drunken stupidity

So the other day, Chicago celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Yes, a whole week early but hey the parade needs to be on a Saturday and can't be after the fact, right? Apparently...

I was walking toward Navy Pier that evening with some friends, when a group of guys passed by us. One of them said to me "Go-ni-chi-wa"! Granted he was likely very drunk but I said "FUCK YOU." and they laughed. I don't think I'm very intimidating, even when I try to be!

My friends were more shocked than I was... but now that I'm dwelling on it, I think it's the first time anyone has ever said that to me in the United States...! I've been subjected to racial stereotype and ignorance, plenty, when traveling in Europe and in South America. I can't even count how many times I've been called "china" as an adjective, not the noun. And one time in England, I walked into a Cathedral with my white friend and after they handed him the English handout about the cathedral's history, they pointed me toward the piles of handouts translated into Japanese.

Sometimes I would get indignant. But mostly, I would attribute it to... I don't know. Ignorance? And then be super proud to be a (North)-American because nothing like that would ever happen to me in the United States! Oh, how mistaken I was! Sure, the guy was drunk and it was St. Patrick's Weekend, but we all know if it comes out when you're drunk then you probably had it in you to begin with.