From: underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe)
Subject: Re: On Languages and Asian Americans
Organization: Miners for a Heart of Gold
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 92 01:20:14 GMT

In article <42857@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> mcovingt@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Maiko Covington)
writes:
>	The reason that I will not teach my children German is that
>I don't speak it myself. I am not German. I am not European. I have
>not been there, I hardly know anything about the place (hopefully
>this will change sometime in the future! ^_^).

I agree with Ms. Covington (Mai-chan, for short).  I just picked German-cu
as a random example; my argument still holds if we pick something else.

>	I consider myself to be Japanese American. As such, I would
>like to pass it on to my children. Go ahead and flame away, but I
>don't think that the contents of my blood has the SLIGHTEST thing to
>do with this at all.

Miracles do happen.  I can finally say that I strongly agree 100% with
a statement by someone on s.c.a.a.  What Mai-chan says is fabulously correct.

> It is how I was raised, and what I feel
>comfortable with. I speak Japanese and English at home. When I go
>home, I read novels in Japanese, I watch Japanese TV if we have it.
>It is just who I am. There are no ulterior motives... it is just who
>I AM. I can't change it, really... I am most comfortable hanging
>around with Japanese people or with people who've been there. We
>share many of the same experiences, the same memories. Does this
>make me bizarre?

It is not bizarre.
It is not bizarre.
It is not bizarre.

It is normal.
It is normal.
It is normal.

Believe me.  I _understand_ completely how Mai-chan feels.

> Probably.. forget I asked. ^_^
>	I  mean really... if I hadn't gone to the express trouble to
>tell people on the net that I have brown hair and green eyes, would
>you really have known? I'm just a bunch of 0's and 1's, parading
>across your screen...
>	Yes, people are discriminated on the basis of race all the
>time. Well, I for one am sick and tired of various people telling me
>either directly or indirectly that I shouldn't belong to various
>Asian-American organizations or whatever because I'm white, and
>that's not Asian American.

I _know_ how she feels.  It's just like a non-Japanese-ge Oriental-ge
who wants to join Japanese-cu activities, and she is sick and tired of various
people telling her indirectly that she shouldn't belong to various
Japanese-cu organizations or whether because she isn't Japanese-ge,
and that's not Japanese-cu.  Sh*t.

Oh God.  I _know_ how Mai-chan feels.

>Note that I am not saying it happens on
>this group, at all. ^_^ I realize that I am very silly and naive,
>but... it seems to me that people should be able to be grouped by
>what culture they live,

Mai-chan is _right_.  Up until now, I have never met anyone as forward thinking
and englightened as Mai-chan on s.c.a.a.

Hontoo da yo.

> and if you should want to for some reason
>learn all about say, German culture then you could eventually join
>that group. 

Right again!  Demo gaikokugo o narau no wa totemo muzukashii desu.
Watakushi wa itsumo gaikokugo no benkyoo o yameru ki ga suru.  Hontoo desu yo.
Doo shimashoo ka.

>	Maiko Covington (one entirely screwed up individual, no
>doubt)

Chigau yo.  Mai-chan, anata wa totemo shinsetsu de atama ga yokute subarashii
josei desu.

Chotto sabishii rashii nee.  Yorokobe.  ^_^  Gambatte ne.

>P.S. Also I have been known to read and appreciate Chinese comic
>books (though my reading level is VERY low ^_^). I suppose this
>makes me really evil. ^_^

No, it doesn't.  I know a lot of people who eat Chinese-cu food.  So, what?
I don't think that they are evil.

The truly sick people are those who insist that a person who is
French-ge must be culturally French-cu.  They make me puke.  Those
bozos know who they are.

What Mai-chan said above definitely makes her non-Chinese-cu.
Most Chinese-cu people are ferociously against what she says about
(1) how genetics and culture do not determine each and
(2) how anyone can _choose_ their culture and heritage.
I, for one, and many other Westerners know, with probability 1.00, that
both statements (and #2 in particular) are true.

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Jinsei no imi wa nan desu ka.                Sister, can you      |   \|  |`
Shitte itara oshiete kuremasen ka.           spare a coin?        |    | -+-
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Copyright 1992.  Disclaimer:  1 + 1 = 3                           |
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