I got called a f***ing chink yesterday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It's the OP. Thank you. That's very kind. When people just pretend nothing happened, it can feel shameful and embarassing. It reminds me of another time when I was waiting for the bus and a Black woman was shouting at loudly and repeatedly to "get out of here and go back to your f** country*. When I got on the bus, another Black woman looked at me and just quietly said "I'm sorry". It was small but kind gesture and I still remember it.

Thank you everyone else for your kind words.

The fact that the woman was black wasn't relevant to the telling of the story nor the fact that a black person said sorry.

Of course it matters. Don't be a fascist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I think they are cowards. Even mentally ill people usually have a sense of self preservation. They are not going to harass a big 6' 2" 250 lb football player.

[Anonymous]

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

An Asian family got beat up on Wisconsin Ave a couple of years ago. I always bring a sharp poking tool when I walk by myself.

[Anonymous]

I am a little uncomfortable with some folks minimizing OPs post. Smacks of anti Asian trying to downplay it. She said it bothered her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it would be helpful if DC police would arrest the homeless person for a hate crime as usually they threaten and get aggressive if you don't give them money and call you a racist slur. This way we can get them off the streets and into prison.

They can't even keep the ones commiting physical assault in jail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A man who was either homeless and/or has substance abuse issues/mental illness was walking towards me last night on a semi isolated street, in that unsteady halting way. I was trying to walk around him with my head bent down to stay out of his way when he snarled "stop staring at me, you f****ing chink".

I kept walking ahead. For a split second I thought he would turn around and start following me. There were other people ahead of me so I just started walking faster to catch up to them and then I was in an area where there were many more people.

I've been called "chink" by all sorts of people since I was a kid in elementary school. "Go back to your country". [My country? I was born here.]

So it surprises me how much it still stings when someone calls me a chink. It's even hard to write that. That a man who was probably homeless thinks I'm less than him because of my skin color. It shouldn't bother me, after all this time! Right?!

So I'm just trying to get this out of my system. Weirdly I feel ashamed and couldn't even tell anyone IRL that this happened.

Thanks for listening, strangers on an anonymous messaging board.

Weird. That term is multiple decades old and hasn’t been used for many decades. Wonder what that guy’s background is that he’s citing words from the way back then.

You have no clue. Just STFU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do mentally ill people - and I also in this the elderly who start losing their faculties - turn to vocal racism?

I've noticed it with family members who are mentally ill (and still young). I've also noticed it with elderly individuals who start spouting some racist nonsense.

It happens among all ethnic groups in my observation, so this isn't a solely white people issue.

It is not mental illness, they are bullies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So stop acting like a ch**** I guess?

Sure, incel.

[Anonymous]

What percentage of druggy homeless people fully recover and contribute to society? The rest should be eliminated from life, all they do is make trouble and disrupt society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry that happened to you. I assume you know he was likely mentally ill, but it sounds like it was triggering due to similar earlier events with more sane individuals.

More likely a cowardly bully. Not every mentally ill person is a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What percentage of druggy homeless people fully recover and contribute to society? The rest should be eliminated from life, all they do is make trouble and disrupt society.

Sure, Hitler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A man who was either homeless and/or has substance abuse issues/mental illness was walking towards me last night on a semi isolated street, in that unsteady halting way. I was trying to walk around him with my head bent down to stay out of his way when he snarled "stop staring at me, you f****ing chink".

I kept walking ahead. For a split second I thought he would turn around and start following me. There were other people ahead of me so I just started walking faster to catch up to them and then I was in an area where there were many more people.

I've been called "chink" by all sorts of people since I was a kid in elementary school. "Go back to your country". [My country? I was born here.]

So it surprises me how much it still stings when someone calls me a chink. It's even hard to write that. That a man who was probably homeless thinks I'm less than him because of my skin color. It shouldn't bother me, after all this time! Right?!

So I'm just trying to get this out of my system. Weirdly I feel ashamed and couldn't even tell anyone IRL that this happened.

Thanks for listening, strangers on an anonymous messaging board.

I am so sorry that people are still so ignorant. I know how you feel. Sending hugs.

[Anonymous]

I don't think being mentally ill is an excuse.

Plenty of mentally ill people don't make racist comments, and plenty of supposedly not mentally ill people make racist comments.

Being targeted by an angry homeless person is scary though. You never know if he is mentally ill or on drugs. I would've ignored it, too. If he wasn't homeless, and was just a rando a$$hole, I would've said a big "f u" to the person.

-signed a petite Asian American woman

[Anonymous]

It’s upsetting, but he is mentally ill.

Move on. Not really worth your time.

[Anonymous]

Years ago a man crossing the road at the same time as me said he wanted to push women in front of cars. I said to him, that it wouldn't help anyone if he did and he replied.

"All you people are Jews under the skin. I shall cut you with knives, I shall cut you with the strength of Jesus"

I have always remembered this because it was frightening and INSANE. My only lesson was not to engage such people again.