From: clare@nynexst.com (Clare Chu)
Subject: Re: Perceptions, Realities, Perceptions
Organization: Nynex Science and Technology
Distribution: soc
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 92 12:21:23 GMT

In article <78805@ut-emx.uucp> joe@astro.as.utexas.edu (Joe Wang) writes:
>In article <1992Aug31.130508.3353@nynexst.com> clare@nynexst.com (Clare Chu) writes:
>>  They've got to accept us for who and what we are. 
>
>My problem is that it seems more difficult for AA activists to accept
>"who I am" than it is for most white people I have met.  

  I do accept who you are.  You've stated over and over again. 
  You consider yourself Chinese.  Chinese-ge, Chinese-cu.
  Do you have Chinese-ci?  Since you consider yourself Chinese
  I feel that is good for you, but you do not consider yourself
  Asian American.  We are talking about Asian Americans in the
  USA, not Chinese nationals in the USA.  Get it?  
>
>>  For starters, Joe, even if you become accepted as White, can you guarantee
>>  that your brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts and children
>>  will receive the same treatment as you will?  I sort of doubt it.
>
>Why not?  All it takes is a society that looks beyond the color of
>one's skin, and one that regards Asian, African, or Hispanic as no
>more relevant than Irish, Polish, or German.  Does that sound so
>impossible?

  I wish it weren't impossible.  Go ahead and work on it.
  I hope you succeed, truly.
>
>I'm Chinese, and I'm completely unwilling to compromise on this fact.
>If "the powers-that-be" asked me to give up the slightest bit of my
>"Chineseness" in return for being a "American," I'd tell them to get
>lost, because that's completely unacceptable to me.

  Only problem.  The USA does not have to allow Chinese citizens
  to live here.  Why do you think they have things like visas,
  J-1 visas, Permanent residence status.  Any Chinese citizen cannot
  just hop on a plane, come here and DEMAND to be accepted here.
  You can tell them to get lost, and most likely they'd revoke
  your visa.  Sorry, until you become Asian American, you cannot
  even vote in this country.  So where do you think you can get
  the power to tell Americans (includind AAs) to get lost.
>
>The fact, however, is that I've never been in a recent situation in
>which the establishment has asked me to stop being Chinese, and no
>white person has recently challenged my identity.  (Again, this may be
>because I stay in academic circles a lot, and people are more
>broad-minded there.)

  Look, as long as you're Chinese, you're a visitor.  Why should they
  tell visitors to change their identity?  We all like visitors from
  all around the world, especially if they spend a lot of money here.

>
>But I've been accused several times by AA activist of not respecting
>myself and of not being proud of who I am.  As a result, I have found
>myself defending my identity against AA activists more often than
>defending against "the establishment."

  Who's an AA activist?  You mean AA activists are not part of the
  establishment?  I think AA activists are more established than
  you.  For one thing, most AA activists are native-born American
  citizens and can run for President someday.

  I'm glad you respect yourself and are proud of who you are.
  Sorry I mistook you for the White sycophant but you were sounding
  an awful lot like him, at times.

  Glad you enjoy your visit to our country.  We do kind of like it
  here too.
>
>Wo shi mei-guo chu sheng de zhong guo ren.

  That makes you an American citizen.  I guess you'll have to apply
  for citizenship to China if you ever want to leave, too bad.
  Looks like you're Asian American whether you like it or not.

>Ni ne?

  I'm Asian American, okay?
Xref: sparky soc.culture.asian.american:8739 soc.culture.african.american:9127 ca.politics:7337