Walking The Dog ... Racial Stereotyping

Its interesting how one image, one remark may create a prejudice or stereotype that can emerge when we least expect it. I had such an experience while walking my 130-pound American Bulldog.

I live in the City Market area of Kansas City. It’s an old part of the city, nestled against the Missouri river. Immigrants who sought out commerce on the river first populated the area, and it is much the same way today.

Down the street from my apartment complex is an Oriental Market. Nietzsche, my dog, and I walk past it every day. However, on one particular day, I would realize how a five-minute scene from a movie I saw more than 10 years ago planted a racial stereotype within my mind.
I was walking Nietzsche pass the store when an elderly Asian man pulled up in an old, brown Honda.

“How much does he weigh?” The man asked in broken English.

“He’s 130,” I said.

I’m used to answering questions about my dog’s breed and weight, and I’m used to responses like, ‘Wow, he’s a big boy.’ However, this Asian man’s remark sent me back to high school. The night I disregarded my parents wishes and went to see the movie Faces of Death.

“If you ever sell him,” the man said, “you should sell him by the pound.”

We both laughed. As my dog and I continued down the street, an image appeared in my mind. Instantly, I remembered watching Faces of Death at the drive-in.

The scene was of an Asian family, Vietnamese I believe, going to the market. They looked like a normal family, wondering around a farmers market and stopping to look at puppies. The puppy wasn’t destined to be the family’s new pet. It was dinner.

As the elderly man made the joke about selling my dog by the pound, I pictured how the family in the movie took the puppy home alive, pinned it to a cutting board and carved open the puppy. Then it occurred to me, was my Asian neighbor suggesting he wanted to eat my dog?
It was just a coincidence, I told myself. He was making a harmless joke, I reassured myself. However, the visual wouldn’t go away, so I tried another mental tactic.

I thought of all the things Americans eat that other people find disgusting. Hindus believe cows are sacred, but we eat billions of burgers a year. Eating pig is repulsive to Muslims, who believe God forbids it.

As I thought of all the other cultures and religions, I smiled. Whether the elderly Asian gentleman was simply making a joke, or indeed talking about eating my dog, didn’t matter. I had learned how easy it is for a stereotype to stick in one’s mind and how to defuse my singular thoughts with a broader perspective.