Racial Ignorance in the South (Who Would Have Guessed?)

I went to one of those "divide and conquer" diversity events and got a book called Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians. When I started reading it I was reminded of something that happened to me when I was in the Army--actually my last day in the Army.

I was raking leaves and a black female NCO came over and started asking us about our Christmas plans. You know the type if you've ever been in the military--maybe you are the type--the female warfighter convinced that all of her male colleagues secretly harbor contempt for her gender, and that any friendly or respectful actions on their part are driven only by their hope of obtaining sexual favors. When in reality they actually hate her because of the huge chip on her shoulder and would seek carnal pleasure from sheep first, or if sheep are not available, camels.

Anyway, she asked me where I was from, and I said, "Seattle, Sergeant," and she said, "No, I mean your ethnicity," as if she had just asked me for the time and I'd responded by drooling on her boots. So I said, "Chinese," and she said, "Ah, China. Are you going back there?"

Inasmuch as I've never been to China, I could no more go "back" there than I could go back to Mars.

I wonder how she would have reacted if I'd asked her if she was going back to Africa?