From: kawakami@ocf.berkeley.edu (John Kawakami)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: Re: Asian/Asian American Conflicts
Keywords: Michael Jordan,  Leprosy
Date: 4 Sep 92 13:00:45 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility

In article <1992Sep1.072030.10695@mumbo.apple.com> tse@loonybin.apple.com (Gary Tse) writes:
>Like I said, the fellow made an impression.  He seems a perfect fit of
>my stereotypical (and almost certainly incorrect) mold of an Asian
>American activist.  If I were blind, I would not even guess that he
>has yellow skin and black hair.  He could just as well be Black, or 
>White, or Red.  

Actually, many activists (at least in California) hail from ghettos or
minority communities and direct their energies toward concrete programs
which benefit these communities. This usually results in the beneficiaries
participating more fully in "mainstream" society.

The stereotyped activist does exist in great numbers as well, but they
fulfill a different function.

>
>But the food was spectacular, and I was hungry besides.  Introspection
>gave way to lunch.
>
>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?  There seems to be nothing Asian about him.  Is it because when
>others look at him, they see yellow skin and black hair?  It must be a
>difficult and sad life indeed to be defined by what others see in him.

But who in life is not defined in part by other people.  No one.  Only
a fool can shrug off the opinions of others as ultimately insignificant.
How we interact and relate to others ultimately forms the bulk of man's
identity.  Since these interactions are polluted by racism, sexism,
classism, and hate, our identities are polluted.

This is why the fork wielding, monolingual kid is looking to re-create
himself as an Asian American.  He's trying to remove the pollution which
comes with living in the US.  He's dealing with a society which tells him
his mother is defective because she speaks Chinese.  He's dealing with 
another society which tells him he's defective because he can't speak to
his mother in Chinese.

This issue of racism is something all persons of Asian descent must deal
with to find their place in society.  They can deal with it openly or in
private, by confrontation or avoidance.  Whatever the method, they must
deal with it.  And other minorities must deal with it.

And if we are to be a free and equitable society, Whites, especially the
Whites who run the nation, must deal with the pollution of racism and all
the other isms.  But I fear that most of them will not confront and resolve
the issue because they are in power and their privelege is not threatened
by the "other people."  After all, how often does the pretty boy or girl
think about the problem of being ugly? How often does a man get enraged
about how women seem to live in a constant state of paranoia?  If you are
lucky enough to be a winner, you try not to think about the loser.




-- 
John Kawakami                  kawakami@ocf.berkeley.edu
                               ucbvax!ocf.berkeley.edu!kawakami