The Asian Race

Japanese parent. They were born in the United States of America so when they grow

Asian American and Pacific Islander women have faced up with several multiple systems of oppression that are based on gender, race, class, age, language ability, and immigrant status. These issues cause directly to sexual assault and domestic violence that some of the AAPI women experience today, and these violences will possibly be increasing rapidly among AAPI communities and families as well. In ReAppropriate Blog, it reports that about 60 percent of the incidence of sexual assault is in Asian American communities, including Cambodian, Korean, and South Asian American communities. And this blog also reveals two significant barriers that towards reporting of assault. The first barrier is a cultural stigma. Many survivors were afraid to report

Race and ethnicity have always been a difficult topic to talk about, but not because I am embarrassed, but because to this date I’m still confused. Most of the time I find myself confused and asking questions such as, who am I? Where do I belong?

In his essay “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority”, Ronald Takaki comments on how the Asian race is perceived. He believes that the Asian race is viewed as a “model minority” and he discusses how this perception is both false and harmful. Takaki supports his stance by providing statistical facts about the Asian population in the United States. He further discusses the media’s involvement in the perpetuation (and likely, the genesis) of this perception. Takaki provides statistics that he then compared to other ethnicities in the United States to further solidify his stance. While I tend to agree with most of Takaki’s general thesis, I disagree with how he makes his points.

I would like to focus my response to the reading in Gabbidon & Greene, Chapter 1, generally around the idea of social construction. Furthermore, I would like to specially provide responses to discussion questions number one and two as posed in the conclusion of chapter one. Discussion question number one asks to “Explain the origin of race and its implications for race and crime.” Discussion question number two asks “Do you believe there are distinct races?” I will also provide perspective on issues surrounding the term “minorities”.

Unfortunately, racism and race being utilized for division stems back hundreds of years. In the fourteenth century, Japan was experiencing futile wars which eventually led to a huge divide in their society. Although the same genetically as any other japanese person, villagers and outcasts of the wars were classified as Burakamin. The Burakamin formed a social construct inferior to other japanese people and were often seen

American's success is exaggerated to a great extent, and does not fit the "model minority" most

In the 1900’s many Japanese came to America in search of a better life. They found a home in Hawaii as well as the main land where they would take up jobs such as fishermen and railroad workers. Economically, they didn't fell very welcome in America, the white workers tried to push them out by making them uncomfortable in their jobs. Politics were also not on their side, laws prevented the Japanese from owning land or becoming naturalize citizens. Suddenly the Immigration Act of 1924 stopped all immigration to the U.S. The next generation, the Japanese Americans attended public schools along side Americans but were still facing discrimination. After Pearl Harbor they were treated even worse than before. Americans were confusing the Japanese

This act was but a revised act of the US- China Burlingame Treaty that allowed the United States to suspend Chinese immigration. This act was only intended to last ten years but, was renewed again in 1892 and made permanent in 1902. This was the first United States law that prevented a specific ethnic group from immigrating into the United States. Despite all this racism, came along the Manguson Act which canceled the Chinese Exclusion Act in December 17, 1943.

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.

Race, gender and class defines our experience. Studies have shown that, even though, these three aspects define who we are, they are interwoven. Each of these three aspects affects our decisions which could be either positive or negative. Class, race and gender as an individual is determined by our parents and If any of these changes, it would automatically change every aspect of the individual.

Furthermore, as she said in her speech “But in the U.S., whenever Africa came up, people turned to me.” (5:21) this happened to me all the time while I was at that college. If a professor talks about Chinese or Korean history, for example, my classmates looked at me. And I had to say “I am Japanese.” But still they were looking at me as if they expected me to say soothing as Asian. Not only while I was at that college, since I started ti live in New York, people often think I am Korean or Chinese. Most of people say that I do not look like Japanese or I do not act like Japanese. I always wonder what the definition of Japanese is. Some teachers told me that I do not have accent as other Japanese students have in English. But the truth is that my both parents are Japanese and their parents are Japanese as well. I was born and grew up in Tokyo, Japan since I was born until I came to New York when I was 19 years old. I feel sort of annoyed sometimes when people told me I do not look like Japanese because I felt I was denied to be Japanese. But like Adichie said, those pole do to know anything about my

In many ways, Japan has been looked upon as a strangely homogeneous society for much of its modern history. And for some, it stands as one of the most homogeneous nation in the world. However, when looking at Japan as a whole, and considering whether or not it homogeneity is a problem, or just another cultural phenomenon, one must look towards the root cause of homogeneism in Japan. In Japan’s past, it has has been questioned, as well as assumed, that the growth of Japans homogeneous viewpoint was put forward by the government of Japan, and was done so by circulating false accusations of its lineage. Which these false stories of lineage, Japan has grown in its ethnocentric views and ways. Ethnocentrism, or

In addition, Japan is homogeneous in terms of social cohesion. Japan is homogenous in terms of ethnicity and linguistics. It has high cohesion, untrusting and no apparent increase in political participation, but it has a low tolerance for difference (ethnic, language, etc.). Japan is best represented with the social democratic and Nordic model, where among Japanese people there is equality, but among different ethnic people there is inequality and a low tolerance for them. This also results in Japan having a segmented cohesion because although, there is a low tolerance for people with ethnic and cultural differences, Japanese people are mixing with other races like Japanese and Korean people. The society of Japan also fits in with the competitive race relations model because people who are of different ethnicities and cultures face discrimination, prejudice, segregation and stereotypes. The Koreans who live in the Japanese Society are experiencing this.

The nation of Japan, even more so than other countries, has a long, long history behind it. It's a country dating back as far as the B.C. Era, and that has experienced various powerful events that has shaped the country since its birth. As with other nations, an important part of their past lies in their religion. Before they were introduced to Buddhism and other outside religions, which had a large impact on their society, the Japanese followed something known as Shinto. As the one religion that can truly be called “Japanese,” it follows that its influences would still remain in the eyes of the people and only aided by a traditionally xenophobic view of the world.