ASA 114
November 22, 2015
Week 2 – The Asian American
Older generations adhere strictly
to their upbringing and the times that forged their experiences. The newer, millennial
generation is one based heavily on change and personal introspection that can
be seen as almost defying the wishes of the elders that we are supposed to
render our respect to. There is no fault on either side, simply different time
periods that heavily emphasize different things from one another and leads to
conflict. Older members wish to conform and be included as being American by
the larger society in which they entered. Today, we are more considered with
being more fluid and understanding of our heritage in the U.S. and otherwise
and being able to connect the different parts that we draw from. The desire is
to be a flexible citizen that carries fewer roots in a place or location and
derives confirmation from kin and their personal values. This is all while
members of the community are forced to contend with the perpetual offenders of
our image, “the model minority myth” and the less popular and older “coolie” of
the 19th century. Even with the designation of having innate “Asianness”
as a reason for success, Asian-Americans do want validation from their fellow
Americans, however White Americans in particular. In the end, despite any
political or racial misgivings, it can be widely observed that contemporary Asian
Americans are the best chance for promoting understanding in otherwise ignorant
groups on both sides of the Pacific, and depending on their efforts, we may yet
see an Asian American in the top political office in our lifetime. However, what will it take to overcome the deep set racial perceptions exhibited by the rest of American society on Asian Americans, to the point where we can be foreigners despite never once leaving the U.S.?
Hu-DeHart, Evelyn. 1999. "Introduction: Asian American Formations in the Age of Globalization." pp 1-22
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