My original inspiration for this MyTake was an a assignment in high school history class, in which our teacher asked us to name "one black person we admire". It got me thinking, "why only black people? Why not every race?" So here I am, writing this MyTake. I'm gonna be honest, I was debating whether or not to write this MyTake as I was afraid it would create a range of mixed emotions, however I am getting sick and tired of being accused of racism and Islmaphobia by fellow gaggers. So I decided to write this MyTake to hopefully get those notions out of your head once and for all. And if after reading this, you STILL think I'm a racist Islmaphobic bigot, so be it. That being said, if you felt I excluded a certain group of people, "like Central Asians" it's not because I hate them, it's simply because I don't know any famous people from that group. After some deliberation I have decided to exclude Jews, North Africans and Persians as they aren't really races. I know, the definition is a bit grey, but I tried to be as inclusive as possible, while only sticking to racial groups you would find on a census questionnaire. Now without further adieu, here are 8 people of various backgrounds that I admire.
WHITE
Anthony Bourdain
Out of the thousands of successful white guys I could've picked, I had to chose the late great Anthony Bourdain. The popular chef, writer and travel show host recently took his own life in France, while filming an episode of his CNN travel series "Parts Unknown". I first started watching Bourdain back when he was on the Travel Channel, and in all honesty, I couldn't stand the guy. From his "ABBA trashing Sweden episode" to his "we don't visit ancient ruins on my show", and his "anti-Trump comments", it didn't take me long to develop an utter hatred for the arrogant prick. There was also the idea of, "How the hell does a snobby alcoholic, adulterous drug addict get his own travel show?" Plus after a few episodes, I grew sick and tired of looking at large plates of food on my TV screen. So, you're probably asking, "Why did I continue to watch his shows, and how did he eventually become my idol?" Well, it was his CNN show that really did it for me. Even here I had a love-hate relationship with the guy, swearing I would never watch his show again after he said he would "poison Trump." Yet, curiosity always got the better of me and I found myself on Wikipedia looking at the episode list of the new season. "Damn, Trindad and Sri Lanka. Okay, I gotta watch those." And sure enough, I found myself tuned into CNN at 6:00 PM on Sunday. Than one day I read, "Bourdain's TSA comment pulled from episode because of controversy." Than I said, YES! This guy is EXACTLY like me. Sometimes I agreed with him, sometimes I disagreed with him, but his "I don't give a shit" attitude is something I eventually began to respect and admire. Than there was his comment on why Hillary lost and his defense of blue collar Republicans, and I began to think, "Hmmmmm, maybe this guy is neutral." But of course what REALLY made me admire him was his travel style of his CNN series "Parts Unknown". For the first time I was looking at a travel show that delved into more than just the usual tourist sites. I was actually learning about social issues and everyday life in other countries. This is the thing that made me realize, there is much more to travel than just visiting the tourist sites. Bourdain inspired my current travel and vlogging style, which now focuses on life and issues in the country, and not just the tourist sites. I can't even begin to explain the impact Bourdain has had on my life. The best part of all, he was exactly the same in real life as he was on camera. He is still my biggest idol and the only celebrity who's death made me cry. I truly feel like I've lost a good friend.
Happy travels Tony, wherever you are.
BLACK
Chris Rock
Okay, after my slightly depressing commentary on Anthony Bourdain, you're gonna be thankful for my next pick. I have a large list of black musicians, comedians, actors and even politicians I could've chosen, but in the end Chris Rock wins my pick for most inspirational black person. Although comedy-wise, I'm a bigger Chappelle fan, it's Chris Rock's personal life story that earns him a spot on this list. I will be honest, although I have known about Chris Rock for years, I didn't actually watch any of his stand up until last week. Now I realize why he is such a big name in the comedy world. The guy is fucking hilarious! What I love most about his comedy, is that his jokes aren't jokes, but true statements. He knows the reality and tells it like it is, without sparing ANYONE. As great as his comedy is, the biggest reason he earns a spot on my list, is just how much he has overcome. Watching the guy on stage, you would never guess that he had a rough childhood which consisted of years of racism induced bullying. We all know many people who experience that, end up being damaged for life. I myself was bullied in school and it's created some anger and self esteem issues I still have not been able to over come. That's why I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the guy for finding an escape through comedy. Knowing the shit he's been through, you would think he'd be one of those fanatical black people who wants nothing to do with white people, but not Chris Rock. He didn't let a few racist white assholes cloud his entire perception of white people. And his racist white people jokes are fucking hilarious! Huge respect.
LATINO
Danny Trejo
As tempted as I was to choose one of the gorgeous Latina actresses, in the end I ended up going with the less attractive Danny Trejo. Like many unfortunate young Latinos, Trejo fell in with a bad crowd at a young age. From 1959 to 1969 he had served time in six different prisons, his longest sentence being five years. His most serious offense was armed bank robbery. Trejo also struggled with drug addiction, but eventually became clean after completing the 12 Step Program, and went on become one of the biggest Latino film stars in Hollywood. In fact, in many of his early films, he took on small gangster roles, which he always had killed off. Trejo said he did this as a way to show young kids and teenagers that crime doesn't pay. He truly is one of the most inspirational people in Hollywood, and is living proof that people really CAN change.
MIDDLE EASTERN
Nada Arkaji
Okay, you know me. I had to put one cute girl from an exotic country on here. If you've never heard of Nada Arkaji, don't worry you're not the only one. I myself found her completely by accident while googling another name, and ever since have developed much admiration for this young Muslim woman. At just 18 years of age, Nada became the first woman to represent her home nation of Qatar in the summer Olympics. What's even more sensational is that her sport was freestyle swimming. Although she didn't make it past the qualifying stages, she became an inspiration to Muslim women and women's rights activists all over the world, and even went on to give several Ted Talks. In the midst of all this, she was attending business school, yet some how found the time to balance her studies and training, making history in her nation. Up until 2012, Qatar was one of only two Muslim nations that had never sent a woman to the Olympics. Despite decades of female oppression, terrorist sponsorship and abuse of Jews, LGBT and migrant workers, Nada is amazingly patriotic towards her country, and even served on the committee for Doha's bid to host the 2020 Olympic games. The fact that she is still loyal to her country despite all its flaws is reason enough to respect and admire this girl.
SOUTH Asian
Shilpa Mehta
This is another "celebrity" you have most likely never heard of, but that's okay. Shilpa Mehta is an English woman of Goaese decent, and is most famous for being one of the hosts on the public access show "Globe Trekker". Shilpa filmed a few episodes for the travel series in the 90s, when she was still a young woman in her 20s. She later went on to work for the BBC and other major British television networks. These day she works as a school director in Goa and frequently travels between India and the U.K., while teaching her daughter the importance of travel. Since she isn't "high profile" she frequently interacts with her fans on social media. In fact, I have her as a Facebook friend, and we've even exchanged private messages before, and she even wished me "Happy Birthday." Yeah, this girl's cool. The main reason I admire her is because her dream job is the same as mine. And she showed that you can be a travel show host, and still have people recognize you after all these years, while at the same time not being a super famous snob. She worked in television, but she's just like everyone else, which is exactly how I think all celebrities should be. Respect Shilpa for not letting it get to your head.
EAST Asian
Erdenesuvd and Buyankhishig Ganbaatar
This is another unlikely success story. Better known as the Contortion Sisters, Erdenesuvd and Buyankhishig were born in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator. From the age of six Erdenesuvd became interested in music and gymnastics, and it didn't take her father long to realize she had something special. By the age of twelve, she was touring Europe with the Mongolian circus and shortly after became a professional contortionist. Her younger sister Buyankhishig, who originally had no interest in the traditional Mongolian art, soon decided she wanted to follow in her sister's footsteps. The two soon began performing as a duo, touring to different parts of the world. In 2012, the two Sisters arrived in Vegas to perform on season 7 of "America's Got Talent". However, due to the show's residency rules, the two sisters were disqualified since they were only in the U.S. on a work visa. After the blunder, the two sisters applied for a U.S. green card and reauditioned for season 9 of the show, where they made it to Judgement Week. The two sisters live in Vegas to this day, where they perform with the world famous Cirque du Soleil. As the son of immigrants myself, this story really hits home with me, and shows that even people from the most unlikeliest places can achieve the American dream if they are determined enough.
PACIFIC ISLANDER
Dwayne Johnson
This one was probably a given. There probably isn't a single person who doesn't love The Rock, for one reason or another. But I must admit, just like Anthony Bourdain, The Rock was another celebrity that took a long time to grow on me. This was when he was just getting into film. I thought he was so overrated and didn't know what all the fuss was about. Than one day, I was over at my friend's house and he put on "Walking Tall" and I was like, "Damn, this guy's pretty good." But it was the "Fast and Furious" franchise that really made me realize what a great actor and likeable guy he was. I will be honest, I was always intimidated by his large muscles, but the guy really is a gentle giant. It didn't take me long to discover his sarcastic sense of humor, which is one of the things I love most about him. If that isn't reason enough, he's one of the few celebrities who isn't a Liberal, but he doesn't preach his beliefs to the public AND he's descended from Samoan chiefs. How badass is that? Plus he collaborates on Lilly Singh's Youtube channel. You gotta respect any high profile celebrity who collabs with Youtube comedians. The man's got class.
NATIVE American
Jay Silverheels
Sadly it seems that there are no inspirational modern Native American celebrities. Therefore, I had to resort to picking one that has been dead since the 80s. However, I really don't mind picking Jay, and if I'm honest, he's the only Native American from modern times I truly admire. The Canadian actor is most famous for his role as Tonto in the "Lone Ranger" television series. In an era of Jim Crowe and segregation it is pretty amazing that a Native American, a Canadian for that matter, was able to gain such wide fame on the Hollywood screen. In addition to being a good actor, he was also a successful lacrosse player, and his father trained Polish-American soldiers during WWI. As a Polish-American myself, that is reason enough for me to admire this guy. I also respected him for not being one of those Native Americans who's still pissed about Columbus.
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