That statement is why at least one Vietnamese pharmacist told me an anti-fungal cream cannot be used on toddlers. She took out the pack insert from the box after I had asked her whether it was safe for you to treat your diaper rash and said no because it warned, “Keep medicine out of the reach of children.” Unaware of her reasoning, knowing Vietnamese people in Vietnam are usually like monkeys grabbing at the first banana they see, I immediately questioned her intelligence and then did some research of my own on my phone. Unsurprisingly, I confirmed that the anti-fungal cream was safe for babies and, after dealing with the pharmacist’s bewilderment over asking for it again, bought it.
Your grandmother happened to be with me at your mother’s request. She, of course, took the pharmacist’s opinion as law and was visibly agitated after confirming with the pharmacist that I had bought the same anti-fungal cream. Your grandmother stormed past me as I waited for her outside of the store and didn’t slow down. I usually have to look back to make sure she’s keeping up.
We took the elevator back up to the apartment together. Had your grandmother been able to go alone, maybe she would have. While we were on the way up though, I was preparing my mind for what was likely forthcoming and hoping that she’d keep her mouth shut because I’ve been hot about all things Vietnamese lately.
Your grandmother, as expected, was a tattletail, which really wasn’t warranted because she doesn’t have a leg to stand on after all of the wrong decisions she’s made. Your grandmother revealed to your mother what the “doctor” had said. I calmly defended my position at first but that fell on deaf ears and firm rebuttals. Your mother unwaveringly sided with your grandmother, so I challenged her to read the pack insert, which was in both Vietnamese and English, and tell me where exactly it says that the anti-fungal cream cannot be used on babies. She pointed to the same statement that the stupid pharmacist saw and was even more convinced that it shouldn’t be used on you. No longer could I stay calm and went on my “Fuck Vietnamese People, They’re Idiots” tirade, which included notable mentions of your grandmother since this wasn’t the first time either your grandmother or mother took as law the flawed recommendation of a Vietnamese pharmacist when it was about you. It was, at least, the fifth time. None of which had resolved your issue. Call it luck but I’ve had the magic touch once made aware – 5 for 5. Just to point out, your mother sometimes forgets to let me in on things until its convenient for her and I didn’t always think Vietnamese people were idiots. It was hard for me to believe at first how bad medical knowledge is in modern day Vietnam because you’d think the title of doctor or pharmacist actually meant something of substance and I’ve had good experiences in nearby Malaysia and Thailand. I could literally be a better doctor or pharmacist right now than probably most doctors and pharmacists in this country.
I can’t fully remember what was said during my tirade apart from my usual rumblings but I made it a point to defend my position because your wellbeing was my priority and your mother didn’t want to take any action until the next day, which would have been 12 to 18 hours later and she’d probably end up sending your grandmother anyway. Understanding the commonality of the phrase in question, I quickly found the Sudocream, also for diaper rash, and showed it to your mother because the label says, “Keep out of reach and sight of children.” Yet, your mother and grandmother use it on you almost every week.
Without admitting it, I think your mother had eventually realized that I was right. She agreed with me that your grandmother’s thinking was flawed and let me apply the cream on your butt rather than firmly saying no. However, with regard to your grandmother, it’s near impossible to convince her that she was wrong because she doesn’t know that she’s an idiot. You could say that I’m stubborn but I’ll gladly back down when my thinking is flawed.
Nonetheless, the damage had already been done. It was too late to fix the situation by that point. Your mother was upset that I called your grandmother a stupid fucking idiot, or something along those lines, and said that I don’t respect her and her family before throwing a water bottle against the closet. Since my attention was only half-focused on the argument due to work, I also called her family a “scam family” by accident. I tried to correct myself because I met “scam country” but it was too late. Even though I meant what was said, mostly, I regret letting the argument get out of control.
Collectively, I hate the Vietnamese people in Vietnam with passion. I’m sure there are some good ones but enough are either opportunists, con artists or criminals. Some Vietnamese person will try to take advantage of you every week without a doubt unless you live a more sedentary lifestyle. It’s a toxic environment that’s brought out some of the worst in me, like my ex-wife. Of course, the Communist Party of Vietnam looks down on bad behaviors but there’s a double standard. The Communist Party of Vietnam can’t be a good example for its people to follow when it’s arguably the most corrupt thing – person or entity — in this godforsaken country. I need to leave Vietnam but not without you and your mother. Your mother’s patience for me is wearing thin partly because of my tirades against the Vietnamese people and partly because of some other stupid superficial, definitely narcissistic stuff that she holds against me but, hopefully, we’ll find our way forward together. Only recently have my tirades become worse due to being willfully scammed or discriminated against several times by Vietnamese people without much time between.
One could argue that I’m out of line because I’m not Vietnamese. But that’s a cop out. Everywhere I’ve been to in the world characterizes good and bad people similarly. Nowhere do I know of where a clear divergence exists. We’re all human. Just because someone is Vietnamese doesn’t make being bad acceptable unless that ethnic group should be classified as an animal.
Fuck the Vietnamese people.
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