From: underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe)
Subject: Re: Asian-male, nerd, geek, etc.
Organization: Miners for a Heart of Gold
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 92 00:29:04 GMT

>In article <2493@usna.NAVY.MIL> wdw@math2.sma.usna.navy.MIL (Wm. Douglas
>Withers -- math  FACULTY <wdw@sma.usna.navy.mil>) writes:
>>In article <1992Dec7.223123.3431@newstand.syr.edu> mlau@mothra.syr.EDU
>>(Michael  Lau) writes:
>>>By the way: what are those suffixes Chinese-cu and others?
>>Would anyone like to work (cooperatively, or otherwise) on a FAQ for this
>>group?  I think it's clear what Question 1 will be.
>>P.S.  `-cu' denotes `culture'; `-ge' denotes `genetic'; `-ci' denotes
>>`citizenship.'

Mr. Withers correctly identifies their inherent meaning.  So, for example,
a German-ge can be Korean-cu but American-ci; in other words, a person
can be ethnically German with American citizenship but live his life by
the standards of Korean culture.

Actually, I'm the person who originated those suffixes, so perhaps, I
should delve a bit into the history on s.c.a.a.  Terms like Chinese, Korean,
German, etc. actually connote 3 different things.  Unfortunately, many
Chinese-cu Chinese-ge refuse to recognize that culture != ethnicity (i.e.
genetics); they think that a Chinese-ge is automatically Chinese-cu.
Further, they think that a Japanese-(ge-)American(-ci) will automatically
do the Japanese-cu "thing" simply because she is Japanese-ge.  Note that
rednecks, Klansmen, and Nazis make the same racist assumption.

But we Westerners-cu, Japanese-cu, etc. know better. 
culture!=ethnicity(genetics)!=citizenship.  Hence, I developed this notation
to make crystal clear the distinction between these 3 separate notions.

Of course, many Chinese-cu Chinese-ge and some Koreans-cu Korean-ge
are extremely upset that I would dare to differentiate between
culture and ethnicity(genetics); they think that these are one in the same.
So, they refuse to use my notation system; they consider it to be an
insult that I would dare to separate the 3 notions.  I know.  It's strange
for them to feel this way, but they are Chinese-cu (and to some extent
Korean-cu).

Anyhow, please do use my notation.

A side benefit of my notation is that it creates a communication medium
in which it is extremely difficult to hide the racism in Chinese-cu culture.
For example, before my notation, it was easy for Chinese-cu to rant,

"Come on.  You aren't White.  You are Chinese.  So, you should be Chinese."

and then to fudge around, defending his statement as being proper.
Now, let's use my notation; we get the following:

"Come on.  You aren't White-ge.  You are Chinese-ge.  So, you should be
Chinese-cu."

Now, it becomes clearly obvious what the idiot is trying to say; namely,
according to him, ethnicity(genetics) determines what culture you should be
and are.  I know.  This sounds a lot like what Nazis say about genetics
determining behavior (culture).

So, now, on s.c.a.a., you rarely ever hear comments like that any more
from racist bigots.  Of course, you can still find them in other newsgroup
where they refuse to use the -ci/-cu/-ge notation; an example is
soc.culture.taiwan (mostly with Chinese-ge telling Taiwanese-ge that
because they are Chinese-ge they are are also Chinese-cu and hence their
soul and Taiwan rightfully belong to China[or something stupid like that])
or soc.culture.china.

Well, now, isn't that an interesting coincidence?

Have a nice day.

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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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Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american