From: achin@math.tamu.edu (Andrew Chin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: Unity=Visibility (was Re: What does IT really mean?)
Date: 1 Jan 1993 07:21:42 GMT
Organization: Dept of Mathematics, Texas A&M University
Distribution: world
Reply-To: achin@math.tamu.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: math.tamu.edu

In article 13301@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU, ajh@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Alan Hu) writes:
>In article <1992Dec28.071044.11768@panix.com> sieh@panix.com (Lui Sieh) writes:

>>So far, besides Andy Shaw who attempted to address the issue in the summer, 
>>no one has presented a convincing argument for Pan-Asian America.  No one 
>>has so far to my knowledge within or without s.c.as.am come forth with why
>>it can exist and be successful.  To all you political Pan-Asian Americanists, 
>>I say that you must first come up with a raison d'etre as you feel it should 
>>be.  You can never convince someone if you can not point to something and say
>>to them that this is in their interest to follow you.  Remember, there are a
>>lot of Asian Americans who have different ideas about things and there are 
>>many factors working against your success.  All the best to you.
>
>Lui, you keep brining this up, and I keep responding, and you never
>respond to me.  Perhaps I'm being too boring or too feeble-minded,
>but isn't a *common* interest to fight the same stereotypes and prejudices
>that affect us *all* enough of a raison d'etre?  I mean you've phrased
>the question before as "Other than anti-Asian violence and discrimination,
>is there any good reason for Asian-American unity?"  To me, that question
>makes as much sense as asking "Other than the fact that food tastes good
>and that you need to eat to survive, can anyone give any good reasons to
>eat?  Gee, I guess we shouldn't bother eating."  There clearly is a
>justification for "Pan-Asian America".  Whether it can exist or survive is
>an entirely different question.  Our wonderful media has managed to convince
>large chunks of our population (mainly young women) to starve themselves to
>death; the media seems to be doing a good job of fragmenting the Asian-American
>community, too.  A goal and the pragmatics of reaching that goal are
>independent; but deciding on the goal is clearly a necessary pre-condition.

1.  I don't think there's true African-American or Latino unity either.
However, most Americans are aware of African-American and Latino spokespersons
and role models, and most Americans can recognize racism against African-
Americans and Latinos when they see it.  Also, many aspects of African-
American culture, particularly in entertainment, have been accepted as
mainstream American culture.  I think these achievements comprise the
full extent of what is perceived as "unity" among these groups, the essence
of which is visibility.

2.  We can -- and should -- speak out in public against anti-AA violence,
discrimination and stereotyping.  The occurrence of these injustices is
clear enough.  When doing so, we do not need to make an explicit disclaimer
that we do not represent the views of all Asian-Americans.  Sometimes, 
e.g. when we are the sole AA present at a public event, we become de facto 
spokespeople for the entire AA community.  This should not inhibit us any
more than it stopped the tongues of African-American and Latino leaders who
have gone before us.

Martin Luther King's birthday is January 16.  There will be many opportunities
on that day to attend demonstrations and rallies, and to serve as representatives
of Asian America.  I personally plan to express unity with other people of 
color, and to express my resentment at the way the "model minority" stereotype
has been used to divide us from the struggle for social justice.  My views may
conflict with those of some other AAs, but I believe that my mere visibility 
will make a small contribution to "unity" for all AAs.
---
Andrew Chin    Dept. of Math.    Texas A&M U.    College Station, TX 77843
achin@math.tamu.edu   Probably not TAMU's exact opinions.   (409) 845-0261
                * Fighting racism is not a special interest *