Beth Nguyen recounts her first experiences with racism and how America has placed her into a box because of her name. She was the punchline of every joke, pitied for the unfortunate pronunciation of her given name, and was looked at as something exotic. I think that we can see through history that when people do not understand something they categorize it as something that is not “in” with them. Some people fetishize her and her culture others taunt and bully her. Growing up in America she experienced this “American gaze” and felt shame around the things that turned heads. She resented herself and her name. Something that was totally out of her control. It is interesting to see how much something can affect one’s self-perception. I think as time went on Beth not only resented the people who furthered this insecurity but she resented herself for letting it grow as big as it did. Yet, at the same time, the looks and actions wouldn’t change and some would tell her she was overreacting. She goes on to make a powerful statement, “the joke is more important than our existence”. This is heartbreaking–no one should ever feel that their existence is less than. She wanted to be “in” she wanted her existence to be equal to everyone else’s and by changing her name she was able to get that.