Heterogeneity, Multiplicity: Asian American Differences

The intersection of dominant ideologies of race, class, and gender are important in shaping my social location and experiences. By exercising my sociological imagination (Mills, 1959), I will argue how my social location as an Asian American woman with a working class background has worked separately and together to influence how I behave, how others treat and view me, and how I understand the world. The sociological imagination has allowed me to understand my own “biography”, or life experiences by understanding the “history”, or larger social structures in which I grew up in (Mills, 1959). First, I will describe my family’s demographic characteristics in relation to California and the United States to put my analysis into context. I

What this novel does not touch on is the harsh levels of discrimination that some Asian-American families faced during the 20th centuries, some people telling at them to go back to Vietnam, Korea, or wherever they came from, some refusing service, perhaps throwing them out for being different, similarly to how African-Americans were treated during that time, and similar to how some Muslims are being treated today. However, more insidious than moments of outright hostility, and maybe more powerful, are the constant weak reminders that you’re different, that you’re not one of them. The “sign at the Peking Express” (Ng 193), the “little boys on the playground, stretching their eyes to slits with their fingers” (Ng 193), you even “saw it when waitresses and policemen and bus drivers spoke slowly to you, in simple words, as if you might not understand” (Ng 193). All these tiny things, these little reminders that you’re not the same as everyone else around you, may have more impact on the people being discriminated against than blatant in-your-face

In history, there are many recurring themes, one of the biggest is the “American Dream”. Many people resonate the words dream, freedom, equality, and the opportunity to achieve their utmost desired and achievable dreams. This definition of a perfect land that helps you achieve your dream has been termed the “American Dream.” The “American Dream”, which is supposedly available for all Americans, has unfortunately become untrue for those who are minorities or immigrants. The “American Dream” is dictated by the American society that is controlled by a racial hierarchy that does not give access to the American dream for those who are not part of the preferred race and who don’t fit into its structured box of singularity. Overall, The American

In the story, “Growing Up Asian in America” by Kesaya E. Noda, Noda is looking for answers about her identity. Growing up, she has struggled with finding herself because she has been labelled as racially Japanese, Japanese American, and as an Asian woman. During the story, she slowly realizes her identity and who she really is. Noda shares important events, stories, and anecdotes to help her and the reader fully understand her identity. The first story Noda shares is in lines 74-76, she says “I linger longer than she does, so reluctant to leave, savoring the connection I feel with my grandmother in America, the past, and the power that lives and shines in the morning sun.” Noda realizes here that even though she is Japanese American, her heritage

To be young and Asian in America is a special brand of torture. There is an unspoken dictum of silence that grips Asian youth, a denial of our place in popular culture. Asian youth walk in America not quite sure where we fit in-black children have a particular brotherhood, Hispanic children have a particular brotherhood, white children own everything else. We cannot lay claim to jazz or salsa or swing; we cannot say our ancestors fought for equality against an oppressive government or roamed the great hallways of power across the globe. We do not have a music, a common hero, a lexicon of slang. Asian youth experience personal diasporas every day.

The United States is the "land of the free, and the home of the brave" according to the song, but there is a dichotomy that exists between those who have called the United States their home for a long period of time, and those who are immigrating to the US. Asian Americans are a group that very few think of as having difficulties because the stereotype is of a group that is intelligent and is actually doing better than the average American. While this may seem to be true, better grades in a school setting does not mean that people who come from other countries are not experiencing racism (both overt and subtle), stereotyping and alienation in this country. Although there has been some difficulty, many groups are experiencing newfound hope because of the actions that they are taking. The plight, and the hope of the Asian cultures are being documented by artists of different stripes who are eager to depict what has happened to Asians as they try to build their own America, and assimilate into the one that was built before they came. In this paper, the Asian American cultures will be examined through the art that has been produced over the many years that Asian people have striven to make their way as new Americans.

What comes to mind when I think of Asian Americans I think of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. I envision them having the look of a Chinese or Japanese person. Black or darker hair, droopy eyes, and a smaller built body. Until this project I thought those were the only people considered Asian but I was wrong. Asian also includes Filipino, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese people as well. The three main types of Asians are Chinese, Japanese, and the Filipino, and they all have been in America the longest.

Lowe makes note that throughout history, people native of the large Asian countries such as the China, Japanese, Korean, (Asian) Indian, have long played “crucial roles in the building and the sustaining of America”. And for anyone to challenge that statement would be a fool. For instance, a great deal of Hawaii’s plantation immigrant workers was of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino descent. But often, their efforts have been left unnoticed, left

After conducting my interview, I found out the family dynamic issue between first generation Asian American and second generation Asian American is actually significant in different aspects.

Ronald Takaki, an academic scholar who helped pioneer the field of ethnic studies, quoted American politician Norman Mineta in Takaki’s book titled Strangers from a Different Shore. “When one hears Americans tell of the immigrants who built this nation, one is led to believe that all our forebearers [sic] came from Europe. When one hears stories about the pioneers going west to shape the land, the Asian immigrant is rarely mentioned” [Takaki 27]. Many history books leave out the role that Asian American immigrants played in the history of this nation such as the thousands that “helped to build the very transcontinental railroad referred to in the magazine’s announcement and [the] many that settled permanently in California” [Takaki 28]. American history has almost equated the term “American” with “white” or “European” and by doing so leave out the role that Asian Americans have played within the development of America. Now one must rethink the history of America but this time include the Asian American to fully understand the cultural diversity that led to the America known to the world today. The experiences of the various Asian groups- Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Asian Indian, and Southeast Asian- are all very different from each other, yet similar when conducting a cross-national comparison of these different groups of Asian

The following voice project will discuss second generation Vietnamese Americans struggling with cultural expectations. In this assignment, I will be reviewing the stereotypes of Asian Americans. During this assignment I will be incorporating conversations had with an individual who identifies with this voice. Kim Truong is a 26 year old Vietnamese American. She was born in Vietnam and was raised in Tennessee and Mississippi. She has been in United States since the age of ten. Kim believes she bodies and as well as rejects a lot of the Asian American stereotypes.

Asian Americans face constant subjection to what has become referred to as the “model minority” myth. This myth enforces both a false narrative and broad generalization upon all Asian Americans as the ethnic embodiment of an idealistic work ethic and outstanding academic and socioeconomic success. The deconstruction of this “single story” requires the introduction of new perspectives and proper representation of the intersectional spectrum of Asian Americans, who oftentimes do not fit this typecast. Perpetuating this single story, is the lack of understanding of how Asian Americans can stem from 51 different Asian countries, struggle from the effects of poverty, and also remain unrepresented in popular media.

Among the many struggles Asian Americans faced, troubles with finding their identities were perhaps the greatest. In an effort to conform to society, they completely abandoned their own culture, traditions and values. Instead, according to Uyematsu, they aimed “to transform themselves into white men,” which included “rejecting their

The Asian American community undergoes a vicious cycle; Being erroneously presented in media, theatre, and other performance arts, which have thus racialized and stereotyped nearly the entirety of the community. With media and art representation being key to shaping the way that minorities are perceived in the 21st century, many are conditioned into believing false pretenses of the Asian American population after nearly a century of marginalization and racial misrepresentation. They are, at best, viewed as dignitaries. A people who are hard working, intelligent, and referred to as “the model minority.” At worst, they are cutthroat social climbers.

Asian Americans’ exceptional educational and occupational outcomes despite their racial minority status in the United States have been central to the debate of race and achievement in both academic and popular discourse. While some pundits argue that the Asian American achievement is a result of the “right” culture that values education and hard work, scholars of race, immigration, and education reject such claims. Hsin and Xie’s quantitative investigation reveals that Asian Americans’ strong emphasis on efforts, rather than outcomes, coupled with their immigrant status contribute to their exceptional academic achievements. Similarly, Lee and Zhou show through their “subject-centered approach” that complex social processes establish cultural