...second-generation Asian American students at the University of Illinois feel about being Asian American, particularly those who are not of Chinese, Korean, Filipino or Japanese descent. In other words, we are focusing on students whose background ethnicity represents Southeast Asian (Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, Indonesian) and South Asian (Indian, Bengali, Pakistani) and so forth. We want to explore how various Asian ethnic groups identify socially and culturally with the term Asian American. We asked for written responses from Asian American students, who have these background ethnicities, to describe in their own words what being Asian American means to them. In addition, we walked around campus and interviewed several second-generation Asian Americans. In their explanations, we encouraged the students to explain if it was a struggle growing up in America, whether they have ever been a victim to stereotypes or discrimination and how they have dealt with it. We took these statements and compared them to the stereotypes placed immigrants of the 1900s. In addition to the interviews, we analyzed our finding with an article published by Jerry Park of Baylor University titled, “Second-Generation Asian American Pan-Ethnic Identify: Pluralized Meaning of a Racial Label” who did a similar study in four public universities, along with other readings from class. The term, Asian American, was formed as a significant symbolic move in constructing an ethnic identity for the pan-Asian community in...
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...what a stereotype is. A stereotype is a false picture or idea in many people’s minds about how all members of a certain group look, think, and/or act. Stereotypes exist about members of almost every possible social group, including racial, ethnic, gender, religious, and political groups, among others. A person is said to be “stereotyped” if someone outside of that person’s particular social group, whatever it may be, thinks about him as being like the group’s stereotype, without knowing anything about him; conversely, we say a person is “stereotyping” another if he thinks in stereotypes about people in a certain social group, again, whatever it may be. Most stereotypes are negative and offensive, a few are positive, and some are neutral. A negative stereotype shows a group in a bad light (For example, African Americans are violent.); a positive stereotype shows a group in a good light (For example, “… Asians are good at math” (www.ask.com); and a neutral stereotype is one that is neither good nor bad (For example, Blacks loves watermelon). Perhaps, the most prevalent stereotypes in the US concern all the different races and ethnic groups who live there. An examination of some common stereotypes regarding African Americans, Hispanics/ Latinos, and Asians in the US will demonstrate that negative, positive, and/or neutral stereotypes exist about all three of these groups; There are many negative stereotypes, a few positive stereotypes, and a few neutral stereotypes about...
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...The dominant image of Asian Americans as high achievers can be traced back to 1966 when Time Magazine (Peterson, 1960) and U.S. News and World Report (1966) reported on the ability of Japanese- and Chinese-Americans to achieve success in the face of the same adversities declared by proponents of the civil rights movement (Tran and Birman 2010). Direct experiences are pervasive, with research showing that over 99 % of Asian American adolescents have had at least one encounter in which they felt like they were being stereotyped as a model minority (Thompson and Kiang 2010). Yet, despite its prevalence and commonality, the developmental implications of the model minority stereotype are not well-understood. Most of the existing research has been...
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...Exploring Racial Discrimination Against Asian Americans According to Whitlock and Bronski, hate is not the sole cause of things such as “racism, misogyny, homophobia, violence against transgender people, violence against disabled people, or economic cruelty” (Whitlock and Bronski 16). The first two chapters of Considering Hate introduces the concept of hate as a feeling that is not just a personal one, but one that is perpetuated further by the structure of society and popular culture. In the first two chapters of Considering Hate, the concept of hate is introduced as a feeling that is not just a personal one, but one that is perpetuated further by the structure of society and popular culture. Minority groups that have experienced instances...
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...answers in your paragraphs; don't make a list of your questions and answers.) What are you going to write about? Why did you choose this topic? Based on your topic, what are the main issues you will explore? What is the thesis (or the tentative thesis) of your final paper? Who are you interviewing for your paper? Why? What are your other sources? (Remember that there should be at least two sources in addition to your interview.) What do you intend to prove with this paper? What, in your view, is the relevance of your topic? I am going to write about being Asian and more specifically being Chinese in a particular part of the United States in the 21st century. I will explore the perception that some non-Chinese people have of Chinese people in the US and also explore the pros and cons, in terms of public perception, of being Chinese. I chose this topic because this would be a good study of stereotypes, as well as a venue to express the truth about my identity. The ttentative thesis of my final paper is to find the truth about my identity, it includes three parts, the first part is the perception that some non-Chinese people have of Chinese people in the...
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...without forming an idea of who you are or where you have come whether you care to make it a part of your daily life, have no choice or acknowledge it when it is convenient; without that knowledge I find it difficult to fully make the most of life. Through the readings from the semester and class discussions I have come to the conclusion that White ethnics choose to either assert their ethnicities thickly or thinly, or they chose to incorporate it into their lives symbolically. Blacks on the other side of the spectrum lack choice in their racial identity because their race is visible and so it is assigned to them. Asians have both the ability to choose to assert their specific ethnicities but they are racially assigned. The issue with racial and ethnic construction is that it is born of social construction-what others believe of your race to be true. This can make the identity construction process much more difficult depending upon your racial or ethnic background. Regardless, I find this to be an important part of the identity construction journey. How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. These words were spoken by the infamous French fashion designer, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. In America today, these words could not ring truer in the subject of identity. “Who am I?”, “Where do I come from?” All questions of self reflection which undoubtedly each individual asks themselves on a daily basis. These questions are not elaborate in structure...
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...Asian Pacific Americans are portrayed in the media in a variety of contradictory stereotypes, ranging from the "model minority" at the head of his or her class in school, to the non-English-speaking welfare recipient who is a "drain on the system." Asians are also characterized in film as unscrupulous businessmen and cruel mobsters, or as compliant, submissive and exotic. One-dimensional portrayals, coupled with the absence of accurate images and positive role models, obstruct public understanding of the Asian American community, which can contribute to an anti-Asian climate. Despite the diversity among Asian Pacific Americans, they are often misperceived as a monolithic group. Thus, even though an act of anti-Asian sentiment might be perpetrated with a particular ethnic group in mind (e.g., Indian, Filipino or Korean), a failure to make distinctions between Asian Pacific American ethnic groups causes members of all groups to become potential victims of hate crimes. Hate incidents are expressions of hostility based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or disability. Hate incidents are not illegal. They may take the form of name-calling or using racial slurs, hate speech, the distribution of racist leaflets or other disrespectful behavior. Hate crimes are defined by federal or state statutes. A hate crime occurs when a person commits an act such as assault, battery, criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to property or mob action because of the victim's...
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...Identity: American Born Chinese Asian American students today are faced with the issue of identity in the American society. They are faced with this issue because of their unfamiliar background to the American society. They want to fit-in and become accepted in school’s diverse environment. The graphic novel, American Born Chinese by Gene Yang, exemplifies the issue of Asian American students search for identity in the American society. He wanted to target teenager that are struggling to find an identity and acceptance in school. To target Asian American students, Yang uses the stories of three different characters: Monkey King, Danny, and Jin Wang. Each character in the story faces the issue of finding an identity and acceptance. Yang mostly focused on the story of Jin Wang because his Chinese background constantly plagues him. Jin tries to do everything to fit-in with the American students. He tries to conceal his Chinese background, and tries to change his appearance. In the end, he learns to accept his Chinese background; therefore, finding his identity and acceptance. Yang wanted to show that accepting yourself is the key to unlocking your identity and finding acceptance in the American society. Yang wanted Asian American students to connect with his book by strategically converging the three stories, negative experience of characters, and negative stereotypes to show that accepting themselves will allow them to find their identity and acceptance in the American society...
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...to focus on the mainstream media representation of model minority myth within the Asian American Community, but the broad scope and definition creates a challenge of conveying a personalize message through digital photography. The revised topic illustrates the mental stress and problems created from the model minority myth and cultural tensions. “[The Model Minority Myth] theory offered a promise of equality that could be achieved, not through political organization and community empowerment, but only through individual effort, cultural assimilation, and political accommodation.” (Robert Lee 268) The stereotypes characteristics of a hardworking immigrants, obedient members of society,...
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...V. 2. Part 1-Racial profiling: a brief history and background: Profiling began in the early 1970’s by the drug enforcement agency and it focused on certain behaviors. By the 1980’s when Reagan declared the war on drugs, skin color became a major profile component and enforcement of drug laws became to take on the street level rather than just in airports and the focus was increasingly on poor communities of color. By 1985, the DEA had trained thousands of police officers to employ the "pretextual traffic stop", a legal name for racial profiling, and refers to the practice of stopping drivers, particularly those of color, for minor traffic violations for the purpose of searching their cars for drugs, guns, or cash. In 1986, the DEA introduced...
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... & Monsters: The Unmasking Asian Images of U.S. comics. It was such a cool and fun exhibit to visit! I felt like I was walking into a life size comic book with huge blow-‐ups of superheroes followed by a brief humor with text in caption. From today’s generation, creators: William Wu and Jeff Yang combined archives of comics that served as racial propaganda during World War II. The exhibit opens with a large billboard with Marvels and Monsters written all over it. As you walk into the exhibition, each character is lit up by light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and followed by a description below. With unique character names like: Guru, Brain, Temptress, Manipulator, Alien, Kamikaze, Brute, and Lotus Blossom go beyond the typical Asian American stereotype. These comical characters displayed a story of how Asians are portrayed in the comical...
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...has always been an issue. "Even in New Zealand?" some may ask, because we are famous for being culturally open. In New Zealand, the largest racial minority group are the Maori who are historically...
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...now, Asians from countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines, have been immigrating into the United States. Arriving with not anything in their pockets and nothing but hope, without a doubt they truly believe that the United States is the land of opportunity. Although many of them have successfully amalgamated into American culture through hard work and diehard persistence, the idea of this “model minority” trails behind them unceasingly. This stereotype of the model minority characterizes Asians as having everything “figured out”. They are willing and ready to assimilate completely into American culture; they stay of trouble and are submissive, and they dominate in both education and in the work place. Even though this stereotype seemingly praises Asians; in truth, it has a counteractive effect on both the Asian community and other ethnic groups as well. Despite the existence of this model minority stereotype, Asians are not followers of the myth and altogether demonstrate it counterfactual. In Asian American Dreams, Helen Zia introduces the model minority myth through an article titled “Success Story of One Minority Group in the United States” where it explains it as a reasonably form of praise claiming “at a time when Americans are awash in worry over the plight of racial minorities, one such minority, the nation’s 300,000 Chinese Americans, is winning wealth and respect by dint of its own hard work…” (Zia, 46). This quote claims that Asian Americans...
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...showed how deep racial and social problems run in the U.S. They started after four LAPD officers were found not guilty, even though they were caught on video beating Rodney King, an African-American driver. This verdict set off six days of rioting. A big part of these riots was the targeting of Korean American-owned businesses, which suffered heavy losses and damage. This happened because there had been long-standing resentment towards Korean store owners due to perceived economic and social inequalities. The riots brought this anger to the surface, showing how vulnerable the Korean American community was, feeling abandoned by the government with no protection during the chaos. The importance of the Los Angeles riots...
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...population coming to a new country with the goal of becoming a permanent resident. Culture A culture is a group of people or characteristics that are similar with each other whether its age, race, sex, religion, or demographic. A culture is a group of people that share the same social qualities. Part II Answer each question in 250 to 350 words: 1. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? People can be identified into all sorts of different groups, there is a racial group which is based off of a person’s skin color, hair color or body type. Some typical racial groups would be Native Americans, Asian Americans, or African Americans. Racial groups typically run into stereotypes as well. For example Native Americans may be looked down upon more than a Caucasian, or an Asian American tends to carry a stereotype of advanced intelligence and a person who is Latina may be overlooked in comparison to the Asian American. There are many different types of racial groups but those are a few examples. Ethic...
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