock the boat, hell fucking rock the vote!

We are not our parents.

No offense to mom and dad but we're better than that.

We were born and raised here and we belong here.

We have a voice and no, it doesn't have an accent.

There is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to demanding respect in your own home.

Remember, inalienable rights apply to aliens too.