What is an athlete? The Google definition is as simple as ia person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. But over the years people have been dismissed from their work and efforts like how the Japanese in They Called Us Enemy were completely robbed of their identity. Though I don´t dance or cheer I respect the efforts in the work they put in. Some may say it’s not a sport like how some may not see that the Japanese are still human and should be treated as such. No matter what you do you are still doing it. Your role in society should not be seen as less because you don’t look or do something as hard as others. Though you can’t pick your race like you can pick your sport your work towards something it isn’t any less. They Called Us Enemy reminded me of athletes specifically cheerleaders and dancers because of things I´ve witnessed my friends going through like what I said or interpreted about them. In reality, though dancers and cheerleaders are just like any other athlete doing what they love with passion like how the Japanese are just humans trying to live life to the best of their abilities.

Another thing that They Called Us Enemy reminded me of is how people battle for success like how the Japanese were battling for their lives. In our society today we have a stereotype based on how to be successful and what we need to do to being successful. For the most part, success is typically seen to correlate with how well we do in school. People’s success in school is similar to the Japanese behavior because the better their behavior the less harsh their punishments. Overall, the book  They Called Us Enemy had many connections to my day-to-day life.