From: Van Tran <0005359961@mcimail.com>
Subject: [SOC] On Luyen's Death
Originator: daemon@media-lab.media.mit.edu
Reply-To: 0005359961@mcimail.com
Organization: N/A
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 16:41:58 GMT

     A Random Essay About Luyen Phan Nguyen's Incident
     -------------------------------------------------

                                   By   Tra^`n Y' Va^n


I don't know Luyen, nor do I know his family. But, from bottom of
my heart, I do know him because he is Vietnamese. A Vietnamese
refugee that is.

In life there are times we argue against each other; we don't like
each other; or, even worse, we deny each other and within ourselves
our true identity. 

In life there are times we wish we could change our root; we would
change our appearance through cosmetic surgery; or, as it often
happens to young people, we almost forget our own language.

To be successful in the New World we embrace the new learning, wear
the new custom, and even think the new thoughts. 

To forget the Painful Past we look forward to the future, learn the
new profession, and even change to a new religion.

But, having done all that, in Death, we return once and for all to
our true identity: we are Vietnamese. Vietnamese refugees that is.
And it was the case with Luyen.

Don't get me wrong here. Luyen might or might not do all those
things I just mentioned. It is totally irrelevant what he had done
in his life because nobody, none, deserves that kind of treatment
in this kinder, gentler nation. Nobody, none, deserves that kind of
hatred and abuse in this multi-cultural, multi-racial society. 

Even though the Goddess of Liberty faces toward Europe, we face
each other and toward every direction in life. My neighbors might
be blacks, yours might be whites, but, under those different skin
colors, we all have the same color of blood and fresh. Oh, so much
for the greatest civilization on Earth!

In our own community, at times, we have heard so much about the
glory past and the successful presence. But, ironically, we have
rarely heard about heart-breaking stories. We know that there is
now a Vietnamese American Astronaut, a powerful White House
assistant, and even a pretty Playboy playmate, but, how many times
have we heard there are about 40% of our students dropped out of
highschool in New England? How many loose their jobs due to racial
discrimination such as Dr. An Nguyen at the University of Georgia? 

To feel good, then it seems, is to deny the bad; to be successful
is to deny the failures; and, of course, to be great is to
daydream. We, in effect, deceive ourselves and deceive each other
too much for too long. I am not pessimistic but it is true.

It is true because I have heard an ex-President said "THEY have
nothing to do with ME", a local "leader" said "THEY are
UNeducated", and young "pro"fessionals knew more about Michael
Jackson's hairstyle than their countrymen's lifestyle.

It is true because I have heard about coups and revolutions taking
place in various organizations and communities, not in the First or
the Second Republic but in the United States of America. Yet, after
so many years nothing has ever happened for good. What a irony!

It is true because I have heard so many claim how much patriotic
they are. Yet, when it comes times to help others no one shows up.
What a shame!

It is true because I have seen so many philosophize how they could
save Vietnam, theorize how they could organize our community, and,
yet, as usual, realize nothing. What a joke!

Never before do I feel as hopeless as today. Never before do I hold
my deepest contempt for those good-for-nothing doers as today. And,
never before do I feel I know Luyen better than today.  What a
feeling!

Might Luyen's incident serve as a wake-up call to us all and might
we wake up within ourselves. I really mean it and I'll pray God for
it.

                                                  8-22-1992,
                                                  Tra^`n Y' Va^n


Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese