2002-03-12 - 2:57 p.m.
Well, I have nuthin' to say ... but here I am. I feel I have been neglecting this diary a bit. Today I met my girl for lunch --- we went to a really good Mexican restaurant where the men were all very gallant and spoke such beautiful musical Spanish. I told Vero that I am an "SSL" student - Spanish as a second language. See, it's a joke 'cause I'm an ESL teacher. Ha ha! get it?
I also went and got a haircut. I love the place and the people there. I've been going to them for at least 10 years. They were recently featured in the local paper, I guess because of the murders that occurred at another Asian-owned business here. There have been several recent incidents of violence (robbery, murder) against members of the Asian business community here and the place I go to is owned by a Vietnamese couple. They have a gigantic dog on the premises with them at all times ... I guess as a deterent. It's terrible that people are just minding their own business, trying to build up a company and be successful, and some assholes come in and try to take it all away. The most recent incident was particularly horrifying because two of the victims were a young couple who had been married only two months - he was murdered and she was kidnapped and, I believe, sexually assaulted. She was rescued, but a total of three people were killed and, of course, the families involved with the business are all suffering.
And then Saturday night Verona had a frightening incident at her mom's house. At about 12:30 in the morning, two guys tried to break in, but were scared off. Now her poor mom is too scared to sleep. I have no sympathy for criminals. I know I should be sympathetic to problems caused by poverty, etc., but having worked in a low-income, high-crime area, I have become even less sympathetic, in part because the people there are not sympathetic. And they are, overwhelmingly, the victims of that crime, so they should know. People who live in fear of their families or businesses being destroyed by criminal activity have no sympathy for those who attack them, and why should they? Sometimes we act as though property crimes have no victims, but they do. Many of the parents of my kids came to Texas with very little and they have worked hard to make a better life for their kids, with more opportunities for education. Education that is paid for out of their paychecks or their profits.
If someone is desperate for money, they need to go to a shelter or something to try to get help - not rob, murder, or rape someone else. Just because there are historical reasons why some communities are impoverished doesn't make it right to hurt others. What has Vero's mother ever done to oppress others? Immigrated to the US at 16 and raised 5 college graduates? What did the Korean-American folks at the restaurant do to oppress others? Immigrated to the US and started a business and then used their profits to bring over other family members who wanted to immigrate? And in both cases, paid taxes, etc. to make our community a better place for everyone. I don't see any justification for attacking them. I also think that the criminals who victimize people like this are preying on those they perceive as weak, the elderly, women, and, due to racist assumptions on the criminals' part, Asian people. Why should I feel sympathy for someone who, at least in their mind, is preying on the weak?
Rant over.
Opal
