yesterday was the first day of the year of the rabbit. somehow i feel like this ties in well with the idea of "minorities". why? rabbits are tiny but sometimes they fight back because they're DYNAMITE! (i really just wanted an excuse to post this.)
it can be terribly alienating being a minority. i can't exactly speak from any experience except that i was singled out for my accent and funny last name for a lot of the years i spent in school. so i understand the compulsion to try and blend in with the majority and be "normal", but there is also this inability to turn your back on things that are essentially yours and that define you. no, i can't say i can identify with anyone who is a visible minority but there are moments that can allow you a glimpse into that world of being "the odd one out".
there are places in edmonton that you can go to to get that sensation. whether it be gay bars (which are fantastic on new years' eves), a bubble tea place known in the chinese community for the best bubble tea EVER, or going to a bollywood film on the south side. i know there are places in edmonton "owned" my various communities. actually think of any place that isn't dominated by at least one group, whether majority or minority. someone is always the odd one out. i think it's great and necessary to give that sensation a try. just like traveling, you gotta get out of the city and out of your comfort zone to know more about your city and more about yourself.
how's that for romantic views on multiculturalism?
ha! Actually, i like it a lot. I'm always trying to give myself those kinds of experiences: go to a new place, try something new, put yourself in uncomfortable situations. You learn So Much that way (even though it's not easy, which I would argue real learning never should be). This is worth bearing in mind when we talk about tolerance ("we" is not you, in this case: I see you saying something different, smarter). We might want to eliminate discrimination but we don't want a world in which everybody is the same or occupies space in the same way. At least, I don't!
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