assimilation

Cinema Me Short Film Competition

Submitted by Edwin on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 10:11

Since the Asian American film burst onto the scene thirty something years ago, many of those filmmakers, such as, Christine Choy, Wayne Wang, Mira Nair, Ang Lee, Justin Lin and among others are now comfortably part of the American cinematic mainstream.

Each year, hundreds of filmmakers from around the Asian Diaspora submit their short films to Asian American film festivals. They have given us stories of immigration and assimilation, adversity and triumph, motivation and inspiration of all genres: narrative, documentary, experimental, animation, music video.

Common reoccurring themes include identity politics, alienated youth, hypersexualization, math nerds, over-achievers, stereotypes, suburban alienation, and kung-fu waiters.
Been there? Done that?

Tell us YOUR Asian American story.

Serial Pedophile Who Bought 5-Year-Old Vietnamese Sex Slave is Up For Parole

Submitted by Edwin on Sun, 09/27/2009 - 14:04

What can be more depressing than a story like this to remind us of our current society and the state of human morality. It is important that we should continue to advocate against human trafficking and foriegners who go overseas to find Asian wives or sex touring for Asian women (or in this case, Children too).

Typically, these are the types that have the imperialist mindset, they prey on those who are inpoverished and live in difficult conditions. The circumstances that exposes a vulnerability can be said without reference, human trafficking or sexual exploitation of Asian women.

We have similar issues that exist in first world countries only that these problems exist on a another level. In the social context, racism comes intertwined with stereotypes, race sexual fetish, Asian fetishism, Pedophilia, Asiaphiles, Sexism, Rapists, murders etc all that commonly share the same basis on the grounds of racism.

Stereotypes Persist Even Where Immigrants Don't

Submitted by Edwin on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 21:50

It's never been easy to be part of the huddled masses. The Statue of Liberty may not be choosy about the wretched refuse she allows in the door, but Americans haven't always been so hospitable. Immigrants from Ireland landed in the U.S. in the 1850s only to find shop windows festooned with signs reading "No Irish Need Apply." The Chinese toiled to build our transcontinental railroad in the 1860s only to see the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act signed in 1882, suspending further immigration. The unwritten rule was simple: pretty much anyone was welcome, except the newest group — or at least the one arriving in the greatest numbers — who would have a harder go of things. All that's changed, though, right? In our new postracial world, haven't we risen above such petty prejudice? Actually, no, we haven't. But the good news is, we're doing better than you might expect.

Meeting Phoebe Eng, Social Activist & author of Warrior Lessons

Submitted by Edwin on Mon, 06/22/2009 - 17:24

VisualizAsian.com - Continuing with our AAPI Empowerment Series at visualizAsian.com, our next guest is Phoebe Eng, author of "Warrior Lessons: An Asian American Woman's Journey into Power," Vice Chair for the Ms. Foundation for Women and head of Creative Counsel, an organization that connects artists and entertainers with social causes.

LIVE INTERVIEW IS ON TUESDAY, JUNE 23 at 6 PM PDT (9 PM EDT) on VisualizAsian.com, Register here

Vanishing Son By Amy Kashiwabara (paper)

Submitted by Edwin on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 20:04

Vanishing Son: The Appearance, Disappearance, and Assimilation of the Asian-American Man in American Mainstream Media
By Amy Kashiwabara.
University of California, Berkeley.

"He's handsome. He's tough. He's worth millions. He's Asian American. (Learn his secrets inside.)" Thus begins a mailer advertising Transpacific Magazine, directed at a young and supposedly very mobile new class of Asian-Americans. Next to these words, Russell Wong appears, elegantly dressed in a tuxedo. He is meant to represent the minority that made it big, who has arrived as a powerful force in American and global life. Yet the secrets that lie behind Russell Wong are not his alone. If he represents the success of Asian men in becoming mainstream in America, he also represents their failures and their history.

The history of Asian-American men in mainstream media is largely found in the visual medium of the motion picture. Asian-Americans can be found in the very first black and white silent shorts of the late nineteenth century and in films of every successive decade. Sometimes these characters were more popular, sometimes less. Sometimes they had large roles, sometimes the most minute. Sometimes they were played by actual Asians and sometimes by Whites in yellowface. But whatever the means, Hollywood has consistently produced some version of Asian and Asian-American men to present to the American public.

Melting Pot vs. Ethnic Stew

Submitted by Edwin on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 19:26

Melting Pot vs. Ethnic Stew
by Laura, Laubeová
Encyclopedia of The World’s Minorities, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers

The term melting pot refers to the idea that societies formed by immigrant cultures, religions, end ethnic groups, will produce new hybrid social and cultural forms. The notion comes from the pot in which metals are melted at great heat, melding together into new compound, with great strength and other combined advantages. In comparison with assimilation, it implies the ability of new or subordinate groups to affect the values of the dominant group. Sometimes it is referred to as amalgamation, in the opposition to both assimilation and pluralism.

The concept of ethnic stew is similar to that of melting pot, though the degree of cultural distinctiveness is higher in the former, however not reaching the level of the “salad bowl” thesis (different groups keep their differences, while maintaining relations among each other).

Asian-American Identity Problems

Submitted by Edwin on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 22:06

for Dr. Ryang
Asian Civilization I 1996

Introduction/Overview

While Asian-Americans have a very rich culture, often they suffer from problems of identity crises, as do many in this country. Should one maintain a sense of family history? Or is it better to try to blend in and assimilate with the rest of America? This is a problems many minorities, in general, face, but Asian-Americans seem to have a particular presence in this problem.

There are countless reasons as to why this could be. This paper will explore specific problems among Asian-Americans trying to find an identity as well as possible reasons and solutions for this problem. The information from this paper comes from books containing oral histories, statistical books, and personal interviews, as well as a smattering of hypothesizing and author's contemplation on the subject.

History of Asian Dissension

The Invisibility of Asian-American Scholars

Submitted by visitors on Sat, 02/28/2009 - 20:38

By Frank H. Wu | For the Chronicle of Higher Education
http://yellowworld.org/academia/226.html

While we can probably all cite at least one or two respected Asian-American scholars, they are hardly household names. No Asian-American professors have intellectual influence that extends far beyond their campuses. No Asian-American television commentator regularly analyses the crises of the day. No Asian-American columnist's nationally syndicated views reach the heartland. No Asian-American activist of any prominence can be relied on to respond to anti-Asian-American bias -- or can count on being offered a forum for doing so. Nor are there periodicals dedicated to Asian-American conversations but possessing crossover appeal -- read by those who do not hold doctorates or who claim other forebears -- like Commentary and Tikkun, or the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Black Issues in Higher Education, and the defunct Emerge.

Public intellectuals have always been marked by notions of racial or ethnic identity, whether they sought to impose restrictions on others or escape from the limits set on them.

Interracial Dating & Marriage True Love is a Two-Way Street

Submitted by Edwin on Wed, 02/18/2009 - 23:59

Text version

One of the most public manifestations of race is the choice of one's partner or spouse. This very individual and personal aspect can sometimes produce a lot of public discussion. Studies consistently show that Asian Americans have some of the highest "intermarriage" (also known as "outmarriage") rates among racial/ethnic minorities -- marrying someone else outside of their own ethnic group. But as always, there's more to the story than just the headline.

The Public and Private Sides of Ethnicity

Our Child Only Speaks English and It’s Not Okay

Submitted by visitors on Sat, 02/14/2009 - 18:26

'Our Child Only Speaks English and It’s Not Okay' By Tim | Friday, February 13, 2009

My 3 year old daughter used to yell “Stop Daddy”, whenever I talked to my mom in Chinese. She didn’t like feeling like she was left out of the conversation, and she let us know in no uncertain terms. It was partly my fault she never learned to speak Chinese, as her other parent is a Caucasian, English-only speaker. If she was going to learn it was going to require my talking to her in Chinese, which never happened often enough.

So obviously it touched a nerve when fellow 8asians blogger, Ernie sent me this article titled “Our Child Only Speaks English and It’s Okay”. I have to commend Bonnie Gray (the Chinese American author of the article) for being able to rationalize the decision to not teach her child Chinese in addition to English.