What Are The Pros And Cons Of Being An American

When people ask me my ethnicity, I often say that I am Western European. This is a lie. I am much more than that. To avoid an awkward conversation, I leave out that I am part Korean. People do not seem to realize that you can be part of an ethnic group without looking the part. For this reason, I am only accepted by Western Europeans. They accept me because I am similar to them in most cultural and physical aspects. Koreans, on the other hand, do not accept me at all. I am not Korean to them; I am a Koreaboo. I may not speak the language or follow all traditions, but I am still Korean. My Korean and Western European ethnicities often combat each other. The Korean side is usually silenced. It can be seen in the little things like prioritizing age or referring to someone by their title. I could compare these subtle things to a box of Betty Crocker® Chicken Helper Chicken Fried Rice. Heavily Americanized, but still some Korean. The chicken fried rice is still there in my life, …show more content…
I have curly hair, pale skin and have wide eyes. I resemble a normal Western European male. This has saved me from the daily prejudice that some Koreans face. They are may face discrimination from ignorant people that do not accept any race that isn’t their own. I have been spared from this, my mom has not. My mom is 50% Korean, she does not look extremely Korean, but she has some features. These include yellowish/light brown skin and squinty eyes. For these reasons I have seen her face discrimination. Micro-aggressions are very common in life for her. The micro-aggressions include the constant pressuring to eat Asian meals, people not understanding that South Korea is different than North Korea, and when people don’t believe that she is Korean. She always responds to people that do not believe her with, “naneun neoe gwanhan modeun geos-eul silh-eohanda.” This means, “I hate everything about you.” I always thought that it was rude, but they will never