Quite some time has passed since the posting of the video, Asians in the Library, but the racist and insensitive nature of the UCLA student’s rant still resonates with parts of Western history and society today. In short, the video was posted by a white, female student who was using racial slurs to complain about the disruptive phone calls of Asian students in a UCLA library.  Not only were her derogatory statements demoralizing for Asians, I would argue that they were discriminative against minority groups in general. What interests me the most is the clear distinction made between Americans and Asian-Americans, (the “us” and the “other”), and the implicit suggestion for minorities to conform Western culture.

To me, this video further illustrates some of issues presented in Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill, such as the fact that minority cultures and groups have been, and are still being seen by some as foreigners who do not fully belong in Western society. The UCLA rant is paralleled with some of the major ideas in Diamond Grill, such as the pressure from society to dissociate oneself from their racial origins in order to “belong”, or the inferior status that is forced upon/accepted by minority cultures in Western society.

Although Diamond Grill serves as an objection to racism and prejudice, there are people who are cracking under the pressures of conformity. For example, when Julie Chen was told her Asian features were undesirable for the media industry, she underwent plastic surgery in order to make herself look less Asian, and to advance her career.

When one assumes racial superiority, and deems another race to be inferior or less desirable, minorities run into serious problems, such as being forgotten or neglected when it comes to history. Looking back, I realize how silent minorities were in my elementary and high school education. Issues pertaining to minorities, such as major discriminatory acts and policies in Canada, earned just enough page space in textbooks and time in class to cover the main points, but its long-lasting impacts on minorities today were largely downplayed. While Carter presents archival silences as a method of resistance and empowerment, I worry about those at a young age who may not be able to recognize the “gaps” or silences in their education about minority history. An elementary or secondary student may infer that a brief focus on minority issues in school equates to minority issues being of lesser importance. For the kids who are a part of minority groups, silences in education could implicitly reinforce racial hierarchies and conformity, and ultimately contribute to the increasing loss of culture in our Western, “multicultural” society.