In Neither Real Americans nor Real Asians? Multigeneration Asian Ethnics Navigating the Terrain of Authenticity, Mia Tuan discusses how Asian Americans today are not fully Asian nor fully American, and are characterized as not Asian enough due to the way they behave and/or live. Tuan discusses that when Asians interact with non-Asian people, they must “fight” to prove that they are not embracing their Asian roots more than their American roots due to wanting to feel accepted. On the other hand, they are seen as less Asian by “authentic” Asians, due to them not fully embracing their ethnic roots.…
Many Asian American students are immigrants or first generation Americans as Butterfield state in the article “Don Lee, 20, is a junior at Berkeley. His parents immigrated to Torrance, Calif, From South Korea when he was 5, so he could get a better education. Lee said his father would warn him about the about the danger of wasting time at high school dances or football games. Instead… for fun on weekend, my friends and I would go to the town library to study.” So the Asian student have a lot of support and pressure to better themselves, because their parents gave up a lot to move here to help them. Therefore the student can not let their parents down. Asian parents have high expectations their kids will make…
See, there’s this stereotype about Asians in and around the US is that they (we?) are so completely foreign, so other, that assimilation into normalcy isn’t really a thing — that adjective in front of…
Filipinos- During World War II, Philippines was taken by Japanese Army. Filipinos in America worried about their home land, Philippines. They wanted to join U.S, Armed Force to get back Philippines to fight for the liberation of their home land. According to page 359, chapter 10, "On February 19, 1942, Secretary of War Henry Stimson announced the organization of the First Filipino Infantry Regiment: this new unit is formed in recognition of the intense loyalty and patriotism of those Filipinos who are now residing in the United State." Filipinos were allowed to join U.S Armed Force by U.S Government. Because of this new policy, Filipinos who were members of…
Evan Lee (name changed to protect identity) is twenty-two years old and an international student at the University of California, Davis. Evan came to the United States when he was seventeen. He was born in Taiwan and grew up there. He is a student whom I just met and is also a student who is currently taking Cultural Anthropology. Evan’s experience in America, as he described it to me has been complex and challenging. He often felt discriminated because of his physical…
Like past immigrants who came from Germany, Ireland and other places around the world. Chinese people in America faced many challenges when migrating. They felt like outcasts. Some experiences for the Chinese were in racist encounters and the feeling the way that Nazli Kibra felt when she came to America. She had always thought of herself as an American when she thought of herself as “the American kid on the block,” (Source F) until she went to school and she felt outcast and that “Whites think they own the world and the rest of us are just here for them.” (Source F) They felt as though they did not fit in in America. For Kibra, the Americans that she noticed at her school were people who were “VERY white, very wealthy. These kids owned sports cars and went to Rio for the weekend.”…
As a minority, immigrating from Korea to a wildly different country like the United States has been the most influential decision that my family made to live the possibility of the "American Dream". Moreover, growing up as an Asian-American wasn’t simple; I was faced with the challenge of malicious racial slurs, spiteful judgment, and condemnation. However, through these criticism, I’ve grown to understand that our response to those judgements is what builds character in which has made me more transparent, vulnerable, and empathetic.…
Although the immigrants contributed a lot to U.S. society, they also caused many social issues in U.S. society. For instance, the Chinese immigrants undercut American wages and brought an unacceptable culture with them. According to reading, Chinese immigrants worked for low wages and debased the American standard of living. Also, they were an alien race that could not be assimilated into America; their innate lack of morals made them as inferior race, as some Americans said. Besides Chinese immigrants, there also had other ethnic immigrants causing social issues. For instance, like Chinese immigrants, irish immigrants also lowered down the American standard of living and undercut American wages as they accpeted low wages. Also, they completed…
These are just few of the many Asian characters who reinforce the model minority label with their professions. With the stereotype being a constant in everyday media, it creates false perceptions of Asian Americans towards the public. These perceptions become internalized especially in Asian youth. They are burdened with the expectation to get straight A’s or strive for a high earning profession. But what happens when they don’t fall into the stereotype? It could affect their mental health by starting to feel insecure or inadequate. A study conducted by a team from The University of Maryland School of Public Health showed that the “pressure to live up to the model minority stereotype” was a source of stress that affected their mental health.…
Growing up as a child of immigrants, I felt trapped between two worlds. I was often referred to as a ‘Twinkie’ (yellow on the outside and white on the inside). It never really bothered me up until recent, and I’ll tell you why. Being Asian-American had always been a confusing part of me. I was born on American soil, but raised in a strict Thai household. I’ve always been proud of my heritage, but I had a hard time feeling as if I belonged somewhere.…
Why consider Asian American as a single homogeneous entity is wrong in conducting health disparity search?…
Contrary to popular belief, Asian superiority in America is nothing but a myth. The relationship between Asians and other races in America is weakened by the idea that Asians have the ability to rule the nation. In his essay, “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority,” Ronald Takaki effectively argues that Asian Superiority in the United States is nowhere near the truth through the use of statistical evidence to provide reasons why Asian Americans do not actually have advantages compared to other minorities. Takaki establishes logos and pathos effectively to prove his point to his intended audience.…
Since we were children, we were brought up with the idea that boys are strong, aggressive, and the leaders, whereas, girls are weak, passive, and the followers. In addition, most people assume that the white community is the wealthiest and the most successful race. Those are indeed prejudice; it exists everywhere becoming a stereotype. Most stereotypes are dealt more with minorities, especially in the United States. With two articles ‘It’s Hard Enough Being Me’ by Raya and ‘The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority’ by Takaki, we can go further into depth of this stereotype by arguing how Raya faces the culture shock as well as identity crisis, and why Takaki disagrees with the statement that Asian Americans are indeed successful, and it is wrong to generalize any particular race as more advanced over another.…
However, to say that the stereotypes of Asians are completely wrong would be a blatant overstatement. Stereotypes exist for a reason. As psychologist Saul McLeod explains, “The use of stereotypes is a major way in which we simplify our social world; since they reduce the amount of processing (i.e. thinking) we have to do when we meet a new person” (MacLeod). Close examination of the average Asian American’s values reveal Confucian influences. A 1999 study by psychologists Brian Kim, Donald Atkisnon, and Peggy Yan from University of California, Santa Barbara, identified 14 Asian values. While the researchers stated that, “We must recognize that Asian Americans are comprised of an extremely diverse group and that significant differences within Asian ethnic groups do exist,” they found that traditional Asians tended to emphasize these values: collectivism, maintenance of interpersonal harmony, reciprocity,…
I am interested in exploring the theme of assimilation of first generation Koreans in America. I will also hope to tie this theme of Korean assimilation with the stereotype of Asians being the model minority, and in turn, are racially profiled. In Jo Moon’s Korean…