I found this little post today that's been lying around in my Draft box since January just waiting to be matured, and so I have taken the precious time needed to add on my final touches. Please read and enjoy. ~
It's so strange. Why is it that when so much is the same, it's the differences that stand out? ~ Perhaps a concept similar to edge enhancement? The brighter the white, the darker the black? ~
Now, these ramblings might not yet make sense, but let me link it to a more relatable topic: the difference between cultures. ~ I'd describe it as a feeling. ~ For example, I feel Asian. When I talk to other Asians, I know approximately what answers and reactions to expect to the questions I ask them and news and tell them. And I'm usually right in my predictions, because the other Asians know what it's I'm expecting. ~ Why does this happen? ~ Well, it's essentially because a conversation is an agreement, an exchange of knowledge and opinions, that is held together by an unspoken contract to not exceed the boundaries of what one is expected to conform to. ~
Say I decide to try talking to a Caucasian person in the exact same way I'd talk to an Asian. ~ It just wouldn't be the same. ~ Not that any one of us is wrong. ~ It's just that we're playing by different rules. ~ Imagine playing Tic-Tac-Toe with a deck of cards. ~ The other person doesn't know what you're expecting; the whole vibe of the conversation would be off. ~ The social contract has changed shape and form, and therefore the conversation itself has to change. ~ And so over time, you develop a complex for speaking to people of other races that differs greatly from the tone that you would use when speaking to a person of the same race as yourself. ~
In the end, control is what it really comes down to. ~ We always want to know what others will say in response or at least their attitude on the topic. ~ When you're thrown out of your comfort zone, you feel like you're on the defensive. ~ As Dr. Sheldon Cooper (TBBT, ofc) so poignantly put it: "It's called the comfort zone for a reason." ~ Because interacting with people from other races is initially challenging, many choose never to conform, sticking to their own comfort group. ~ This is how cliques form. ~
I'm definitely not saying there aren't people who are as comfortable with Asian people as they are with Caucasian or Black people. ~ But it's an acquired skill developed over time and with practice. Subtly but surely, each time you interact with someone, you tweak your speaking style with them a bit. ~ And that's how it's done: little by little. Step by step. ~
NB: This post is not meant to racist in any way or form. It simply expresses my honest opinion, one that is completely harmless. ~ In no way do I believe that any race is superior. Simply, each marches to the beat of its own unique drum. ~
