Filipino And American Culture

Needless to say, I had drawn a clear distinction between being Filipino and being American, and the main difference centered around values and attitudes. I will leave the Filipino side of the equation for another discussion. My ideas about America was shaped largely by the American media that was available to me when I was growing up in Manila.

For this paper I will examine Vietnamese culture according to the five essential questions all cultures must answer (according to Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck). I will then take those answers and compare then to out culture here in America. I realize that some might argue that using North American culture as a starting point is an attempt to simplify this writing, but I believe that any initial examination of something new is most effectively done in comparison to what one already knows.

Imagine someone is lost, standing in a checkout line at a corner drugstore. They need directions to get back on the road. The couple in front of them is having a very engaging conversation, fluently, in Spanish. Most would not even give an effort to talk or ask where to go, but why not? Too often the assumption is made that people who speak Spanish are immigrants, and do not speak English well. Hispanics are, persons of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American descent, other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. Too often the assumption is made that Spanish-speakers are unamerican, lazy, receive low income, or are uneducated in any way. Hispanics are also demonized in the media as people who are stealing American jobs. That is the belief that some Americans associate with Hispanics.

What is it like to be born in one country and then grow up in another where people speak a different language and follow different traditions? And is it easy to grow up in another country where members of the native country pressure one to be "one of their own"? If anyone wishes to find insightful and interesting answers to these questions, one should go no further than read Lac Su's I Love Yours Are for White People. In this book, Lac tells the story of his child- and adolescent-hood, growing up in "urban" Los Angeles as a Vietnamese living with a "traditional" Vietnamese family. As Lac demonstrates in the book, he once was between two worlds, sometimes unable to figure out who he was, and sometimes rejecting one or the other altogether. After going through difficult and painful experiences, Lac learns to embrace his ethnic identity. He realizes that he is a Vietnamese-American who belongs to both cultures. He learns to appreciate his Vietnamese background but also acknowledges that he is partly American because some Vietnamese habits are so uncommon for him.

Being a Latina born in America and growing up here, I was taught celebrating American culture like, Memorial, independence and Labor Day, with the explosion of bright colorful fireworks, the smell of fire when turning on the grill and the best part; no school! Also celebrating Christmas and new year’s the American way, going to church, eating, and opening presents on Christmas day. It wasn’t until 4 years ago I went to Mexico and realized there’s more to my own rooted culture and how lucky I am to have both the American and Mexican culture in my life realizing the generation of Mexican Americans are forming their own culture with both lifestyles.

Understanding of the different cultural and racial population is important for counselors to recognize and consider in counseling. Due to the various approaches that should be taken when dealing with different cultures. Our textbook states “Counseling without attention or respect to the critical differences of diversity will likely not be successful.” (Clinton & Ohlschlager pg. 617) It is like you must put their shoes on, within the context of culture for the counselor to be effective. For example, when dealing with Asian clients they are very likely to have intense familial relationships. This contrasts with modern day United States American culture; our culture is centered on the self, not the us.

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.

The school is named Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School, honoring Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz

As a girl who was born and raised in Vietnam, a third world country, and then moved to the United States of America three years ago, I experienced a big culture shock. Everything was very different here compared to where I come from. It was a big opportunity for me to explore the new world. I got to learn about the differences between Vietnamese and American families, education, and food.

I come from a place that is heavily influenced by Mexican and American culture mostly due to living in a border town with Mexico. My mother is more in touch with her Mexican culture, while my dad is more influenced by a Tejano/American culture. They both have been great influencers in the person I am today. Growing up in my house all I spoke was Spanish mostly due to my grandmother only knowing that language, I eventually learned English as I entered school. I remember spending my weekends watching shows and movies like ‘El Chavo del Ocho’, ‘La Nina de la Mochila Azul’, and ‘Rebelde’ or listening to the songs my mom put by Mana, Juan Gabriel, and Vicente Fernandez. I took a liking to school from a young age, I found learning fun and friends

In January of 2015, I experienced a mission trip in Guatemala. Although the trip taught me a lot about both myself, and the people and culture of Guatemala, one of the more prominent realizations I had was that the Guatemalan children had so little resources to get a quality education in life, yet they were still eager to learn. For example, each child was required to wear a pair of black dress shoes to school. Since many could not afford to pay for these shoes, they each walked to the missionary compound, no matter how far, to get a free pair of shoes that were offered. Additionally, many of the kids were more inclined to attend a short church lesson after eating dinner than play with their friends. After experiencing this dramatic change

One of the most prevalent issue in today’s world is racism. The prejudice and racism against Asian Americans seems to never end. Either it’s a nasty side remark about one’s looks or a judgment about one’s personality and abilities. In high school, one of my best friends was Vietnamese and I remember her going through quite a bit of problems. She was most definitely stereotyped and was supposed to be good at math and science, when in truth, she was horrible at both subjects. Instead, she loved history, cooking, and art. Offensive and wrong situations, similar to these, have been seen throughout history and are still seen today. My only wish is that by understanding Asian American culture and history, we can prevent the creation of stereotypes about people, as well as end the discrimination and make sure these events are never repeated.

After some thought I strongly do believe I have many privileges that I often ignore because they are so embedded in my everyday life. For example I would classify the ability to speak Spanish and English as the most important privileges to have in this country and time. Having the access to both of these languages creates the ability to cross cultures whenever I want. Those being the American culture and Hispanic culture. If I want to learn a new language I would have an advantage due to how much these languages overlap with other languages. One can fly across the world, knowing only English or Spanish and one is highly guaranteed to find someone that speaks either language. I admit ethnicity and social class has a lot to do with the privilege of being bilingual. If my mother would have decided to stay in Mexico I would probably know only one language. Even though being born nor living in the United States gives you an assurance of learning English, it does give you an advantage. My mother made it her priority for me to know both languages as best as I could. I know for a fact many immigrant children do not even have that privilege neither. So from any angle one sees this, being bilingual can be very privileged.

The culture that I chose to present is the Asian American culture. It is one of the fastest formed ethnic groups that had their population grow 63% from 1990 to 2000 (Nguyen, 1). The history of the first Asian immigrants started around the gold rush in California. Many Asian immigrants wanted to pursue fortunes in America because of economic hardships in China. Many Chinese started moving to the United States in hopes to get some of the gold in California. Many Chinese were also contracted to work on the railroads in the United States where they worked in very poor conditions for little money and recognition for their hard work. The Chinese even demanded high wages for their work in these poor conditions, but ultimately they were shot

The reception of the Asian-American community by the U.S. media during the Great Depression was very negative. Often the U.S. media unfortunately places the blame for a catastrophic event or misfortune on a minority group; Asian-Americans like other minority groups were targeted by foul-play. Rather than unite all minority groups with the majority (Non-Hispanic Whites), the U.S. media used the minorities as a doormat. This was evident when, as previously mentioned, the U.S. media portrayed the Asian-Americans, specifically the Filipino-American community, as economic competitors rather than cooperators, and enemies’ to the United States’ cause. What did this result in? It resulted in Filipino-Americans being physically attacked and mentally