David So, everybody.
Normally a popular comedian who uses YouTube as a platform to reach his 1.3 million subscribers, this video that he released is something entirely different. Though I didn’t necessarily laugh, I did finally see one of my pet peeves addressed in a perfectly-worded way that I couldn’t have done myself. I thought it would be interesting to pull out some of the lines he said and talk about them here today. Hats off to you David!
Video:
This video highlights one of the most uncomfortable things I experience (which thankfully doesn’t happen too often), and explains it to those who never have to go through it. I’m talking about walking into a new place, and having people automatically assume that I don’t know how to speak English. Everything I do to be a better person, live a good life, help others, all that is erased when someone looks at my appearance and assumes that my identity is nothing more than “foreign.” We’re all immigrants here. Really. But why are people of my ethnicity still so far removed from society that many of us have to sit through the discomfort of knowing that we have to somehow “prove ourselves” as English speakers? Honestly, this frustration is so hard to explain, but I feel like David really does do a good job.
He talks about a time when he decided to give his car away to his parents, then proceeded to purchase a new one for himself. Upon entrance there was no one else in the store. David attempts to ask someone for help, then repeatedly gets ignored by the salesperson (who gives him condescending glares) for around 45 minutes. To make matters worse, another couple comes in and the salesperson immediately goes over to help them. Finding this unbelievable, David gets frustrated and leaves. Just as he’s about to go, the salesperson finally approaches him and says “hey buddy, do you need some help?”, but with exaggerated gestures and huge hand movements, making it apparent that he doesn’t think David speaks English.
David departs after telling the man off- and hopefully teaches him a thing or two about respect. Two of my favorite lines from the video are:
“You do not get to treat us however the f*** you want based on your preconceived notion that you are better than us. F*** you.”
and,
“You do not get to treat us like second class citizens because of your perception of wealth and status”
The next time assumptions are unfairly placed on my family or any of my Asian brothers and sisters, the above quotes will probably be quoted. It’s honestly pretty shocking to get a taste of the ignorance that still lingers in today’s society. I feel like there’s always this perception that people who look like they may not speak English are somehow are less intelligent, or less capable of being good human beings. Hell, believe it or not, people CAN BE SMART but just in a different language. I don’t understand why this is SUCH a hard topic to comprehend, yet it’s apparent that for a good amount of Americans, and people in other English-speaking countries, don’t get it. Even if someone actually can’t speak English, they shouldn’t be judged before they get to share their story. There’s never a time, or place for that.
Well, that’s that. This conversation is far from over but I hope more people are able to understand this pet peeve of mine.