Cultural Sensitivity...

... is something my dad doesn't have, at least when it comes to me. Two examples:

This weekend at the hospital I was making some small talk with him while waiting through the interminable paperwork processing. I mentioned I was thinking about joining a certain local Asian-American organization. He looked accusatory, as if I'd told him I was thinking of joining the Super Faker Poser League. "You're totally American culturally! There is nothing Japanese about you! So why do you say Asian-American?"

Then tonight I was watching the new episode of Heroes with my husband. There was a much-hyped but disappointing subplot involving Hiro Nakamura's father, played by George Takei from Star Trek. I was kind of looking forward to seeing George Takei. My father rolled into the room when he heard the Japanese dialogue. "Who is speaking in that strange accent!" He saw George Takei. "What terrible Japanese!" Then he shook his head and rolled off.

He's not ignorant on any level; he's incredibly well-read and curious about human cultural differences. He's not being malicious. He just doesn't care. He's one of those people who don't have a filter between what they think and what they say.

Part of it comes from his childhood. He went through a lot of trials and even suffered from malnutrition. I've usually managed to keep a balanced perspective on his limitations. It also helps that I've trained myself not to hold grudges, or expect anything from him in terms of emotional support.

I should add a new label, "Miscellaneous Complaining about Dad in Order to Keep Myself from Going Completely Nuts over the Next Two Months". I think I'll just leave these posts blank for now.