2 mixed NHL players
JC
The Mercury News talks with the Phantoms’ Jamie Storr and includes the Kings’ Paul Kariya in this story about the mixed NHL players. Both are of mixed Asian heritage. Jamie Storr talks about some of the difficulties he faced growing up and shares his thoughts on how he would like to raise his children.
Going to school in Toronto wasn’t easy. Storr experienced racism as a child and teenager. “I wasn’t white and I wasn’t Japanese,” Storr said. “My mother would walk me to school and kids would see this little Japanese woman walking me to school, so it wasn’t to hard to figure out.
“It was difficult for me to fit into any particular group since there weren’t any students who were half Japanese and half Canadian. When you’re young, you always want to fit in with your peers. So that was difficult.
“As a kid, I can remember wishing that I had a white mother. … I wanted my dad to take to me to school so I wouldn’t have to listen to other kids. … As I got older and made the NHL, I became extremely proud of my heritage. This makes me feel unique. There aren’t too many Asian people playing in the NHL.”
Storr, his wife, Niki, and children Tyson and Olivia plan to visit Japan soon. “Now that I have children, I’d like to take them to Japan to show them where a big part of their heritage came from,” he said.
Interesting that Storr is the focus of this story. It explains that Kariya, unlike Storr, is accepted as mixed/Asian since you can tell from looking at him that he is. Storr on the other hand, can pass as white.
Everyone knows Paul Kariya is part-Asian. He looks Asian. You would never guess Storr is part Asian because he doesn’t look it, and he admits such. When Storr played for the Kings, he was active in Los Angeles’ Asian community. He was welcomed, even though he didn’t look the part.
It would have been more interesting had they juxtaposed the stories of both men. I guess they were only interested in Storr’s story since it’s so *unbelievable* that he is mixed. I mean he doesn’t even look mixed! He just looks like a white guy! How crazy is that!?! 
[eyeroll]
Renu wrote:
what kind of ridiculous statement is that– this one looks asian and that one doesn’t??!! I think we all agree it’s of minimal interest to the individual, how we’re racially perceived by others, though it can often be detrimental– or at least annoying– to feel we have to justify if we, in fact, ARE this or that mix. ugh. [big eyeroll] I think the writer’s ignorance on sensitive phrasing (unintentionally?) reeks of more mixed-exoticism, and it’s just such a turnoff.
-So sick of hearing “well you don’t look *that* Indian…” well I’m only half, do I at least look *half* to you?
Posted 24 Jan 2006 at 9:35 am ¶
justin wrote:
‘what kind of ridiculous statement is that– this one looks asian and that one doesn’t??!! ‘
It is ridiculous but I don’t think it’s of minimal interest. Friends tell me they don’t think I look ‘that’ Asian, at the same time I regularly have strangers yelling slurs at me because they can see that I am and that’s all that they see. Excuse the clichés but people see with their minds and racial acuity is really fascinating, to me at least.
Some times women tell me they are not attracted to Asians followed by ” but you don’t look that Asian” then I want to throw up so the conversation ends.
Posted 24 Jan 2006 at 11:04 am ¶
Ben wrote:
As much as I (and my blonde sister) hate being told that we “don’t look black,” it’s a legitimate statement from people with naïve perspectives on race. In fact, if more “white-looking” multiracial celebrities identified conspicuously as multiracial (Rob Schneider, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Greg Louganis, Shannon Elizabeth, Norah Jones… the list is quite long), people might be less amazed when someone who doesn’t fit a particular phenotype claims a particular ancestry.
The question then is, how would any of these folks, with their unambiguously European last names, identify as multiracial conspicuously enough that the general population would notice?
Posted 24 Jan 2006 at 1:16 pm ¶
JarvisR wrote:
look the white to men
Posted 24 Jan 2006 at 1:32 pm ¶
JarvisR wrote:
sorry my english is not that good iam from germany
Posted 24 Jan 2006 at 7:29 pm ¶
justin wrote:
I think the answer to Ben’s Question is that John Storr’s doing some good.
I have a sister who looks relatively Caucasian and she is a lot more interested in our heritage than I am. She is sympathetic when I wallow in my victim-hood but I get really cynical when she tries to take part. So much of my identity is based in experiences of discrimination. When I hear people talking about their roots or telling me that I should explore mine my mind flashes on the Jerks shouting “ why don’t you go back where you came from…” and I am mean to my sister, I think her ideas about heritage are naïve and they are also marginalizing. I don’t need roots, I know who I am, I would like to know what people are thinking when they try and tell me otherwise.
It is great that John Storr is part of the Los Angeles’ Asian community, but I am not sure about his trips to Japan. When Storr says “It was an honor, and I was doing it for my heritage,” he is deliberately quoting Karate kid 2 right ???
Posted 25 Jan 2006 at 3:10 am ¶
Hannibal Lecturer wrote:
Well, it sounds as if you might also be more self-conscious, ashamed and in denial about your non-White minority heritage? Ironically, you are more concerned with fitting in with the White majority…because you don’t. You may also be more resentful of it - because it has visibly separated you from the majority.
Well, I don’t know how old you are, but the desire to assimilate is natural when you’re younger - but you may find yourself flip-flopping to make up for “lost time” as you get past your mid-20s. For, there is a lot to empower yourself within your minority culture (if you know where to look) - although you might not see that portrayed by the majority media/culture.
Posted 25 Jan 2006 at 8:35 am ¶
Ben wrote:
Hannibal, that’s awfully presumptuous. Just because Justin resents other people telling him who he is doesn’t mean he’s ashamed or in denial about anything. Carmen and Jen mentioned this in ATR 13. In the 3rd Dr. Phil segment, the conflict was that the mother accused her biracial daughter of acting too white, implying she was ashamed or in denial about her blackness.
Sounds more like, in both cases, they just doesn’t choose to identify with the non-white side as strongly as others might like them to. That’s their choice, and it’s insensitive to suspect it has anything to do with shame.
Posted 25 Jan 2006 at 11:47 am ¶
Hannibal Lecturer wrote:
when I wallow in my victim-hood
hear people talking about their roots or telling me that I should explore mine
Jerks shouting ” why don’t you go back where you came from…”
I don’t need roots
Is this the mindset of a well-adjusted person? No, this is a cry for help from a frustrated young man with a biracial ID crisis. Yes, your classic “tragic mutt.” He needs psychological intervention to help him accept and embrace the half of him that he ultimately cannot avoid. Before he cuts his face up like Michael Jackson. Or at least give it a fair shot - especially since he looks more the part that he is trying to deny.
Posted 25 Jan 2006 at 2:48 pm ¶
Ben wrote:
I don’t find it productive to make presumptions about the mindsets of people I communicate with on the internet.
Whether or not one feels one needs roots has nothing to do with multiracialism. Plenty of blacks feel no special tie to Africa; plenty of whites feel no special tie to Europe… it has nothing to do with how well-adjusted they are, it just means they consider America to be more important to their sense of self than whatever country their ancestors came from.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, just that your assumptions are as unwarranted as they are uncharitable.
Posted 25 Jan 2006 at 3:42 pm ¶
justin wrote:
Hannibal, you are exactly the kind of racist that fascinates me.
What do you think an Asian is and what do you think a White person is?
You wouldn’t think I was a tragic mulatto if you could see my hybrid vigour (just in case, this is sarcasm), you wouldn’t think I was denying anything if you could see the tattoo I got from hanzi smatter.
Maybe you could buy me the Asian equivalent to kinte cloth and then explain how you deal with authenticity.
I was trying to write emphatically ,to provide a comparison/critique of Storr’s story and also to contain my bias. If I didn’t make this clear I identify strongly with my Asian side because of all the horrible things I have experienced. Those experiences have nothing to do with my rich and layered ethnicity, which I try not to exploit and everything to with why I am secure in who I am. Like Storr I am part of a Minority Asian community but when I am faced with conflict I don’t run to the past or go play mime in a country where I don’t speak the language, I don’t need to, I am a whole person.
Posted 26 Jan 2006 at 8:44 am ¶
Merq wrote:
Weird, Justin. It seemed pretty clear to me what you were saying. I don’t know what Hannibal was reading, but you were pretty clear from the jump.
Posted 26 Jan 2006 at 1:31 pm ¶
Hapa Meister wrote:
lmao, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hapa as white-looking as Jamie Storr. Maybe a few that were close, though!
I guess there really might be more undercover hapaz that I thought. *raises eyebrows*
Posted 27 Jan 2006 at 8:24 am ¶
Ben wrote:
Hapa Meister… how about Zach Morris? Deuce Bigalow? the Czech exchange student in American Pie?
Posted 27 Jan 2006 at 12:58 pm ¶
Hapa Meister wrote:
I think that Czech exchange student in American Pie is actually like part Arab and/or Aremnian or something. Looking at her complexion and some features I wasn’t surprised she was mixed.
Zach and Deuce are harder to target as EA’s but I can see some mixedness, esp. after I found out that they were. But I need to see more pics of this Jamie Storr guy. He has to be the least EA-looking of them all! Wow! Wonder if they got the right baby at the hospital.
Posted 29 Jan 2006 at 7:28 am ¶
Marsha wrote:
I agree with Justin’s first post. I’m half Peruvian and half white and I get the “What are you?” question all the time. I also get the, “I thought you were white.” all the time too. I’ve gotten so sick of the “What are you?” question that I started to tell people that I’m of different backgrounds just to experiment with how people react. I’ve told people that I’m Italian, East Indian, Native American, Middle Eastern, Mexican- you name it. The reactions I get are typical- almost ALWAYS POSITIVE when I say I’m Italian and ALWAYS NEGATIVE when I say I’m East Indian, Native American, Arabic, etc. It really is all about perception…
Posted 02 Feb 2006 at 1:42 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:
That reminds me of my husband’s family - Puerto Rican, but his father claimed Italian for years - he was afraid people wouldn’t hire him otherwise. It was to the point where my spouse as a kid believed it. Then one day he hears his mother say, “The island was so crowded,” so he asks his sister, “We’re Sicilian?” At which point his sister set him straight.
I think the reactions you’d get would depend on the area… in some places you’d get a “positive” reaction to saying Native American (if a stereotypical, likely WRONG one).
Ah, “What Are You,” the bane of many of us. A suggestion: a very cautious, confused “Human?” response works too… especially if you start looking surreptitiously for antennae on the person asking you. If you’re a sci-fi fan, answering with an alien species name or two works too (I tried that at a sci-fi convention - it worked).
Posted 03 Feb 2006 at 10:17 am ¶
Hmmm... wrote:
I was on the elevator once and this South East Asian guy asked if I was hispanic. (my mother is African-American and my father is Hispanic by way of Puerto Rico but I identify as black politically and culturally,) Anyway I told the guy I was black. He actually frowned at me and quickly became silent. He was several shades darker than I am so I guess he couldn’t understand why I identified as black when he actually is black in skin-tone. I have had a lot of various reactions from people when I have identified myself, but never has anyone frowned at me. I wasn’t upset though, I was more shocked and just laughed. I think next time someone asks me “what are you?” I’m going to follow Lyonside’s cue and say “Human and proud.”
By the way, usually after I identify myself as black I explain my mixed ancestry to explain why I look the way I do, but I didn’t bother with this fool, aftre he frowned at me.
Posted 04 Feb 2006 at 5:01 pm ¶
I'm just sayin'... wrote:
^He probably frowned at you because he assumed you were stark raving mad, like all other mixed people who identify as black.
Posted 04 Feb 2006 at 7:52 pm ¶
Hmmm... wrote:
No, I’m not stark raving mad. If you read my post closely you would understand why I choose to identify as black. Though yes, I am of mixed ancestry, politically and culturally I am black. Anyone who has a problem with that can go to hell. To follow your logic, I guess I should expect that guy I met to identify as black since his skin was coal black, right. If he hadn’t frowned at me then I would have explained to him my mixed ancestry, though I don’t know why I need to do that. What was it to him if I was Hispanic, he wasn’t Hispanic. He was South Asian, so what did my “racial” background have to do with him. My mother always says, “Don’t be nosey. You ask people questions and they might give you a response you don’t want to hear.” He should have minded his own business for the few seconds we shared an elevator. I already have a boyfriend, I wasn’t interested in him.
Thadie Newton and Halle Berry (who had a nose job by the way) have dark skin tones. I guess they should identify themselves as black since they have very dark skin. But I’m sure you will try to argue that they don’t look “black” because they don’t have the physical features of a Bantu African, as if that is the only phenotype that Africans carry.
Some of you “mulattos” out here are hopelessly ignorant. Some of you harbor negative attitudes towards African/African-Americans because you believe black people to be inferior, so you feverishly latch hold to you non-black ancestry in order to seek other peoples (READ WHITE PEOPLES) approval. Pity, pity you.
Posted 06 Feb 2006 at 2:19 pm ¶
WOW!! wrote:
“all other mixed raced people who identify as black” are “stark raving mad!!!”
I don’t think so sweetheart. What’s mad is people like you trying to promote a color conscious society. Didn’t we already have that in the 60’s???
Posted 06 Feb 2006 at 2:23 pm ¶