...preparing for this book report I found an interview posted online with Bich Minh Nguyen. She said that her reasoning behind writing Stealing Buddha’s Dinner was because her childhood was defined by a feeling of isolation. She also said “It does seem easier now for Asian immigrants to be themselves; a good deal of progress has been made since the early 1980s. At the same time I think the negative idea of the “foreigner” still persists—not just for Asian immigrants, but for many nonwhite immigrants and their descendants, people who continue to be asked: “Where are you from? I mean, where are you really from?”” My generalization of this book is that Bich struggled during her childhood simply to “fit in.” Stealing Buddha’s Dinner reminds me so much of The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. (I used this example in a previous assignment but I feel like it fits so well into the main theme of this course.) Bich is fixated with the idea of trying to assimilate herself into the American culture. In The Mixed-Up Chameleon, the chameleon (Bich) sees all of the animals at the zoo and (her peers) wants to “be like them” in some way. She goes to great lengths to eat American food and take an American name and dress the way other Americans do. I see many similarities between the feelings of lonely segregation that Bich felt and those of the students discussed in the case studies throughout our textbook. Works Cited Nguyen, B. M. (2008). Stealing buddha's dinner: A memoir. Penguin Group USA...
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...AAS 211 Infographic Project For this assignment, imagine your group (consisting of 2-3 individuals) is an advertisement firm hired by an Asian American community organization to produce an infographic to educate the general public on one major issue affecting the Asian American community. "Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used where complex information needs to be explained quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education." The best way to familiarize yourself with the infographic genre is to look at examples online. (Quick Google search). Topic: Your infographic will cover one major topic or issue in the course. It will communicate this complex topic or issue in a simple way using printed information and visual material. Possible topics include: • Immigration context of any major ethnic group covered in the course • Asian American Identity (it's history, how it is mobilized today, etc.) • Asian American wage gap by gender & race/ethnicity • Interracial relationships / families (different Asian American family structures) • Asian American LGBTQ issues • How Model Minority Myth impacts on Asian American health • Asian American media / pop culture representations The professor will be open to topics that intersect with the course material (consult course syllabus & readings)...
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...(Kibria 109). Tradition mandates that women are the support system of principles and values of the traditional Vietnamese family system (137). While Vietnamese women are more reserved and submissive to their husbands, Vietnamese-American women have discovered the strength and power to be the central figure within the newly defined collective household in order to survive and provide for the children’s future. According to Confucianism, the family line is patriarchal and the man is to be obeyed. Women were expected to follow the three respects—her father, her husband and her eldest son; if not, the consequences were severe. Having women stay at home with the children is a way of life in mainstream Asian countries. In Asia, a woman would not and could not leave her parent's home until she is married, then she would live with and care for her husband's family. An unwed woman living on her own would be considered shameful and disgraceful to her family in Asian culture. Unlike the strict traditional ways of Confucianism, Vietnamese families are orderly and emotional (Freeman 88). Within the traditional Vietnamese family, the “disciplined authority of and obligation to the father, but also nurturance, sentiment and affection are associated with the mother” (89). Asian women, in general, are taught to be reserved and to keep thoughts and experiences private in order to avoid losing face and embarrassing the family; however, “more respect for the rights and powers of Vietnamese women” have...
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...Operations of the Judicial System ENG 122 July 22, 2013 Introduction: This paper is going to give a good insight into how American prisons have a disparity toward the minority population. Is this trend due to a higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which the judicial system operates? The Judicial System has a major affect about the way they look at Minorities and the crimes that they commit, but is the Judicial System just being racist about the differences if they commit a crime and if Americans commit them. The real question is what is the difference and why are our prisons having a disparity of minority inmates. American prisons have a disparity of minority inmate population. Because the high rate of inmates, all individuals can commit the same crimes, and is this trend due to a higher rate of minority crimes or the manner in which the judicial system operates. They say that minorities get treated differently because of the color of their skin and that can be true. They also say that the judicial system also treats those with different back grounds and different colored skin differently than Americans. Where does this come from? You still hear it in today’s society where an African American will get in trouble and all they have to say about it is that you are only doing this because I am black. The judicial system has a hard job to do when it comes determining punishments for crimes for crimes that are committed and putting individuals in prison for serious...
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...of an Asian American young adult. I will write about some of the different things, in which I have experienced living here in the United States of America. I am twenty-three and living in Necedah, Wisconsin with my mother, father, grandparents, and three younger sisters. My family and I are considered to be part of a minority group in the United States, even though I was born and raised in Necedah. I am labeled Asian Indian because of my ancestral background. However, I just like to tell people I am American. I continue to practice my family’s cultural traditions and religion. I am a believer in Hinduism. My family is from a city in India, in which is known as New Delhi. The city is India’s capital. My family and I visit New Delhi at least once a year to see family. India is a peninsula located in South Asia. India is surrounded by the Himalaya Mountains, Pakistan, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. There are about 900 million people that live in India today, which makes it the most populated country in South Asia, and covers about 1.5 million square miles of land. The only other country in Asia larger in population is China. The first Asian Indians came to the United States was in the middle of the 19th century. Most of the Asian Indians, during that time, came to the United States in search of economic opportunity and worked mostly in agriculture and construction. Others came as merchants or traders. Towards the end of the 20th century Asian Indians...
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...the characters in each work deal with them. While differently illustrated by each author, the theme is the same: overcoming the obstacle of stereotypes. In “Trying to find Chinatown”, the main character, Benjamin, is trying to find his roots and feel a sense of belonging. On his way he stops and talks to Ronnie a street musician of Asian descent to ask for directions. Interestingly, Ronnie greets Benjamin with less than stellar enthusiasm because he calls Ronnie’s instrument a fiddle instead of a violin. Ronnie blasts Benjamin with, “If this was a fiddle, I’d be sitting here with a cob pipe, stomping my cowboy boots and kicking up hay.” (page 1825). The anger evoked in this line is strong and little does Ronnie know that he and Benjamin share similar heritages. Benjamin is not only faced with dealing with an ignorant stereotypical slur but ironically so by the very heritage he has come to embrace and is looking to find solace in. Benjamin calls down Ronnie and tells him that “it’s very stereotypical to think that all Asian skin tones conform to a single hue”. (page 1827) Despite being told he doesn’t fit the mold of an Asian American, Benjamin goes on to find his place in Chinatown and “felt immediately…a world where all things were finally familiar” (page1829). Similarly, “Brownies” deals with overcoming stereotypes but does so by the character dealing with her feelings of how her cabin mates act and how they treat another group of girls at the camp. Accusations...
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...Cultural Views on Health HCA/230 November 21, 2010 Introduction The largest subgroup of Asian Americans is Chinese Americans. The United States Census Bureau (2000) reported that 22.6% of all Asian-Americans are of Chinese descent. Another culture’s population that is quickly increasing is natives from India. Approximately, 8.7 million Indian natives live in the United States. Both of these cultures are dominant in the United States and share similar health views. Chinese Americans Often, Chinese Americans access to health care and other services is denied because of discrimination. Even with Chinese Americans having the highest tuberculosis and suicide rates in the United States, access to health care becomes difficult because of language barriers, cultural conflicts, and attitudes toward illness. Because of these barriers, most Chinese Americans rely on traditional Chinese herbal medicine. There are several agencies such as the Richmond Maxi Center, located in the Richmond district of San Francisco and the Asians for Community Involvement in the Silicon Valley of California that were established to meet the needs of Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans. Today, both Chinese and Western medicines are widely used by Chinese Americans, although some use exclusively Chinese medicine while others only Western medicine. Traditional Chinese health beliefs include adopting a holistic view while emphasizing the importance of environmental factors in increasing...
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...Running Head: Impact of Language on Asian American Health Impact of English Language Proficiency (ELP) on Health and Health Care Among Elderly Asian Americans Amoldeep Kaur Written Assignment #2 Epidemiology/Public Health 240 Winter 2013 The elderly population is the fastest growing population in the United States, and the number of immigrants that fall within this group has nearly doubled (Ninez, Hsys, & Cunnigham (2005). Foreign-born elderly account for 11% of the elderly population and this is expected to quadruple in size and reach 16 million by 2050 (Terrazas & Batalova, 2009). Currently most foreign born elders belong to Europe, but this is predicted to change in the upcoming years. Asians are among one of the fastest growing elderly population in the United States (Belozersky, 2005). Majority of Asian Americans are foreign born and report speaking a language other than English (Searight, 2009). Multiple languages and dialects spoken by the subgroups within the Asian American population bring more linguistic diversity and disparities to the United States. Furthermore, fastest growing minority in the United States has been stereotyped and inherited the label “model minority”. This label neglects the problems faced by the poorer and less successful member of this group, including the elderly, “they are hobbled by less blatant but more pervasive barrier of language and culture” (Dugger, 1992). Elderly immigrants find it more difficult to thrive...
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...“African – Americans, Asian – Americans, and Latino’s have been depicted in television, sports, and films in ways that have been changed in our society” (Omi 655). Stereotypes play an important role in today's society and particularly in Propaganda. According to the Webster's Dictionary stereotyping is defined as “a fixed conventional notion or conception of an individual or group of people, held by a number of people.” (Webster’s dictionary) Stereotypes can be basic or complex generalizations which people apply to individuals or groups based on their appearance, behavior and beliefs. Stereotypes are found everywhere. Though our world seems to be improving in many ways it seems almost impossible to liberate it from stereotypes. For example, African- Americans are associated with basketball, and acting. Asian – American men are made out to be the bad guys in film, women are seen as prostitutes and are sexual abused. Last but not least Latino’s are popping up everywhere, in hit TV shows like Ugly Betty, in major league baseball and in the music business. Stereotypes have existed since the beginning of time in our everyday life through religion, politics and the media. Humans have the tendency to use stereotypes in their humour, their descriptions of others, and even in their beliefs. One may believe it is possible to rid oneself of such habits; however if one looked at the regular promotions of propaganda, it would make this objective impossible. Stereotypes, however, aren't...
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...Disability Project: Asian Culture Paper Culture strongly impacts people’s understanding of disabilities and the usage of outside support. In the Asian culture, having a disability is often seen as taboo. Taboo is defined as a custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing. According to the Asian culture, having a disability automatically labels you as an outcast and a worthless citizen (Tsao, 2000). In many Asian countries, if you are disabled, you are thought to be incapable of learning and not seen as a member of society. Some Asians tend to attribute the cause of a child’s disability to supernatural influences or sins committed by the child’s ancestors. Parents of children with disabilities often try to shelter them from the outside world (Tsao, 2000). Asian parents with children, who have disabilities, often experience great shame and feelings of obligation toward the child. Because it is believed that it is the mothers fault, she often bears the blame for her child’s disability. Most mothers of children with disabilities assume the majority of caring duties for the child especially in the public settings. Some fathers deny or ignore the child with disability and frequently do not participate in caring for their disabled children. Asian parents are stereotypically very hard on their children when it comes to their academic performance; their grades are seen as a reflection of the family. When it...
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...cornea-transplant research. Among his charges “were theft of trade secrets, possession of stolen property, and embezzlement” (Lawler, 2002, p. 1463). Some of the things found in Han’s home by investigators were part of a batch of vials owned by the university, and a plane ticket later discovering an open-ended ticket to China (Lawler, 2002). Thanks to Han’s attorneys the charges got dropped down from a felony charge and changed to a lesser theft charge and embezzlement. Han’s lawyers proved the gels were selling China even though the university was never charge for the vials (Lawler, 2002). Eventually Bin Han was not guilty of the charges altogether (Lawler, 2002). Injured Parties and How it Affects the Organization, Individuals, and Society Asian Americans were affected by this disturbance as well...
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...For over a hundred years, stereotypes of Asian Americans have dramatically changed from being viewed as uneducated poor laborers to being characterized as successful educated minority. It has changed from negativity to positivity. According to the article “Outwhiting the whites”: An examination of the persistence of Asian Americans model minority discourse, Asian Americans were stereotyped as the “Yellow Peril” before. It was a fear that Asian Americans were going to take power in America. Japanese Americans had lost a lot during World War II. They were imprisoned in internment camps, lost their homes, land, and property. After the World War II, people started to change their views on Asian Americans. The Japanese Americans were able to recover quickly. The media noticed how quickly they were able to recover and began publishing positive stories of how Asian Americans culture were able to succeed. From there on, the media continued to publish positive stories on how Asian Americans were succeeding which created the model minority stereotype. There were two articles that I analyzed, Asian-Americans: Are they making the grade by U.S. News & World Report, and The new whiz kids by Brand, D. I believed the two articles ended up combating the model minority model. Asian Americans have been stereotyped as the model minority. They are the smart, wealthy, hard-working, successful, and obedient minority. Some people believe in that, others don’t. It is not that simple...
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...Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper Researching Reform Judaism and Asian decent I was able to learn about their hardships, contributions and beliefs. Reform Judaism beliefs * The Carrol (2010-2012) website defined: Reform Judaism began in the 19th century as a movement designed to bring Judaism into line with the ideas of the western European enlightenment. Reform Jews reject outright what they see as the dogmatic, outdated practices of Orthodox Jews and focus on the ethical dimensions of the faith instead of the traditional rituals, commandments and practices. Reform Jews moved the Sabbath from Saturday to Sundays, often read scriptures in the vernacular language instead of Hebrew, set aside the kosher dietary codes and the distinctive ways of dress, and often discarded circumcision as well. The guiding sensibility here is that in order for the religion to be relevant and authentic, it must be reformed and reinvigorated from time to time, which sometimes means changing the fundamental ways in which the religion is practiced. Reform Judaism is the largest form of Judaism in the United States. * Reform Judaism contribution to American culture * * In the field of medicine alone, Jewish contributions are staggering and continue to be so. It was a Jew who created the first polio vaccine, who discovered insulin, who discovered that aspirin dealt with pain, who discovered chloral hydrate for convulsions, who discovered...
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...Health Promotion Among Asian Americans Robert Ramirez Grand Canyon University: NRS-429V Family-Centered Health Promotion February 22, 2015 Health Promotion Among Asian Americans The U.S. Public Health Service defines health promotion as “the process of advocating health in order to enhance the probability that personal, private, and public support of positive health practices will become a societal norm” (Edelman, Mandle, & Kudzma, 2014). Health is a basic human right; optimal health is a well-balanced structure of emotional, physical, spiritual, psychological, intellectual, and social well-being. The purpose of health promotion in nursing is to increase health knowledge that will in turn positively influence health behaviors of individuals and communities (Foster, 2012). Roughly 36% of the U.S. population is made up of various ethnic or racial minorities. Of that 36%, 4.8% were Asian Americans. According to the Office of Management and Budget, “Asians” consist of people that originate from the Far East, Southeast Asia, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan Thailand, Vietnam, or the Philippine Islands (CDC, 2014). These 14.7 million people are dispersed throughout the country, with Hawaii having the largest concentration (57%) of the total Asian population (CDC, 2014). The CDC (2014) states that minority groups “experience a disproportionate burden of preventable disease, death, and disability compared with non-minorities.” This paper will concentrate...
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...At the University of Michigan Medical School, we are committed to building a superb educational community with students of diverse talents, experiences, opinions, and backgrounds. What would you as an individual bring to our medical school community? Being Asian in the racially homogenous community of [small town], it was clear: I did not belong. When my father moved to South Korea after my 8th grade year, I was excited to spend summers there. I would finally belong. I was wrong. My excellent Korean language skills let me feign native status but my American mannerisms betrayed me. To Koreans, I was just American. At [university], a diverse community, I sought out Korean-Americans. But they questioned whether I truly understood the Asian-American experience due to my [predominantly white state] upbringing. To them, I was white. While these cultural rejections from my various communities were painful, I learned to recognize individuals as unique entities despite shared identity markers such as race. I vowed to always see the whole person; not just her external stereotypes. I have stayed true to this promise as a teacher in [New York City] and have seen the rewards in the form of fruitful relationships. I will continue to do the same with my patients. My struggles to belong taught me to work easily with a variety of people by adjusting my perspectives without sacrificing my values, and listening carefully to others. I built my own sense of belonging, which was more than my...
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