From: ar2j+@andrew.cmu.edu (Anthony Russell Rosania)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: Re: Reclaiming our heritage (was: Oriental bias against Indians...)
Date: 12 Apr 92 21:57:56 GMT
	<1992Apr12.193521.7949@Princeton.EDU>
Organization: Freshman, Drama, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Excerpts from netnews.soc.culture.asian.american: 12-Apr-92 Re:
Reclaiming our heritage.. Franklin M. Chen@phoenix (2291)

> In article <1992Apr12.075757.13889@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
> hyx1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Harry Y Xu) writes:
> >In article <gdtqVlm00awQ4k7UVZ@andrew.cmu.edu> ar2j+@andrew.cmu.edu
> (Anthony Russell Rosania) writes:
> >>     To emphasizes Dave Hiebeler's post, I think the emphasis shouldn't
> >>be on recognizing YOUR heritages achievments/culture, I believe one
> >>should make an attempt to learn all cultures, and achievments of all
> >>factions of HUMANkind. I for one am interested in learning about Asian
> >	We all need self identity.  Heritages helps us in that respect.
> >	Learning about cultures is not the same as adopting to them and 
> >	living them out.  
> >	The word "reclaim_ing" sounds a little corny in this context.

> Some brief observations:

> I've seen the word "culture" thrown around casually on this newsgroup
> for some time now.  People seem to be using it in so many different ways
> that all I can tell is that, like "God," nobody has the same idea of
> what it is, except that it is a Good Thing.  It's a catchword like
> Democracy or Truth.

> People talk about culture as if it were something analyzed, studied, and
> perhaps adopted; everyone is an amateur anthropologist, it seems.  I
> prefer to think of a culture as a "way of life."  Anyone who lives in a
> certain way, and attaches importance to this way of living, is
> implicitly living a "culture."

> In fact, practically everyone here clearly identifies with American
> or Western culture, whether or not he realizes it.

> Examples:  the talk about "humankind" above is a typical expression of
> the ideals of the 18th century European enlightenment.  "We all need
> self identity" is a popular version of an existentialist thread which
> began with 19th century Romanticism.  Since the battle between
> classicism and romanticism has existed for millenia--consider the
> opposition of the Apollinian and Dionysian in ancient Greece, for
> instance--and has never been fully resolved, it is no wonder that
> nothing is being resolved in this newsgroup.  Two different Western
> tendencies fighting each other.

> I suggest that everyone experiment with non-Western forms of thinking,
> in which abstract principles and dualistic black-white reasoning and
> feeling are rejected.  Consider, for example, the meaning of the Yin-Yan
> complementarity.

> 	Franklin Chen


	To put a lable on my ideas or Harry's ideas is not very fair, I am not
from the 18th or 19th century niether is he.  My form of thinking is
mine, his is his, yours is yours. What I am trying to say is, although
it was not shown by my previous post, I understand the need for identity
and individuality. But everything must be kept in balance and
perspective. To become to obsessed with the contributions of one group
of people instead of relating them to the cotributions of all people can
lead no where. Not having a diversity in contribution leads to
stagnation and boredom. We must strive to understand and embrace all
cultures while still continuing  to produce thinking and ideas that are
different and diverse, so we all can learn from eachother. Different
thinking tends to  develop different cultures, NOT the other way
around.The thing being as far as American people go, there comes a time
when we must learn to identify with eachother and release the
hyphenations. I often question how people  can call themselves
"something"-American if they are say 4th or 5th generation. I understand
this does not hold true for many Asian-Americans, at least most of my
Asian friends are only 1st or 2nd generation, or immigrants. In such a
situation things are different and I see the reason for the hyphenation.
Being IN America makes one part of the American Culture, whether they
like it or not, it has it's problems like all cultures do, just in
different areas. We all must accept those problems and try to fix them,
not turn from them, I  LIKE Frank's definition of culture, and I
apologize if my comment on "learning about culture" was offensive. The
way I see to fix the problems though, is by adopting positive elements
from all cultures, that is what American culture is any way, a mixture
of cultures though maybe not enough Asian culture, excuse me NON-WESTERN
culture, I like that better . There are many things about Asian culture,
too look at it as a whole ( I'm sorry if this seems unfair) which I see
as positive to one's being and thinking. I'm sure I will get respose
saying you cannot take on parts of a culture, well in a way that is
right, certain people have certain experiences in common that other
people don't have, but that is what develops a culture everyone can
appreciate and learn from it. Everyone has there own little culture all
to themselves in a way. To go back to the beggining the only problem is
balance and moderation in thinking, we must not get to the point of
segregation and not considering ourselves the same, because we are alot
alike in the fact that we are all different. This is the complete
opposite of my last post, I know, but I believe strongly in both of
them, we are all many and one. Thanx for your patience.

							Anthony