It’s More Than a Joke

Deep dive into the effects self-deprecating racism has on the Troy High School community

Ashley Park // Body Copy Editor & Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi

Troy High School is a very diverse building, with many different ethnicities in one location. According to the US News, the minority enrollment of the school is 56.1 percent, meaning the majority of the students are people of color. Despite being a minority-majority school, Troy High School can’t avoid the grasp of racism. Self-deprecation, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is to “undervalue oneself”. Self-deprecation can be used in many ways, one of which is racism. This happens when a person of color undervalues not themselves, but their own ethnicity or race. But what effect does this different form of racism truly have on students at Troy High School?

Senior Samina Abedi, a Muslim student, shares her experiences with self-deprecating racism, “In my family, we sometimes make jokes about being Muslim,” she said, “But usually when people make those jokes that are non-Muslim or not part of the culture, then it’s a little weird. They don’t understand the struggles that we go through as a community and they don’t know how to relate to it. They’re just making fun of it.”

Shriya Kankatala, an Indian American Student Association board member, explains her perspective, “I don’t think I have ever self-deprecated because of my race, but I do hear a lot of people going around and bringing down their own race,” she says, “It’s usually as a joke but there’s a fine line between joking, and actually meaning it.”

Though this popular form of racism can be seemingly harmless, it can also be used in a negative light. An example can be people who are not of the ethnicity or race making the self-deprecating jokes they heard their friends make with the belief that they are allowed to do so.

Kankatala states her opinion on these beliefs and actions people may take, “I don’t think I’ve personally experienced where other people have joined in, but I think I’ve seen it happen before. People think it’s okay because they see other people doing it so they’re like ‘because they’re doing it we can do it too’. They justify it like that to themselves.”

Abedi gives her explanation of why people may use self-deprecating racism, whether or not they’re part of the culture, “I feel like it could be a way of coping with the struggles of the community and what you’re going through. But if you’re not part of the community then it’s very detrimental to making progress.”

Sangeun Jeong, the Vice President of Japanese Club, shares his opinions on how respecting others, including close friends is important, “We’re inside our own group of friends and we know what we’re saying is an inside joke, but it gets to a point where it’s not an inside joke, and it just feels like blatant racism.”

Abedi gives her own perspective on racism as a whole and gives advice to those who may be users of self-deprecat- ing racism, “Just be respectful, respect people’s boundaries and be mindful of what you say cause you never know what people will interpret it as.”

For an extended version, please refer to The Chariot’s official website.