Another race column

At the Democratic National Convention last week, vice presidential candidate John Edwards asked where we should talk about issues of race, equality and civil rights. He emphatically responded: "Everywhere! Everywhere! Everywhere!" to thunderous applause. \nI assume the Indiana Daily Student opinion page is included in one of those "everywheres," and indeed, I have used this space many times to write about race issues — usually about Asians. But there are some out there who think I'm using it a bit too much.\nOne Asian-American wrote me last spring requesting that I stop writing so much about race, racism and diversity because everyone already knows racism is out there and some would rather not have it rubbed "into their face every day." The reader wrote, "I notice that you always write about racism, white vs. black vs. Asians vs. whatever, and it's now rather comedic or even provoking to see an Asian guy writing about nothing else but races/racism."\nWhat I find comedic is this prevailing belief that the vast majority of my writings are about race and Asian issues. At the time, five out of the nine columns I have written for the IDS have nothing to do with race. (With this column, it's seven out of 12.) And many of my colleagues here at the journalism school were surprised when I told them that less than half of my columns have been about race. Still, their typical responses were in defense of the letter. \n"Well, you do write about race a lot," one said.\nBut I'm going to keep writing about race issues for a number of reasons. First, race issues are something I feel passionate about. Second, racism is not as obvious as many think. Third, people apparently don't pay attention when I write about something else.\nAfter I wrote about the William Hung phenomenon and its racial overtones in February, one colleague said to me, "I don't know what to think about the issue, but you made your point." \nWait a minute. I made a point? What's this world coming to? I thought I was merely stating the obvious, but it seems I was mistaken.\nThe portrayal of Asians in the media is not obvious to everyone — even to some Asian people. At the University of Alberta, 19-year-old Beverly Loo told Bill Mah of the Edmonton Journal, "Now that I think about it, the Asians are either really smart people, really geeky people or the other extreme, the kung-fu hero." Really. She had to think about it?\nIt's clear to me now that I don't write about race enough. Even before I received the aforementioned letter, I made a self-imposed quota to write less than 50 percent of my columns about race. I knew there would always be plenty of material out there, but I felt most readers would ignore my writings if I only wrote about race.\nNow I realize it's pretty much the opposite. Perhaps my columns about race are simply more memorable because I put more passion into them. Whatever the reason, I am now abandoning my quota, and I will write about race when I have something to say.\nLike most Americans, I watch too much TV, but rarely do I hear an Asian give an opinion about much of anything, except the graphics for a new video game. Asians seem to be either lacking opportunities to speak out in the mass media or not taking advantage of them.\nI have had the fortunate opportunity to write on this page over the past six months, but I regret giving into pressure to write less about race. So from now on I will write about race anytime, anywhere. Everywhere!