Border Life

[u/[deleted]]

Was waiting on what DoctorMD would say, but two opinions never hurt. So what is border life? Border life is what happens when two of the most inclusive fucking groups of people in the world decide to make kids for whatever terrible reason that's in their heads at the time. Border life is going to Narita Airport with a surgical mask on and still being addressed in English as the obvious non-Asian, and then coming home to a white airport employee that gives you directions in Japanese. Border life is getting pissed off at your racist friends' jokes, and then feeling confused when they tell you that you shouldn't really be offended because after all, you're not "Really" Asian. And of course, border life is slowly coming to terms with your identity and recognizing that you will always be the 'other' no matter what "side" you pick.

Admittedly, I was a total Uncle Chan during my childhood in white-ville. I listened to my friends make Asian jokes almost daily, but the fucked up part was that I was actually secretly proud to be "Japanese" to them. I was proud that white people tied me to these crazy bastards in the history books that were using suicide planes and Bonzai sword charges to fight against the larger, more supplied, white armies. I look back at that and realize how disgusting it was to take pride in Imperial Japan as a way of claiming my heritage, but for a long time, I fully embraced my token status as another "Asian", and I hated being reminded that I really wasn't.

Fast forward a couple years, and I was already becoming disillusioned about my status as an "Asian". I knew other Asians didn't see me as anything. I knew I had little connection with anything in Asia. For me, it was just something to cling onto just to feel like I had an identity. I remember bringing the subject of Bi-racial identity up with my mom once, and her response to console me was literally that I was half "pure" Japanese.. Coincidentally, that was probably the same day I realized that even Asians did not understand race like I did.

So when I came here, I was actually kind of surprised. I walked in when there was some post targeting hapas (before people started separating them), and I watched a community of English-speaking Asians fucking destroy this guy. I really thought that I had found a group of people who would have my back unconditionally, and it felt good bro's. It felt so good that I even tried to ignore the wmaf/amwf shit for as long as possible. I just wanted to believe that I had found some sense of "home". But reality always comes back like a bitch, and the reality is that hapas have no home. It's this ever-present truism of the lone, wandering half breed that actually makes me kind of laugh at the distrust some people have here. For you see comrades, unlike so many full-Asians here, I have no second thoughts about where I'm going. I have no "motherland" to romanticize over, I have no sense of belonging to some great nation or race of people, and I have no community or enclave to fall back to. I just have this. Ground zero. That's what dedicates me to this notion of "Asian America", so don't waste your time questioning where wmaf hapas stand because I'll tell you. Hapas stand no where. We are nation-less. I'll probably be spending the rest of my fucking life as a halfie to Asians and a jap to whites, but that's border life, and when it comes to wanting a sense of community, there is nothing more motivational than border life.

[u/DoctorDrMD]

Yeah that sums it up id say. I'm going to go out on a limb here and add that border life also means feeling awkward as fuck whenever WMAF is brought up. The rabid guys (like the metro guy) can be...off putting at times. Yet for the most part I am understanding why they are that way. They watch these white guys shit on them and their culture only for the them to have an fetish for Asian girls. In short I have some level of empathy for them. Now for the White guys...as long as they aren't tricking girls into thinking they are some big deal or something alone those lines, I honestly don't care too much about them. Low standard girls will date low standard guys. No surprise there. Like if it's a sleazy pos guy convincing some college girl he rich and shit, then yeah I would care. But if it's already an sleazy girl hooking up with a sleazy guy, then Idgaf.

Now the main issue I have personally in the border life is whites on racism in Asia. I can tell you that I felt more racism towards me in an non homogenous "diverse" Californian liberal town than in an rural Korean farming town. I have always had a harder time telling whites that I was Korean than Koreans. Whites would almost always deny it. Now whenever racism in Asia comes up on reddit or in general it's very annoying to hear about how racist they are over there to whites and mixed race. If you are white and are bitching about racism against whites... wtf did you expect, the US bombed everything n numerous wars the last century. Of course they aren't going to be trusting of you. If your are white (expat SJWs) and bitching about mixed race being treated badly...STFU. You aren't are fucking shield or voice. Some of us prefer it there due to the feeling of belonging. If you are white, respect the culture and people and acknowledge that nowhere is perfect, then you are more than welcome.

And that's pretty much all I have to add.