From: sieh@panix.com (Lui Sieh)
Subject: Re: Asian-American Political Agenda?
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 22:39:10 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC

In article <1992Nov19.070055.9654@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> 
webihara@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Wataru Ebihara) writes:
>I need to read scaa more often.  Boy, it's kind of weird -- I
>didn't really expect to get flamed by Lui Sieh to that degree.  

I'm curious as to why you felt that I flamed you?  I didn't use
abusive language.  I merely asked tough questions about some
of your assumptions.  If you take that as flaming then I feel
that you're not very sure about yourself.  I am still waiting
but methinks I'll not get satisfaction.  

>must have hit a sensitive nerve.  Nice to know though, a few
>people see reasons for Asian American unity and organization.

By reading this, one can only come to the conclusion that Lui
Sieh is against Asian American organization and unity.  Bzzt,
wrong answer, Wataru.  It's this, "if you don't agree with me,
then you're against me" mentality so pervasive in "minority politics" 
that it makes me so disgusted.  A total fucking crock of shit.  This 
narrowminded attitude exhibited by so many people is, IMNSHO, one of
the biggest obstacles toward equality. [Yeah, this is a pet peeve of 
mine, if you can't tell]

>>[Alan Hu, not to be confused with Arthur Hu writes]
>> likely to be trampled. As I've mentioned before, I believe
>> positive social change can conceivably take any form between
>> quiet, hardworking passivity to massive civil disobedience, so
>> long as people recognize and believe in the unifying anti-racist
>> goal.
>
>Alan, I do agree that sharing adversity is probably the strongest
>unifying factor (more than "culture").   

There's a tiny problem with this.  What is "adversity" to you is
very different to another person like me.  Now what?  These words
you use and the language used here are so banal that it's really
meaningless; it's useless.  There is nothing here that can effect
a real form of unity.  You will never get anyone to say publicly
that they are against equality or discrimination or racism.  Of
course everyone can agree on this.  Agreement/consensus does not
translate into action.  It seldom does.  One needs to be more focused 
and substantive.  This does not mean, 'We should work together and
eliminate racism in this country.' "No, really?!"  Well, that's
what I hear people say.  There's been very little substance to go 
with the rhetoric.

>forms).  I do appreciate the Asian cultural side and learning
>about my ethnic identity (ethnic pride), but that wasn't the

This could be a question of semantics but wouldn't your "ethnic
identity" be "Japanese American" and not "Japanese".  I know
some people would say that your ethnicity is "Asian" [sic].

>motivating factor for joining/forming Asian American
>organizations.  Anti-Asian racism was the thing that got me mad
>enough to want to do "something".  From the practical side, we
>need the strength of numbers with a unified voice to be heard.

A few fundamental issues arise from this.  
1)  To what extent will the "end justify the means"?  This appears
in many forms.  It could mean what priority does the group identity 
and effort have over the individual identity?
  a)  What is the end?

2) What are the means?  This issue deserves its own consideration.
People may certainly agree on broad goals such as saying racism should
be eliminated.  The "problem" is that there are some people who feel
there are certain methods that should be used and that these are the
right methods to use.  There are others who feel that there are many
kinds of actions and activities that can be used in accordance to the
situation.  This question is very divisive.  Getting people to agree
on the goals is the easy part.  The biggest battle is getting people to
work together and to cooperate with each other and agree on what steps
should be taken toward the goals.  I feel that 99.98% percent of the
problems stem from this issue alone.

-- 
//Lui Sieh
Dum loquimur, fugerit invida Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum postero.  
Horace, Odes, I.xi.7;	<-- "Why post to USENET?" -Brian O.  Indeed.
What about my opinions?   ====>>   /dev/null     or    sieh@panix.com 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american