|
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
The White Stuff: Whiting Wongs & Wonging Whites
hey're our neighbors, buddies, allies, enemies, clients, bosses, employees, lovers and spouses. Many of us have more daily contact with Whites than with other Asians. Consequently, we often feel we know them better than they can ever know us. Maybe that's at the heart of our frustration as Asian Americans. They are as ubiquitous and pervasive as the air we breath while to them it seems we are eternal curiosities, outsiders, exotics.
Bridging the gap?
|
And so we sometimes find ourselves lashing out with nasty generalizations about the people we blame for all that seems wrong with American society and, more specifically, our place in it. They are ignorant, shallow, boorish, smelly, sneaky, treacherous, malicious, dumb, weird -- in short, all the labels we feel have been so unfairly slapped on us.
But even as we hurl such epithets we cannot forget the countless acts of kindness, warmth, generosity, friendship, passion and love that we have enjoyed from these very same people. As our anger and frustration subside, we recognize that our fates are inextricably intertwined, not merely in sharing a world, a nation, a society, an economy, a culture -- but often in sharing even our most intimate lives. One in five of today's Asian American marriages are to Whites. And contrary to the imbalance of the past, the ratio of new AM/WF marriages to new AF/WM marriages is steadily approaching unity.
So we naturally have a strong interest in decoding the other side of the equation. Understanding is a two-way street. Fortunately, there are Whites who have enough interest in us as individuals to share their perspectives on us and on their interactions with us. This page is for those who -- as corny as it may sound -- have chosen to serve as bridges.
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
krasavitsa,
If what you say about white Australians against Asians is true, I feel sorry for you. U.S. used to be like that, but has changed a lot in recent years, especially after 911. 911 makes us grieve and in grief we realize that we have unite to fight evil. In CNN network, there was a TV message where common people from all races (including Arabs) each said "I am an American". It was aired right after 911. It always made me cry. I liked that message a lot. Once I was talking to a white guy on the phone and made some comment about Asians. He didn't know that I was Asian myself, so he hurried to correct me, defending Asian-Americans. I was really touched. It was after 911 as well.
Do you think you might be a little too sensitive about white Australians' attitude and misinterprete it? Don't mind me asking. I am just trying to understand and help.
Red Red Seashell
redshell00@yahoo.com
Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 17:12:52 (PDT)
krasavitsa:
Haha, that's funny... 'cause I was just fishin' for a response :-) I figured there would've been a pretty good chance he was angry about it, whether he said anything or not. Call it intuition. Too bad, I seem to get along quite well with many Russians i've met here and there. Maybe Genghis had something to do with it, hehe. But I do know Russia had a little spat with Japan back in the day... So I think it's more of a nationalistic thing than a racial/cultural one.
I used to be quite patriotic of my adopted country, the United States, but lately it's waned. I have little or no feelings for America now. Things have been kinda of let down, almost unbearably so. I only hold the appearance of an asian, or more precisely half of one, but it doesn't seem good enough. Now, I look towards the land of my birth and wish it the very best, above all else... And at my own expense, if it ever came to it. Even though I could never live there again.
kimchi
Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 12:57:35 (PDT)
"Not all Chinese can explain what Confusianism is, maybe because it is so blended into the culture that even schools don't teach it explicitly as confusionism anymore."
actually i heard on NPR the other day that there are now private schools popping up all over the place that resorts to "old fashioned" schooling based on confucian values. with chariman mao's 30 year craze about back to basics of "agarian paradise" confucian beliefs have been mostly gone from the "public" schools. however, with the emergence of the rich urban class there's now more emphasis to go "back to the classics."
villageidiot
Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 11:44:37 (PDT)
Red Red Seashell,
Yes my boyfriend is Cantonese, as are all of his friends. Where I live there is a big Cantonese population. That is so funny about the numbers! When he bought a new car he made sure that the license plate didn't have a 3 or 4 on it as those words sound like death (I think that's what it was). His parents are somewhat superstitious, but they don't have it rule their lives. I can definitely respect the importance of education and for respect for one's elders. My family always had an immense respect for education and learning.
His brother married a white woman, they're a very happy couple, and they're having a baby soon. His Mom is trying to figure out what "generation" name to give the baby. My b/f said that at first he and his brother met some resistance from their parents about dating whites, but they seem to accept it now. His brother's wedding was this huge Italian and Chinese extravaganza! It was kind of funny- they had a Catholic Mass, and since I'm not Catholic, I sat on the side with the Chinese part of the family that didn't take the communion.
We only met with overt racism once from an older Asian woman, but sometimes I just wonder what other people are thinking, like "Hm why is he dating HER?"
So tell me more about yourself, and how you met your b/f, and how your families reacted.
question (aka Lisa)
Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 11:43:50 (PDT)
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|