American born Chinese checking in. I don't like to leave my little cushion called the Bay Area for this reason. In grade school I had my share of being called "

American born Chinese checking in. I don't like to leave my little cushion called the Bay Area for this reason. In grade school I had my share of being called "Jap" and adults complimenting my English skills, but as an adult, the only racist remarks and behaviors (i.e. microaggressions) I've encountered in the past 20 years come from Facebookers in Idaho or thereabouts. I consider myself an American, not hyphenated, who possesses more knowledge of Chinese culture than average. My close friends come in a variety of colors and as far as I can tell, we are just ourselves. That's not to say racism doesn't happen at all in the Bay Area, but we do have the luxury of being considered "nothing unusual" most of the time.