This Is America

We were at the mall and I took Dao to the restroom. As we were having our dialogue in Vietnamese, two twenty-something white dudes in flannel shirts and tight jeans laughed their ass off.

At first I paid no mind because I was just taking care of my business. As I washed my hand, Dao walked out of the restroom. I called him in Vietnamese, “Dao, wait for daddy.” Then I quickly ran after him. The two dudes laughed harder and one of them yelled, “This is America.”

At that point, I realized that they were laughing at us the whole time. I was not upset. I had faced far worse in the past; therefore, I didn’t let it get to me. I was a bit disappointed because this is 2013—five years after we elected the first black president. Then I thought about it for a second and I concurred with the guys.

This is America and she embraces diversity, which makes her one of the greatest countries in the world. I can’t let those whippersnappers weakened that magnitude of hers.