Interviews
Discomfort at being labeled by others
I don’t really like other labels put on me. When you self-identify, that’s your choice, and that’s the great thing, if you want to identify as whatever it is you do…I mean.
I remember I got a ticket the other day for having my dog on the beach and I got the “you people”. And I was like—‘cause whenever you get “you people” you’re now the minority, and “you people” can mean anything. When you’re, like, “You people,” you’re like—“Okay, I know where this conversation is.” So the guy’s like “I’ve been telling you people about this for a long time,” and I thought, “Okay, is ‘you people’ dog guys on the beach? Or is ‘you people’ surfers or brown guys or tattoo people or long-hair people?” or whatever it is, and I’m like—I asked, “What do you mean, ‘you people’?” And he just kept writing the ticket, he wouldn’t tell me.
And that’s when I realized there’s some label in his head he’s got going on. Maybe his “you people” is “you scofflaws who ignore the laws of our great country or city or whatever,” and maybe it’s something else going on. And so I choose to try to identify myself my way as much as I can.
Date: May 3, 2006
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Jim Bower
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.
Explore More Videos
Being Nikkei: A Double Responsibility (Spanish)
(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan
The Impact of Technology in Japan (Spanish)
(1958-2014) Former Bolivian Ambassador to Japan
The Secret to Youth (Japanese)
(b.1908) Daugther of the first publisher of the Rafu Shimpo
Interest in Japan stemmed from his mother and grandmother’s stories
(b. 1981) Enka Singer
Dreamed of becoming an Enka singer
(b. 1981) Enka Singer
His clothes are part of his identity
(b. 1981) Enka Singer
Hopes everyone pursues their dreams regardless of race or heritage
(b. 1981) Enka Singer
Considers Pittsburg his home, but always wanted to live in Japan
(b. 1981) Enka Singer
The first concert in the United States (Japanese)
(b. 1981) Enka Singer