Asian Descent Is Inconvenient At Times

Balancing my cultures growing up was confusing as a young child; at one grandparents’ house I was Mexican, and the other, Laotian. Today I embrace both which has cuisine benefits during the holidays. Also, being different than my peers has been a constant struggle. Nonetheless I am understanding of others upbringings and am observant and self aware that I should embrace the culture around me without losing sense of who I am culturally and individually. This has been a realisation that has taken years to develop but has transformed me into an accepting and compassionate individual because so many were not for me. Regardless I am proud to be a texan, a southerner and an american. In addition being of a divorced family led to me, the eldest, filing in as the other parent sometimes acting as such in regard to care. I have been a parent to my siblings in my own right and didn't realize this until my younger sister told me so. Between making sure that we were awake for going to school, lunches being packed, homework finished and baths taken, I have a great sense of duty to family as well as initiative. I grew up quickly but wouldn’t change my circumstances even if I could. I have learned how to cope with stress and persevere and that a person should do things not because they are told to but rather because they are needed to be

Although one’s racial and ethnic identities are predetermined due to genetics, attachment to a particular culture is not a birthright; one has to accept and understand the community in order to fully identify with it. When Robert Chang writes “one is not born Asian American, one becomes one”, he means just that. In Chang’s opinion, having Asian blood and living on American soil is not sufficient to call oneself Asian American, but the connection to the community allows one claim to the title.

The schools I went to before third grade had a strong Asian population. Asians were the majority; there were rarely any non-Asians in those schools. During that time, I was allowed to stay innocent and uncaring of what others thought of me. It was a pity those golden days couldn’t last longer. The school I transferred to for the remainder of my elementary education had an extremely low Asian rate. In fact, you could have listed all the Asians in the school with only one hand. With little to none Eastern Asians, my parents pushed me to work harder. Unbeknownst to them, they were trying to mold me into the stereotypical smart Asian. The changes were subtle at first since they

However, the incessant hovering and excessive involvement from Asian parents can add tremendous pressure and stress onto young Asians. In the Daily Collegian News, Penn State sophomore Trevor Hsu expresses, “It puts pressure on Asian [students] themselves to fit that stereotype…they can feel that they let themselves [and their families] down because they have not achieved the level of excellence that the stereotype has set.” (qtd. in Dailey). Because they feel guilty and shameful, many Asian students are reluctant to admit to their parents and teachers that they have difficulties with class works and assignments as much as their non-Asian classmates and consequently, they do not received the support they need to improve their performance.

Having been raised by my parents who are Chinese, I have had the honor of learning several cultural aspects of my heritage and becoming bilingual in mandarin and English. I learned to celebrate Chinese holidays, learned about my unique culture, and even attended Chinese school for a few years. My Chinese heritage will always be part of who I am and has shaped me to be who I am today.

As someone of Asian race, but adopted into a white suburban family, it has always been hard to reconcile the two. Growing up I never saw myself different than my primarily white classmates. Only when kids, mostly strangers, would sometimes pull their eyelids back or spoke pseudo-Chinese in an attempt to imitate Asian culture in middle school did I realize that I was different on the outside did I begin to understand that the

The stereotype that Asian Americans just naturally have a step up above the rest that paves the path for the jealousy other ethnicities is really the result of ridiculous amounts of dedication and this group of people should be praised for their work ethic.

Asian immigrants raised their children on the values of filial piety. Filial piety is based on Confucianism ideology which is one showing respect to one’s parent. American-born children are raised with two values which are Confucianism and the American values. The American values allow an individual to make their decisions either in their career, marriage, or lifestyle. Unlike, the American values, Confucianism decisions are decided by the parents, which have created tension in both generations. The immigrant parents stress the importance of a proper education to their children because the parents did not have the opportunity for education. Education was a privilege meaning only the families that had money could send their children to school. The parents began working at a young age to support their family and maintaining the household was more important than education. The immigrant parents are motivated by the “American Dream” instead of a financial benefit, the better the education and the employment, the more opportunities that would be offered. A person without a proper education would not succeed in life compared to the ones that have an education.

Growing up as an Asian American, I often struggle to identify my own cultural identity. Being the first generation of both my mother and father’s side of the family, I more than often get confused between American and Asian culture when applying them to society or at home. While being raised at home, I am largely influenced by culture and traditions from Asian parents and relatives. However, when I go to school or someplace else, I am heavily judged for practicing part of my Asian culture because it is entirely different than western or American. With that being noted, I began to learn and adapt to the western culture in hopes of fitting with society as well of trying to keep my Asian culture intact. As can be seen, this situation I dealt with is the same problem the whole Asian American community faces. Mainly focusing on younger generations like me for example, the Asian American community struggles to adapt to the western culture because they were raised with an Asian influence. Wishing to fit in society and be part of the social norms, the Asian Americans community faces issues that identify their cultural identity.

This was mainly due to the fact that within Asian households, the children are raised and taught in a completely different manner than an American household even though I was born and raised in Philadelphia. However, I was raised both by Vietnamese standards of discipline and respect without questioning authority, whilst also being raised on American

“The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.” (-Mark Twain) Being a child of immigrant parents who move to American can be hard. There is a lingering feeling of not feeling like a child belongs. They are stuck in the invisible world between where their parents came from, in this specific case, Asia and where the child lives now. It can be difficult to be raised as an Asian American and learning both culture and traditions. Many Asian American kids end up deviating from the Asian culture and embracing the American culture. However, children of immigrants should embrace their own culture in order to keep traditions alive and be proud of who they are.

Asians are often stereotyped to be “extremely intelligent.” (Cultural Stereotypes). Today in society, Asians are who we call the “nerds.” When you think about Asians, you think about them coming from a very high class family, making straight A’s and if they didn’t bring home an A, they would have to leave their home in addition, not return because it would be a disgrace to the family. But in all actuality, not all Asians are like that. In some Asian households, they can be very warm-loving and not harsh at all. With parents, I can understand why they would want us to succeed but harsh punishments aren't the answer. Discipling isn't always the answer. Motivation and assurance is key. Mexicans are very criticized and often judged by their way of living. Mexicans are said to be workaholics. Also in the Hollywood movies, they’re always doing yard work, being maids, housekeepers, nanny’s etc.. The movie a haunted house starring Marlon Wayans, his character Malcolm lived next door to a Latino who often did yard work and had a low rider. Not all Mexicans do or have those things. Mexicans are not that bad. Asians are not that bad. African Americans are not that

I am an Asian-American woman living and working in the global city of New York. Growing up in an international city allowed me to become a multicultural individual and develop into a young woman different from my counterparts in Asia and here in the United States as well. I was taught by my parents not only the values of a Chinese culture but also to strive to enhance my strengths and to go forth and establish a successful career in business while always relating back to my Chinese roots. These values of diligence, perseverance and selflessness influence my everyday work and personal life.

All Asian Americans are good at math, or at least that’s what I heard. They are also good at anything involving technology, science, and medicine. They study all the time, work really hard and live a version of the American dream I never thought to dream of. Afterall they’re Asian, their parents wouldn’t allow for anything less. In his article “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority” the ethnic studies expert Ronald Takaki writes about the idea that Asian Americans are more successful than other American minority groups. Takaki refutes this idea using reason and statistics to show that Asian Americans still face some of the same hardships and barriers as every other racially defined group in America.

| Asian are heavily influenced by the values of family, hard work, the need for respect and saving “face.” Asians have strong family values and high education values; they are also a very frugal group of people. Ethnic communities should be valued because of the important roles they play in enabling people to survive and thrive.