"racism" (in quotes because I don't believe it in the way most people define that word)

This kind of BS really gets on my nerves. Today I got a letter from ASHA (not Kathleen's future daughter, but the association) asking me to be a mentor for a undergrad/grad student from a racial/ethnic minority because they recognize "the diversity and perspective [I] bring to the professions." What the crap? Like just because I'm asian I have invaluable qualities to offer to speech pathology that all those other white guys don't have? How about the fact that I'm a guy in a profession that's 90% female? How's that for a "minority."

Fine, I guess since we live in Hawai'i then asian is not a minority as it may be on the mainland, but what a load of crap that is to have "a very special program designed to match experienced, high-achieving professional such as [me] with racial/ethnic minority students." What, are we all gonna get together, get drunk, sing karaoke, and discuss the different ways in which our race makes it harder for us to succeed as SLPs? Bulls***. This is what ASHA has to ask me (this is a quote from the actual letter I got today):

"Perhaps you recall some of the challenges you faced as a student-the feelings of isolation and the pressure of being a minority student or being the 'only one' in your program. Maybe you remember how empowering it was when a respected, seasoned professional took an interest in you. You've likely been able to contribute to our professions because of a mentor. Now it's your turn."

What a load. Even when we went to the ASHA conference on the mainland, it was about half black and half white people, in fact mostly all of the people that I meet were black, or indian even. What? Were they drawn to me because we're both minorities? Crap.

Here's another thing, I was watching the NGC today and there was a show on maximum security prisons and one of the things that they emphasized was how important it was for prisoners to form "alliances" based on race in jail. Like it was essential to survival to align yourself with your own race and form your own mini-gangs in jail. And you couldn't cross racial lines (figuratively or literally) otherwise you'd get shanked. But then, the even more stupid thing is that when the authorities deliberate on each prisoner and in which cell block the prisoner should be placed, they ask them racially charged questions like, "do you like other whites?" or "what if your cellmate was a black man?" And then they group them fully knowing that once they get into that cell block they would join up with their race, even if they didn't want to or really weren't "racist" at all, the only way for them to survive is to pretend to be "racist." The prison guards even write things like "white" or "southern mexican" above the prisoner's photo IDs to keep track of them (which really works and is an efficient system, so yeah I'd probably do the same thing anyway! haha).

Anyway, conclusion = people are stupid. Sure you can be "racist" in the sense that you recognize that certain ethnicities have stereotypes, but then realize that they are just that... "stereotypes." Heck, knowing those stereotypes can be very very useful. Not that you should take them all that seriously, but sometimes they are true for some people and way off for other people. So heck yeah I'm "racist," I'm aware of race and the differences between people, don't mean that a darn thing until you start acting on that. Blah!

On a sidenote, I'm having a mini-vacation for me, my friend went on a trip so I'm housesitting for her in Ko'Olina taking care of the Pako. So laters!