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By Shawn Kuk Morning Breath: Racism Makes for Strange Bedfellows The term race relations is so non-descriptive, so ambiguous, so objective. Maybe it has been phrased this way so as not to scare-off the natives. Or, maybe it is just a good starting point in creating an open forum for furthering dialogue in this matter -- a dialogue that should be all-inclusive. Flip-it, and we can even call it a "listening party". But who will listen to the boy from East Los torn between the internal pressures of his neighborhood and his secret dream of becoming a screenwriter? Who might lend a sympathetic ear to the concerns mounting in the heart of a newly-arrived Cambodian mother who weeps silently for her 14 year-old runaway daughter? Who will address the growing problem of teenage delinquency in the Asian American sub-culture? And finally, who can even begin to explain how and why such social misdirections come to bear? So many disparities exist between the communities and social environments in which the white majority resides and those in which the various minority groups experience the echoes of the, so-called "American Dream". My hunch is that it is these particular differences that are at the root of the apathy so prevalent in the racially explosive communities throughout the U.S. The separation between the have and the have-nots, is an example of this disparity. And all the meanwhile, the interethnic conflicts arising in our urban cities pit the historically underprivileged, and underrepresented segments of our communities in a mad scramble for the token "crumbs on the table." Racism in America today, it seems, exists on an institutional level. Although there is no denying the presence of some very deep-seated animosity, still held, toward minority groups in America, the perpetuation of the problem can be attributed to the lack of understanding between the various ethnic groups, and the lack of information readily available that might help to alleviate the ignorance. There exists a failure on the part of mainstream media and in our educational institutions in truly informing the masses. In effect, America's popular culture, including the media, directly contributes to disseminating biases and stereotypes in the place of truth, or reality. They fail to represent minority peoples in their entirety, their diversity. So then the question becomes, "How can we bridge the gaps?" The issue, which surrounds race relations in America today is whether or not America can be awakened from its repetitious nightmare of indifference. The road to recovery can become more complex as scholars and experts in this field attempt to determine what would be the appropriate methods of addressing issues particular to the respective minority group and even subgroup. The assumption made here is that people will fix what is wrong, granted they are made aware and directed toward a more effective method. A simple solution may be to un-learn what has been learned, and to re-learn what must. (Shawn Kuk is a Sophomore majoring in Asian American Studies.)