Disclaimer: I'm Chinese and I see the irony of my screen name. Will make a new account soon.

How we talk about people affects how we treat those people. But also how we talk about people has an effect on how we think about them. Those words can be pervasive. They can spread. Someone else may have heard that phrase uttered and think it's okay. It may seem small, but these small words, small thoughts, small actions, can grow into widespread racism. Not to mention, it made this kid uncomfortable and his feelings are valid. We can be part of the solution by not contributing to the fire or we can ignore it and let it spread. Just as we do small things to save the environment like recycling, not eating beef, taking the bus, so too can we avoid using racist slurs to inhibit the spread of racism. It starts with these small things, and this starts with each of us.