Day one hundred and twenty six: my grandpa is only a little racist

"It don't matter what the hell..." is a typical Don (insert my real last name here)-ism. My grandpa is one of my most favourite people in the world and he's extremely diligent when it comes to making phone calls to the family. 

 (Grandpa Don: Christmas 2010)

There was a time when I talked to my grandpa at least once a week but now with my disgustingly busy work schedule weeks will go by with unreturned (on my part) phone calls. He lives in Vancouver so the time difference doesn't necessarily help but when I do get a chance to talk to gramps, he delivers the not-on-purpose laughs every time.  

What's a not-on-purpose laugh? It's when someone makes you laugh without any intention of doing so and my grandpa's not-on-purpose hilarity usually stems form his subtle racism. In this day-in-age we come to accept the little bits of racism that the older generation spews because they are a "product of their generation." I'm just happy that it doesn't come from a place of malice or hate but rather a polite ignorance to what is deemed to be politically correct. 

I try to explain to him that nowadays it's not appropriate to call Asians "chinamen" or anyone else who isn't Asian or White a "coloured fella" but it's hard to keep reminding him when I only get to visit once every couple of years. 

My favourite Grandpa Don story is when my uncle took him to get his watch fixed and the event went like this:

Repair guy: Hey! I remember you, do you remember me? 

Grandpa Don: Naw, all of you chinamen look the same.

Uncle: Don! 

Grandpa Don: Well what? We probably all look the same to him too! 

Repair guy: (nods yes)

On a day, like today, when I'm run down from having been on my feet for 13 hours and feel like a shell of my former self it's nice to hear a familiar, comforting voice like my grandpa, routing for me every step of the way.