I have the gift and the curse of being a person of color, a female, and young in a white male 35+ world.I love my job, I love my co-workers..blah blah. However sometimes, I cannot help to feel that I am the token.
Have you ever walked into the situation at work where you are the token ___person? Token is not just a "black people thing". Even though it was developed to note the ONE black person in the movie, who always ended up dead. One can be a token, white, Asian, male, elder, etc.
Here are some "Token" things I have noticed.
1. When you walk into to work and say hello, every changes their vernacular to say "WHAZZUP? How you doin'?"
2. To relate to you, the sing songs like, "To the window to the walls" just to prove they are down?
3. They try to prove they have diverse friends? "I went skiing with my Neighbor AKBAR, he is from Bangalore"
4. They want to go to Lunch to Cultural place and swear the food is authentic as if they were born there. "Let's go to Sue Lings. They have the best soy sauce ever. I know its authentic. It is better the Bak Choys" or "Bahamas Breeze makes the best Curry Chicken." (AS IF)
5. When they are all talking about some man issues, and they say, "You are lucky you do not have to deal with that".
Fill in this blank.
You know you are a token _______, when _________________________________________!
2 comments:
1) You know you are a token Gentile when you meet your intended's extended family for the first time and don't understand that there's one table for meat products and a different table (in a different room) for dairy.
2) You know you are a token white guy when you enter your Hindu neighbor's home blessing ceremony and for 10 minutes sit blissfully unaware that you're being glared at because they've divided up by gender and you're sitting in the women-only room.
I find myself being the only black person in my training classes...at the networking events and if there is another black person...they dont want to acknowledge that im here too infront of the masses.
I must admit, I do often forget that I am the only black person sometimes. Then, something happens at work where they look at me like I am the all-knowing black person. UGH!
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