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Do We Really Need This?
I sat down with some of my
friends for coffee a few weeks ago. We discussed several
things. Included was ThoseBrownEyes and other online
magazines. I was feeling half hearted about the need of having
online magazines. For once the vision that was in my head was beginning
to lapse. Before I always thought of it as a good idea... to
spend some time doing something else aside from drinking
coffee. heehee! =>
I received an email that was
asking me the same question. "Why is it that minorities
need to have magazines like this?". It was one of those
mails that I get from some people who is not clear about a lot
of things, but I was not clear with myself too. "Why
can't the minorities give themselves a chance to be part of
the majority?" And it seemed like a logical
suggestion.
Why is it? Really, why? Why
should we have ThoseBrownEyes, or Generationrice, or
Oriented.org and any of the other handful online magazines
that are focused at minorities? I said to myself that it was
in itself the answer. It's because minorities need a voice.
But why?
Why can't there be just
Americans rather than having Asian-Americans or
African-Americans? Or Asian-British and African-British than
just British? Thinking about it made me even contemplate about
leaving ThoseBrownEyes. I even thought about just spending my
free time drinking coffee rather than click-clacking away on
my laptop.
Then I took a bus. I saw this
fella who was obviously out of place. Not an Asian person, an
African, most probably. And I began to think what his home is
like. With his clothes I would assume that he is a migrant.
And that he would probably be living in a small flat somewhere
in downtown or even further away. And I thought it must be
hard for him now to be living and working in England where he
is different from the mainstream.
But it would be even harder
without the support of others who are like him. Those who have
confronted similar circumstances in language and culture that
he is currently facing. Without their support, without even
knowing that they made it through and came out as good members
of society.
I think that is why we have to
be here. Not because we want minorities to remain as
minorities forever, but because we want them to know how and
why they should find their way into the culture and society of
the country where they live in and make a positive
contribution.
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