Hi everyone, I just need to have a small rant about something. I posted similar in my blog but wanted to share with you all this experience. This post contains some words may find offensive, but they are not words I would use; they are words that were used against my son.
On Wednesday night my son Ryan and I visited the Costco that has opened up near us. We spent a good hour wandering around to see what was what and picked up a few things on the way. All in all a good night of window shopping and little bit of buying.
On the way out of the store you must show your docket and the door staff check you trolley contents. Ryan and I have stopped to let this happening, Ryan stood just to the left of me as we chatted to the door attendant and she checked our shopping out. I noticed out of the corner of my eye a guy bearing down on the doorway with his extra large Costco trolley. I had this feeling he just was not going to stop and he didn't. I pulled Ryan out of the road and as the guy went passed Ryan apologised to him for getting in the road. This bloke sailed on passed, gave Ryan a filthy look and muttered a delightfully racist comment to my son.
Ryan is my Korean born son, and we adopted him when he was only 6 months old. Ryan is Australia, he has been raised here, he speaks "strayian" and is as ocker as they come. He is not a "chink", "gook" or a "slanty eyed little prick", he is my son and I love him and will defend him with all my heart, soul, might, mind and strength against those that would harm him.
I would say to the delightful piece of work on Wednesday night:
"Yes, my son looks different to you. His beautiful skin is darker than yours, but it is the same tone as my Mums, his Grandma Shirley. Yes his eyes may be a different shape to yours but they are as deep brown as my wife's, his beautiful mother. Yes, he looks nothing like his father but he is an avid Collingwood fan just like his Dad. He is a footballer, a golfer, an accomplished musician on 3 instruments. He is in ALL the honours classes they offer at his school and he is excelling in his studies. And, sir, the young man whom you chose to label an "ignorant, slanty eyed little prick" apologised to you without any word of encouragement or cajoling from his Dad because he knows what manners are and how to treat others. I did notice that when you realised that the guy standing next to him was somewhat taller than you, NOT ASIAN and the young boy called him "Dad" you dropped your eyes and walked a scurried away a lot faster. I'd call you a cockroach and coward but that would be insulting to cowards and cockroaches the world over. You may be at least 3 times older than my son, you may be large in stature, confrontational in demeanour BUT my son, at 13 years old, is 5 times the man you will ever become. You foul mouthed, back bred, red neck ass."
Why is such overt racism and intolerance still so prevalent in the country that I live? Who in their right frame of mind thinks it is okay to say such a thing to a boy who had only just turned 13?
My uncle,a decorated WWII veteran who fought the Japanese and was seriously wounded, loved Ryan and played with him often, when all the rest of the family expected him to want nothing to do with an Asian child. TG loved Ryan from the moment we brought him home and Ryan loved him as well.
I love my son, he is part of me in a way that is so much more than physical.
To the racists and bigots of the world I say - grow up and look at the road ahead and realise your way of thinking is that if a bygone age and it will NOT survive for very much longer in this day and age.