Month: May 2022

It’s sometime in the mid-2000’s.  I am a bachelor and grocery shop on weekday evenings.  Today’s trip is like any other such trip.  First, I walk through the brightly lit aisles to gather my items; this includes produce, staples, and a 12-pack of Coke.  Next, I go through the checkout to pay for my items; I often use self-checkout these days.  Finally, I simply pack the items into my car and head home.  Today that last step ends up occurring a bit differently.

Continue reading “The problem with ‘reasonable’ and ‘threatened’” →

During my childhood, the sibling rivalry in our home manifested itself in complicated and nuanced ways.  I grew up with two sisters, four years my senior and one year my junior.  My father passed away when I was nine, and thus I ended up growing up as the only male in the house.  As such, in a Chinese culture that is predominantly patriarchal, it similarly colored many of my experiences.  Depending on the nature of the situation, I may possess an implicit seniority over my older sister.  It’s something that is cultural which I navigated strictly by ‘feel’.  To delicately unwrap all those interactions would take more time and space than this simple post.  Similarly, to attribute an outcome as a product of culture (whether Chinese, Spanish, or American) or as a function of our individual personalities would be even more complex.

Continue reading “Sibling rivalry at a national level” →