From: clare@nynexst.com (Clare Chu)
Subject: Re: Perceptions, Realities, Perceptions
Organization: Nynex Science and Technology
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 12:31:40 GMT

In article <23537@alice.att.com> jj@alice.UUCP (jj, curmudgeon and clueless old white boy) writes:
>The various WHITE minorities were still just that.  The irish
>didn't trust the italians didn't trust the hungarians didn't trust
>the polish and NOBODY trusted the blond haired and blue eyed,
>unless they were from the Ukrane, because everyone was in WWII.
>No deferments from THIS town.

  Wow, what a town.  I guess there is no such thing as a monolithic
  "white" group either.   This is a great topic for the soon-to-be
  created soc.culture.white.american.
>
>The kids still "marry their kind".
>
>Sorry, Andy, it's not that rosy.  Now, having said that,
>there aren't even any asians LIVING in the town, other than
>professionals.  Being professionals, they're automatically
>part of MOST of the "in group", but I've observed the
>race lines being drawn as well.  They aren't well defined yet,
>because they haven't existed for more than 10 years, but they
>are already growing, and the suspicions with them.

  Sounds like a real suspicious town, with people drawing lines
  along all sorts of real and imaginary boundaries.
>
>What's curious is that in this town, the "ruling elite",
>which doesn't rule very much and isn't very elite, either,
>has accepted the Asian people much more easily that it accepts
>the local "minorities".  THIS IS NOT TYPICAL, and I'm NOT using it
>to claim that racism doesn't exist as it most surely does,
>I'm pointing it out because it is AN (note, not "the"
>example, "an" example) example of where class has overcome
>race.  No, this doesn't usually happen.  Don't blame me,
>I'm only the reporter.

  How do you know that they accept the Asians, or do the Asian
  professionals (aren't they Asian American?) have enough
  money to buy into those areas?  Money talks even if you
  don't like someone, if you need to sell your house because
  you lost your job, you don't care what color the money is.
  But I'm curious to see if these AsAm professionals were
  invited to the country clubs, or are heartily accepted to
  intermarry with the offspring of the "ruling elite".  After
  all, I doubt these professionals could trace their trust
  funds back to the Mayflower.  Class can overcome race to
  some extent.  But it doesn't mean that your whole race
  is accepted.  Just the selected individuals.  Can anyone
  see the difference here?  How do you feel when people treat
  you nicely because you speak English perfectly and then
  ignore or harrass your mother who speaks English with an accent?
  I personally would feel awful, and have had it happen to me.
  So yes, JJ, these professionals may be grudgingly accepted
  because of their money and status, but it doesn't mean that
  a family of Asian refugees would be accepted, especially in
  that town of yours where no-one seems to be accepted.  What
  an awful place to grow up.

>
>I have no idea how working class asians would manage, if history
>suggests anything- no better and likely worse than anyone else, because
>the "stereotype" of asians in that town is the "model minority"
>stereotype, and a working class joe just wouldn't fit the
>expectations.  People who don't fit the expectations there,
>be it 'drunk mick' or whatever, aren't welcome in this
>town.  They've never been welcome, and I hold little hope
>that they ever WILL become welcome.  I wasn't welcome because
>I wasn't a stupid, drunk mick, and because I aspired to be
>a reasearch scientist as a little kid.  What did this get me?
>It got me used as an example of "someone who doesn't know his
>place" for 12 years of school.

  Well I'm glad you were able to overcome the oppression and
  get out of that town!  Sounds like a horrible place to me!
>
>Racism or classism are NOT the right directions for any society!
>If you want a model for how not to do it, move to my hometown.
>Yes, I left. Big bloody surprise.

  No thanks, I think I'd rather stay in the South Bronx than move
  into your town?  By the way, it isn't in Yugoslavia by any chance,
  is it?  :-)

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Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american