Yes That's His Name, Don't Forget It

Has anyone ever told you that you can’t do something because of the color of your skin? Or because of the origin of your name. The most common one I’ve faced is “ you can’t rap bro, you’re too white” as if my abilities had some type of correlation with the color of my skin, bro. That’s similar to what former NBA player Kenyon Martin tweeted out at current player Jeremy Lin. Lin is most famous for his famous rise to NBA stardom termed as ‘Linsanity’, but most recently his hairstyles have been catching the attention of fans. His latest style is dreadlocks. Martin’s words were “We get it you wanna be black, but the last name is Lin.” Where he essentially critiqued Lin’s style as an attempt to be of another race.

Lin’s response was intriguing and articulate. Instead of firing back with a counter criticism of Martin, he described how his hair was not simply a style, but even more so a symbol. Lin said “ at the end of the day, I appreciate that I have dreads, and that you have Chinese tattoos, because I think it's a sign of respect.” In Lin’s perspective, this emulation of culture serves as an appreciation for its style and heritage. Lin also acknowledged Martin;s right to hold whatever opinions he desired, and later described spreading love and being gracious as his job.

This interaction is largely representative of racial classifications and diversity in contemporary American society. To many, there are strict and rigid divisions between people, and our heritage largely defines us as people and furthermore defines how we should act. However, this action of assimilating to a different style and culture is proof that race is not some biological constructs that determines how people will act and behave, but race is a cultural and social phenomenon that is largely imagined. One of the coolest things about living in the United States is that our interactions are divers, and we are a melting pot of cultures. Jeremy Lin has shown the positive utilizations of living in such a culture by seeking out and respecting a culture we wouldn't typically associate him with.

The color of our skin is not an indicator of our individuality. Instead of creating this rigid division between people I believe we should embrace and explore our differences, so that we can improve and diversify our society.

Photo courtesy of Mass Appeal