Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: Re: Asian <> Asian-American
From: yuan1@husc9.harvard.edu (Nina Yuan)
Date: 28 Jul 92 15:18:38 GMT

maridai@ecs.comm.mot.com (Marida Ignacio) writes:

>Ok, since this is SCAA, what am I doing here?  I am a Filipino (thus, Asian)
>and should not be sticking my nose in this newsgroup, right?  NOT.
>This is so because, my kind is referred to here from time to time (maybe,
>more than a few times) that I figured, I must express an Asian point of view,
>my way (rather than let somebody put words into my mouth.)

I second Alan Hu's response that everyone, regardless of their citizenship,
ethnicity, or favorite food, is welcome in s.c.a.a.

>I have read threads here that discuss, in a sarcastic and in an intentionally
>vicious, prejudicial contempt mode, the separation between Asians and Asian-
>Americans.  There has been effort too to identify the borderline kinds with
>Nth generation classification.

Which threads are these?  Certainly not the "Dear Abby" thread.  I haven't
detected any sarcasm or viciousness there.

>To those who are prejudiced against Asians just because they are N>2nd
>generation Asian-American, let me tell you this:

>1]  Without your Asian ancestor who came here in America, you wouldn't even
>    be born here at all, pinheads.  I am not demanding too much for you
>    to stick with me.  I don't need you.  I came here and have been going
>    through adjustment by myself, I don't need your constant whining to
>    worry about besides my own.

>2]  For those Asian-Americans who do not want to associate themselves with
>    Asians for reasons that include forcing America to *see* the difference
>    between As and AAs and to consistently live and adopt this attitude:
>    "Ah, there's an American, all right (referring to AA)" and "Ah, he/she
>    is Asian..." - I am very much in favor and would even be proud of my
>    ancestry than be associated with an AA who is *ungrateful* and
>    *prejudiced*.                                        

Oh, come on now!  The whole point of the "Dear Abby" thread, IMHO, was to
point out to Abby, who should know better, that there are people who look
"Asian" who are just as American as everyone else.  After all, EVERYONE
except the Native Americans, descended from immigrants, right?  We're 
certainly not saying, look, we were born here, so don't group us with those
ignorant immigrants.  Jeez!  EVERYONE, including those who's ancestors
came from England and Italy, as well as China and India, should be proud
of their ancestry.  And sure, you've been going though the adjustment by
yourself, along with my parents and countless numbers of immigrants.  But
if you're an American citizen (or a permanent resident, but let's not
cloud the issue any more than it already is), you're an ASIAN-AMERICAN,
which means you're entitled to the same rights as everyone else; don't let
anyone tell you otherwise.  Just because the concerns of Asian-Americans
who were born in the U.S. may seem petty or shallow to you doesn't mean
they're any less important to us.  No, we didn't have to struggle to come to
a strange country, struggle to learn a strange language, and then be
discriminated against because we had an accent, and for undergoing those
struggles I admire you.  But we have our own battles to fight, including
dealing with those who tell us to "go back to where we came from" and those
who say "Japs go home."  The "Dear Abby" thread was about more than silly
semantics, it was about a whole attitude on the part of some towards people
who look different from them.

>    You do have a *big* attitude (psychological) problem.  The point is,
>    you contribute *a lot* to how others would look at you and I tell
>    you, isolating yourself from Asians is not a solution to your problem.
>    You are, (not Caucasoids, Negroids, other Aborigines) nobody else's,
>    your own responsibility.  So, grow up and do yourself a favor by doing
>    your part of the bargain.  *There may not even be an offense intended
>    for your defensive attitude and remarks.*  Maybe then others (other
>    race) will accept you for yourself if you accept yourself for what
>    you are first (unless you really despise yourself that is why you
>    want to identify with another race).

What race is that?  The American race?  Well, there's no such thing.  Being
American has nothing to do with what country you or your parents or your
grandparents are from.  Being American means choosing to live in this country
and to accept the rights and responsibilites conferred by the Constitution.
Though being a citizen of China and a citizen of the U.S. simultaneously
may be impossible, I proudly consider myself to be "Chinese-American."
Emphasizing my rights and responsibilites as an American citizen IN NO WAY
consitutes a denial of my Chinese heritage.

>4]  You make a big deal about the question "Where are you from?", all
>    because you want to oblige America to stop being intimidating and
>    *force the hope* that *that* question will just mean where did you
>    live previously and *not* what is your ethnicity.  You are just wasting
>    too much effort on very trivial issues and the problem with this
>    effort is it in turn creates a storm that disturbs and destroys
>    instead of actually being constructive.  In short, you cause bad
>    commotion.  (Haven't you realized yet, Dear Abby is playing upon this
>    kind of bad commotion - what for? for intrigues and publicities -
>    to keep the column up.)

(Actually, I wonder whether Abby will print any of our letters.)  Sometimes
it's necessary to create a little controversy to effect change.

>they are missing down here on earth.  But don't make it too much *your*
>responsibility to force them.  Worry about more important matters other
>than making America treat you as equal or someday, put you on a pedestal.
>(This shows you sublimating.)  Is that all what life is worth to you?

We shouldn't worry about being treated equally??!?!?!  Why the hell should
you our I pay our taxes like everyone else and accept second-class treatment?

-nhy
-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nina H. Yuan                               "It's a miracle that curiosity
nina@panix.com                              survives formal education."
yuan1@husc.harvard.edu                                  - Albert Einstein