I got called a f***ing chink yesterday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the last five or so years, I have thought a lot about how to be an ally as a white person, and one thing I do is when I see something like that happen I go up to the person and ask if they're okay and say that was horrible and wrong. It's all I can really think of but I want them to know it was witnessed and thought to be unacceptable.

I'm sorry that happened to you. [/quote
Are you male?

[Anonymous]

I found the homeless black people say this all the time when you don't give them money

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry that happened. That really sucks. Mentally ill people will say all kinds of crazy things that can trigger us. I hope you can feel peace again soon.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry that happened to you, op.

But try to keep it in perspective: a mentally ill homeless person said it.

Fwiw, I had a mentally ill homeless person call me the N word and then scream that white people are uglier than dog $hit. Ftr, I’m a middle-aged white lady who was just walking to work. I felt sorry for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To everyone lecturing OP - she didn't say she was better than the homeless person - i took the implication to be that the man yelling the insult who is very down and out thought the fact that she was asian made him better than her even though he was in a rough place and probably feels like he is not on a high run in society - really don't think pompous lecturing of someone who's been verbally assaulted is very kind or understanding at all

Thank you for saying this.

[Anonymous]

I’m really sorry that happened OP. Of course it stung. It’s an ugly and hateful word.

What’s hard about writing this kind of behavior off as a function of mental illness, is that even people who are obviously ill seem to lean into hate speech or target those more vulnerable. I remember when sitting on the outdoor patio of a coffee shop, and there was a man who appeared to be homeless, and was clearly psychotic, actively hallucinating, etc. He was circling the patio and clearly honing in on me; I happened to be the only woman on the patio (several men were also there sitting alone, he ignored them). It was disappointing and scary that even through his illness, he seemed to know who to target.

Really sorry you’ve encountered that bigotry, regardless of the source. You don’t deserve that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s terrible and I’m really sorry that happened to you. He sounds mentally ill so I wouldn’t take it personally.

But also, being homeless in itself doesn’t make him less than you either.

Umm, what? It kind of does.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, I'm sorry. There's. homeless guy I see on my walk to metro downtown. I used to smile at him as I passed, until the night I heard him call a passing woman a "n*gger wh*re". Lovely. I don't smile at him anymore. I assume he has mental issues. I'm sure the guy who spoke to you does too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s terrible and I’m really sorry that happened to you. He sounds mentally ill so I wouldn’t take it personally.

But also, being homeless in itself doesn’t make him less than you either.

Umm, what? It kind of does.

I don’t want to derail the thread but no it doesn’t. I don’t know why he did it. Mentally ill, shouting at everyone most likely. But looking down on him for being homeless likely due to his sickness is not right either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry you've experienced being called a racial slur throughout your life and today. It is not personal, and mental illness and substance misuse can both affect the way people behave, not that it makes it acceptable, but just remember that in this case at least, they are not cognitively competent.

It's horrible when this happens and very rattling, but this is what you have to remember as a mentally competent person. Racial hatred is one way it can manifest, but the mentally unwell can lash out in myriad ways. I had a homeless guy chase after me calling me, "a effing see you next door effing **ore who sucks **ck and loves being c*m on!" for a living despite being a professionally dressed pretty demure Fed and white. They're just...not there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last five or so years, I have thought a lot about how to be an ally as a white person, and one thing I do is when I see something like that happen I go up to the person and ask if they're okay and say that was horrible and wrong. It's all I can really think of but I want them to know it was witnessed and thought to be unacceptable.

I'm sorry that happened to you. [/quote
Are you male?

No, I'm female. But I don't want some Asian person being called a derogatory name to see me standing there and think my saying nothing means I agree with the person who called them that. I don't want them to think everyone around them is unsafe.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I'd be concerned about being called that by a filthy hobo.
-Asian

[Anonymous]

This actually happened to DH a few years ago. A homeless man who was visibly impaired (drugs/alcohol and/or severe mental health issues) yelled across the street “you f**king n*****”. It was really rattling for him, too. I think he was surprised at how shaken he was by the encounter given that this man was clearly not of sound mind. I think he also felt uncomfortable or somehow embarrassed talking about the experience afterward.

Anyway, just sharing this to say I’m sorry this man spewed hate at you and I’m sorry people write it off because it’s “just a crazy guy” and I’m sorry victims of this end up the ones feeling ashamed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure I'd be concerned about being called that by a filthy hobo.
-Asian

Same. I’ve been called a spic by a crazy homeless person before. I’m Latina. I was momentarily rattled but then - meh. What of it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This actually happened to DH a few years ago. A homeless man who was visibly impaired (drugs/alcohol and/or severe mental health issues) yelled across the street “you f**king n*****”. It was really rattling for him, too. I think he was surprised at how shaken he was by the encounter given that this man was clearly not of sound mind. I think he also felt uncomfortable or somehow embarrassed talking about the experience afterward.

Anyway, just sharing this to say I’m sorry this man spewed hate at you and I’m sorry people write it off because it’s “just a crazy guy” and I’m sorry victims of this end up the ones feeling ashamed.

I think the point here is that you can reframe the experience. Either you’re called spic (me) or a variation of whore (any woman) or anything else and of course you’re going to be momentarily rattled. But you can choose how long you carry it and how you frame it.

I would suggest that a mentally ill homeless dude doesn’t have any say or hold over OP or who she is.