From: gwu@nujoizey.tcs.com (George Wu)
Subject: Re: "Chinese-Americans..."
Summary: Instead of leveling charges, let's actually try to understand the post.
Organization: Teknekron Communications Systems Inc.
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1992 01:05:16 GMT

In article <1992Sep11.102630.17409@leland.Stanford.EDU>, underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
> In article <1992Sep11.043917.11605@panix.com> nina@panix.com (Nina Yuan)
> writes:
> >>   In article <edcheng.1dl2@terapin.com> edcheng@terapin.com (Edmund Cheng)
> >>   Wrote:
> >>     ...I know many Chinese-Americans... Some which have no Chinese "culture"
> >>   in them.  The only thing that distinguishes them from any caucasian is
> >>   their last names and their faces.  This scares me....
> >>                        -Zheng Yip Wing
> >>The alternative culture, which Mr. Cheng suggests, selected by some Chinese-
> >>Americans (who have no Chinese "culture") is Western culture.  He says that
> >>this fact "scares" him.
> 
> Yes, he is commenting on what's important to him, but he also
> makes a value judgement on the behavior of other people.  His statement
> asserts that he is scared at seeing Chinese-ge people who have no
> Chinese-cu culture (but only have American culture) in them.
> 
> That's racist.  I see no reason whatsoever why "normalcy",
> "naturalness", and "lack of being scare" accrues to a state where
> Chinese-ge are practicing Chinese-cu culture and why "unnormalcy",
> "unnaturalness", and "_being_ scared" accrues to a state where
> Chinese-ge are not practicing Chinese-cu culture.
> 
> [ . . . ]
> 
> If Mr. Cheng had not used the word "scared", then his statement
> _might_ be interpreted as being non-racist.  Also, note that peculiar
> addition of "The only thing that distinguishes them from any caucasian
> is their last names and their faces".  What on earth does this
> have to do with whether one wants to practice a particular culture or not?
> Mr. Cheng uses these facial features to explain why he is scared.
> This whole explanatory setup and the explanatory "This scares me" sounds
> very racist to me.

     First off, I think it's a bit silly for folks to be arguing over
what Edmund really meant.

     Second, I'm not entirely sure fear of the unfamiliar does indeed
connote racism.  Fear, or at least anxiety, is a common reaction to
the unknown.  When I try something new or adventure into an unfamiliar
situation, I get a little anxious.  This is not racism; racism connotes
hatred.

     If I were to respond to my anxieties with hatred, by calling for
the blanket destruction of the objects of my fear, then that would be
racism.  If I were to deal with my fears by attempting to understand
those objects better, that would be intelligence and understanding.

     I interpret Edmund's post as an attempt to better understand
people he doesn't understand, us so-called "bananas."  He's reaching
out, knowing that by understanding the unknown, he'll learn more
about others, and himself as well.

     I interpret Dwight Joe's desire for the destruction of all Chinese
culture as racism and hatred.  I think he fears Chinese culture, and
despite his supposed knowledge of Chinese culture, I think his fear
stems from a lack of understand of Chinese culture.  He so clearly
thinks Chinese culture is composed solely of infanticide and the like,
and is entirely without any good.  I don't believe any culture fits
that description, or merits obliteration from the face of the earth.

							George

----
George J Wu, Software Engineer         | gwu@tcs.com or uunet!tcs!gwu
Teknekron Communications Systems, Inc. | (510) 649-3700
2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, 94704  | Never be the first to believe . . .