This Gay Korean-American Comedian Nails the Commonness of White Supremacy

As part of PBS News Hour's "In My Humble Opinion" segment, gay actor and comedian Peter Kim gives viewers a lesson on the everyday subtleties of white supremacy that he's faced while living life as a Korean-American man, and how people of color experience the effects of white supremacy more often than people care to think of.

"When you hear the phrase 'white supremacy,' what picture comes to your mind? Maybe it’s Adolf Hitler screaming into a microphone. Maybe it’s white-hooded figures marching around a burning cross," Kim explains. "For me, it’s a lot less dramatic and a lot more commonplace. So, if I may, I would like to offer an updated definition of white supremacy. It’s the idea that white is the ideal, and we are all consciously and subconsciously working to achieve whiteness."

He later goes on to tell the story about how he was called "almost white" by a fellow actor during an audition, and how that ignorant ideology assumes that the default race in America is white. 

The most interesting and relatable take Kim has, though, are his thoughts on the numerous amount of times he's been asked "Where are you from?" despite the fact that he is from the US. A question he, and other Asian-Americans, often get asked simply because they are not white.

"I have been lucky enough to travel and perform all around this country, and when I get asked the question 'where are you from?', I respond 'Oh, New York.'" Kim recounts. "Most of the time, well-meaning white people get upset and ask 'You know what I mean. Where are you from-from?' My boyfriend, who is from Minnesota, whose family has roots in Sweden, never has to explain where he’s 'from-from.'"

Watch Kim nail the everyday commonness of white supremacy in the video below.

h/t: Queerty