i was talking to my parents on the phone after dinner. we normally talk stocks, sports, but today my dad told me a story. with everything going on, he mentioned how difficult it was to find a place to rent in lincoln, nebraska. this was before i was born. he said a well-respected professor at nebraska owned a house, and my parents tried renting it from him. the guy asked them if they ate fish sauce, to which my parents responded yes. he said fish sauce smells like socks, and denied them. turns out he was a vietnam vet. the guy my parents ended up renting from had a place that was in bad shape. he didn’t fix anything and when my parents inquired about repairs, he told them that learning to fix things would be beneficial when they became home owners. my dad said he didn’t perceive either as racism because he didn’t look at things in that light. not to speak for him, but i guess he was on a mission for his family to get his education and provide a better life for him and us. i love that. racism exists, there is no doubt about it, but to let it be justification as to why we victimize ourselves (especially in today’s society) is a shame. we live in the greatest country in the world. is it perfect? absolutely not. but can we still be successful despite everything going on?
my answer is yes.
-ratha, 10:27pm, 6.5.20