The teacher had to explain that two Asian students, two Latino students, and one black student was a reasonable cross-section of a San Francisco public school classroom in a low-income neighborhood.

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Man, I heart the Algebra Project. And not just because Bob Moses's sons were some of the best-looking guys I went to high school with.

This reminds me of PCU.

"Mayflower material, I presume?" "What?" "It's a boat. Your ancestors obviously weren't on it. Oh well, we'll take what we can get."

I originally read this as "drunkTards," and thought, dang, that's harsh.

For some reason the idea of me calling someone a "drunktard" is making me laugh ysterically. Possibly because I am drinking wine and posting about ethnicity.

Here's another one I don't get. I have heard many "ethnic" or polish/irish/german people of my aquaintance wonder why African-Americans and Indians don't just assimilate like they did and make the best of everything. And I start to think that it isn't really rocket science to figure out that either being forcibly taken over or forced into slavery is not the same think as coming to America thinking the streets are paved with gold and then being treated like crap. I mean, the treated like crap sucked but the other stuff was a whole different ballgame... the indians and enslaved blacks weren't immigrants!

I am absolutely going to start calling people drunktards, FYI.

It's also a little difficult when you are constantly reminded that you aren't the same, because you don't look the same. Humans are very lookist.

I've felt surprisingly ethnic in the midwest, just for the brown hair!

Humans are very lookist.

One of the first indications that my boss was less egalatarian than she seemed occured when she asked me if I had met a professor in our building. I though I had not. She said

"Well, M. is not a pretty woman, but she is very smart. I like her."

And I though, you know, I am not a pretty woman either... is that how she describes me to people?

"Well, M. is not a pretty woman, but she is very smart. I like her."

Wow.

Here's another one I don't get. I have heard many "ethnic" or polish/irish/german people of my aquaintance wonder why African-Americans and Indians don't just assimilate like they did and make the best of everything. And I start to think that it isn't really rocket science to figure out that either being forcibly taken over or forced into slavery is not the same think as coming to America thinking the streets are paved with gold and then being treated like crap. I mean, the treated like crap sucked but the other stuff was a whole different ballgame... the indians and enslaved blacks weren't immigrants!

Word.

There's a world of difference between setting out to a new world and struggling with what cultural things you keep, what you discard and...

Having all those things deemed garbage, ripped from you, and largely lost to the winds of time.

The first, you get a foundation to build from. The second, you get a void to fill.

Not to mention that to assimilate the assimilatees have to want the assimilateors to do so and not, you know, pass laws for a couple hundred years prohibiting it.

I do have to say that she may mean "does not wear make-up" and "wears turtlenecks and jeans" and "allows her naturally curly hair to do whatever" and "wears glasses" rather than an actually assessment of her specific features. But still... I don't need pretty points just for trying, you know!

Weirdly, this professor now has the office next to me and across from my boss.