From: tse@loonybin.apple.com (Gary Tse)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: Re: Asian/Asian American Conflicts
Date: 9 Sep 92 00:09:22 GMT
Organization: Raoul Duke School of Pharmacology and Journalism

In article <SHAW.92Sep3192526@au-bon-pain.lcs.mit.edu> shaw@au-bon-pain.lcs.mit.edu (Andy Shaw) writes:
>In article <1992Sep3.053658.12353@mumbo.apple.com> tse@loonybin.apple.com (Gary Tse) writes:
>   In article <1992Sep1.153221.12938@u.washington.edu> gwangung@milton.u.washington.edu (Just another theatre geek.....) writes:
>   >In article <1992Sep1.072030.10695@mumbo.apple.com> tse@loonybin.apple.com (Gary Tse) writes:
>   >>I couldn't help but think about that kid on my drive back to work though.
>   >>And my initial reaction of disdain and dismissal turned to pity.  You
>   >>see, that young man is emphatically non-Chinese.
>   >> He is American and
>   >>absolutely nothing else.  Why does he care so about the Asian American
>   >>cause?
>   >
>   >	Because he is Asian American.
>
>   Gee, I must admit I am a bit fuzzy on this Asian American bit.  Just
>   what exactly makes one an Asian American?
>
>   Is it genetics?  But surely that can't be.  Since Asian != Asian American, 
>   and in some cases even Asian + American != Asian American.  So genes must 
>   be a necessary but insufficient condition.
>
>Geez Gary, I thought this was pretty clear -- does an African-American have
>to speak some African language before you consider him an African-American?
>What exactly are you trying to say?

To be honest, I am not sure.  I certainly did not mean to imply that 
fluency in an Asian tongue is a qualification for being Asian American.

I guess I am trying to understand what it takes to be an Asian American.
Knowledge of an Asian language isn't required.  Understanding of the
relevant Asian culture isn't required.  gwangung keeps on harping about
his "sociological and cultural experience of growing up in the States
Asian".  What is there to these experiences other victimization and
discrimination?  Asian American culture?  What is that?

>   Is it some sort of shared Asian cultural heritage?  
>
>No ... why should it be?  Asian-American does not == Asian, just as
>American does not == White.  Is this a particularly difficult concept to
>understand?

Not at all.  In fact, part of my quoted post explicitely said "Asian
!= Asian American".  Come to think of it, in part of my original post I
wrote "he [the young man I met last week during lunch] is American and
absolutely nothing else".  Where have I said that "American == White"?

Prove it, or retract it.

>   But I thought I 
>   expressed doubt if the young man in question partook at all of anything
>   culturally Asian.  gwangung is so sure pronouncing that man an Asian
>   American that culture can't have anything to do with it.  
>
>How about Asian-American culture?

Yes, how about Asian American culture?

I guess I would not be nearly as confused over what makes up Asian America
were I aware of a substantive Asian American culture.  

-- 
Gary Tse, tse@Apple.COM		"The fascination of what's difficult",
(408) 862-5452  		    The wish to do what one's not done before,
				Is the proper card to show at Heaven's door.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american