Kaushik Pattamadai
Cherry Hill, NJ
I don’t really have many bad experiences with my name or my race in general. I have just noticed this question comes up a lot in interracial interactions even with names with easy syllable arrangements. Interestingly enough for me this question comes up only when I meet someone in person. People over the phone usually have no choice but to make the effort with a quick apology following. I believe it has has something to do with seeing the skin color, unfamiliar name, person different in appearance & instantly having to establish one’s racial identity as separate from the other. I wonder if humans can get past that and ever start connecting as men, women, the same way we do with other living creatures on earth..
