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1991157 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-are-all-of-you-thinking-about-asians/What+are+all+of+you+thinking+about+Asians%3F2010-03-24+03%3A30%3A47Sam+Richards to What are all of you thinking about Asians?
I have had a lot of Asian friends growing up and I have distinguished many differences between my friends who were Asian American and my friends who were born in countries such as India, China and Korea. When I first met my friends, I did automatically group them into one specific category, just as I did with other Hispanics, whites and blacks. But, soon enough, I learned there are huge differences between Asian Americans and International Asians, mostly based on values and the way they socialize with others. It can be found in many other cultures and the fight to stay true to your cultures in hard within an American society, where values are completely different from values in other parts of the world.
Being an Asian American, I do not feel that I belong in the “black/brown,” group nor the white group. Sam does not really cover much about the sociology of Asians. I feel that it is important because Asian influence is increasingly growing in America as well as the world. Asians have their own characteristics, culture, and history. Asians have a different view on race relations as they do not share the same history, hardships, or experiences as other races. As many can see, not a lot of people understand Asian people. This is because in America, Asians are one of the smaller minorities and people have not put as much attention into understanding Asians as much as other races such as black people. This is a problem because it feeds the stereotype of Asians being “foreigners.” Originally, just as other immigrants from Europe, Asians came to America as immigrant seeking opportunities. Asians have established themselves in America for a long time now and yet they are still considered “foreign or immigrants.” The Asian culture is very different from American culture, and contributes to why Asians are viewed as foreign. Some parts of the Asian culture are considered taboo in America. When people hear for example, “in Asia, people eat dog,” many Americans will feel that it is extremely weird and because it goes against traditional American values, people will distinguish themselves from Asians. The differences in culture heavily impact the image of Asians with Americans. For those who are interested in learning more about Asians, I encourage you to visit a Chinatown in any major city. Chinatown can offer anyone the cultural experience of an Asian American.
Many people are confused to as who is an Asian American and who is not. Although Asians share very similar physical characteristics, so does every other race. I agree with Sam, that people really can distinguish what an American is like when you travel outside of the country. Being in a different country really opens you eyes as to how you view people. I personally cannot tell the difference between an African from Ghana compared to an African from Nigeria. However, I can definitely tell the difference between an African American and an African. Distinguishing Asians Americans is the same. Asian Americans share the same American culture as any white person. You can tell by the way they talk, act, dress, etc. People have to look pass the physical characteristics and realize that the American culture we live in is multiracial – not just white. I also wonder what people think of Asians. I have found that people stereotype Asians harder than other races. Maybe this is because people do not understand them and use stereotypes as guidelines.
This is an interesting topic as Asians and Latinos, etc. are often meshed together as one race, even though that always does not apply. I think in most cases I can tell the difference between an Asian American and an Asian person. Here at Penn State I have met many Asians in which I previously did not have much contact with them. Overall, they are just people, and I can stereotype them, but I never really know anything about them until I engage in conversation. The most notable difference between Asian Americans and International students here is obviously the language. If I see two Asian people speaking something other than English, I probably assume they are international, but I can never really know, as I said. I think Asians have much different cultures and they are very absorbed into their cultures so when I see a group of Asians with similar dress or interests I may assume they are international students rather than other Asians who are more integrated into other racial groups.
When I saw this video I was really excited because first this is a friend of mine, but also because this is been a question that I’ve wanted to ask and hear more about Asian American topics. Personally I can distinctly tell apart Asians and Asian Americans; being Asian myself is a large part of the reason I guessed. However, there is a big difference between the two. When I interact with Asian Americans sometimes I just feel like they are pretty much American; I mean, their ethnicity is Asian, race is Asian, but culture might just be White.
Moving to the United States when I was 13 years old from China was the most eye-opening and thought-provoking experience on the topic of racial experience or exposure. Basically I moved from a place where everyone looked the same to here where most people look different from each other. I was challenged to many issues I previously had no chance to ever face. When I came to the United States, I couldn’t speak English, so from that day on, people just assumed that I couldn’t speak English, and that assumption stayed with me all of the way to my senior year of High School, because some of the people who met me in middle school stayed my classmates for high school. All those years I tried to prove a point that I can speak English and that I can fit in quite well into the main-stream culture. Now, I know that I am Asian because I can trace my ancestry to China, but also I have adapted the American culture so I really don’t know how to call myself exactly, I guess something in between the two.
In class today, we talked more about the different sociological stages and we came across some shocking videos. The one I remembered clearly is “Girl like me,” and then some classmates had strong reactions to the video saying they felt when they were kids, they would pick the same white doll over the black doll as well and some of their struggles with their identity, trying to feel beautiful when all the media and social images are rejecting them. When I heard that, I was touched because it is a start-point when someone opens up about their personal feelings and pains in an audience of 700. I think, being an Asian, or a minority, I had felt strongly the same way with trying to fit in and at the same time, finding my identity. The thought of, “I wish I am White,” crossed my mind probably a million times when I was in high school. It was a feeling of frustration after trying so hard to be part of the main-stream culture and just trying to be someone who can stand out in a group of mostly Caucasian friends. Then after the attempts ultimately just came to realization to wish that I was built differently and look different. I think media has a huge influence on all of us; all the main characters in movies weren’t Asian, all the roles in a popular TV shows aren’t Asian, etc. The environment where we grow in also has a huge influence. The social pressure, the ideal image of blonde hair, blue eye, just keeps on coming back to hit me. But I was really glad that we can talk about it openly, it’s a start.
I think this is a really interesting comment. I think that in our society people just tend to group others together. It's interesting because when we talk about white people in regards to different countries people differentiate themselves, at least in the US. When we talk about Asian people, among other groups, unfortunately, I don't think we tend to differentiate. As a society, I don't think we are educated enough on the different groups to make the distinction. Even though people who are often grouped together are so different, I think that we tend to see them as one group. I don't think people really think about how we really are all different.
As an Asian-American student, I feel as though that our society under represents Asian people, not only in our classroom alone. If you look at famous celebrities, there aren’t many to look up. There aren’t many Asian role models in the United States.
It takes me back to the video we watched in class today about the little colored people that picked the white doll to play with. I can easily understand why they would because there aren’t any to look up to.
In terms of how the class doesn’t really emphasize on Asian students as much, I feel like Sam doesn’t always have time to touch base on every type of ethnicity. We are bundled up as colored people (brown). I can understand how he tries to relate to us as much as possible in terms of black and white and the issues in between.
Since I am an Asian American student, I can easily tell the difference between those that were born here and those who are born in their native country. Asian Americans definitely grow up differently from the natives. I have traditional Vietnamese parents that speak broken English. You would think I would grow up traditionally more Vietnamese but that’s not usually the case. Like many Americans, I grew up watching Barney and Rugrats. I played all American Sports like softball and basketball. I engaged with American friends and went to school with them my whole life.
Asian Americans that are born here dress differently. They walk differently and behave differently. Things that seem normal to the native Asian can be somewhat odd to the modern day American. For example, Vietnamese people eat chicken fetus and its perfectly normal. Most Americans would cringe at the idea of eating baby chickens.
But it goes the same with me going back to Vietnam. Although I’m full Vietnamese, I stuck out like a sore thumb in my Native country. They called me a tourist. They can tell by the way we dress and carry ourselves. But ironically, It’s how the sun effects our skin compared to those who have endured it for years over there. Many of them work in the fields or the market place so they are constantly in the sun from dust to dawn. For example, my face turned bright red being in that weather for the day. I’m not used to 100 degrees and up everyday.
So yes, it’s easy for me to tell if a student is Asian American or just Native Asian because I am the poster child of Asian American. I used to consider myself as white but I’ve learned over the years that its doesn’t reflect back in the mirror. If I were put in a room with a bunch of Asian people, I could tell easily if there were born in America.
This is a really interesting question. When talking about race issues and problems, Asians have always been in the back of my mind. I think this is partially due to the white guilt that I have. Most of the white guilt has to due with Blacks and Native Americans. I have not been educated on Asain history, the only thing that I know that was a terriable mistake of the bombing of Hiroshima. The other thing I know is the concentration camp that America held during world war 2 for Japenese people. Both of these incedents were terriable decisions. I cannot trult call how many times I was taught about slavery compated to these two things, but for some reason the slavery of black people stuck in my head more. I can only assume that is because slavery lasted many years compared the bombing of Hiroshima and the internment camps of Japenese people. Throughout my school history I have met and became friends with Asian decent. Most of them have a really calm attitude in general. This goes to the fact that maybe why there is not so much talk about Asians in a race relations class is because there is not as much conflict between Blacks and whites. I do not see the same conflict between Asains and White people. I am sure there are a decent amount of racial discrimination against Asians as there are against Blacks, Latinos, and Mexicans. This also brings something else to my mind, kind of unrelated. Today in class Sam had African-Americans raise their hands and had other dark-skinned people raise their hands that had a different desent. It was kind of surprising that there was just as many if not more dark-skinned people as there was African-Americans. This goes to say that I guess we need to be more politcally corrent because calling a Malesian an African-American might really upset him and the end result might be you getting called a racist. Going back to the question though, if you call a Chinese person a Japenese, most of the time from my experience they really do not get upset. This is my opinioin, but I think that for the most part dark-skin people get upset easier than Asains if you call them of the wrong desent. I am not saying one should act like the other, I am just trying to show that this is another reason why there is probably why there is not much talk about Asains because there is no major conflict behind it. In my opinion we should just get rid of all this Asain, Black, Mexican terms and just start using guys and girls. I mean in the end there are only two types of people men and women. So when the next time you have to talk about someone just use the term girl or guy.
Well its true we did not touch much on Asians and its topic. But the question is "can people distinguish the difference between Asians and Asian Americans?" I think sometimes its hard to distinguish the two. As in appearance i feel Asian are grouped as a whole instead of individually, doest matter whether your Chinese, Vietnamese, Phillipans, Korean, Asians are just Asian. People not from Asia will see Asians as people who have pale skin, small eyes, kung-fu- basically their viewpoint is stereotypical. In reality though like with all other races, Asians are really different from each other by a lot. We all may look the same, but in reality its like two different cultures. Asian Americans born here in the United States seem to be in the awakening stage where we believe that we are white or in terms of people – "white washed" or "twinkies"- Asians who are Asians in the outside but white in the inside. I myself is Asian and was born here in America and i feel completely different from Asians and some of the international student who attend here at penn state. We both are different and its hard for us to find a fitting with each other.
I understand exactly what is being said here, Sam does group Asians and Asian Americans with brown a person which doesn’t seem to make much sense. Today when he asked all the black people to raise their hands there was so much hesitation from all the black people in the room. Me as well as other black people in the class have no idea what the difference is between black and brown people are. My black friends are all different shades and trace their ancestry to many different places but I still consider them black because that is what they are. To address the second part of this video blog, I really can’t tell the difference 100% between Asians and Asian Americans. I use to think you could by the way they dress, which is wrong but it seemed to work for a little while. I then realized anyone can where anything they want and it isn’t going to show what your ethnicity is.
I think that Asians are under the bubble of people of color, or the “black and brown” people. Though, I always had a problem with Sam using brown as a term for Hispanics when I’ve spent most of my life considering brown people to be pacific islanders. But besides that, Asians have always been Asian to me.
Today in class, Sam showed us that Asian comedian. I feel like almost everything he said hit home. For example, we are fine with Asians because they brought us Kung Fu and have really amazing movies, but we don’t remove ourselves from that outside world. I feel that Asians are one of the hardest working, most admirable cultures that have come to America. Not to be racist, but to simply point out that Asians have dominated the cosmetic industry. As many times as I feel people joke about it, but many are successful business owners of hair salons, nail shops, and massage parlors. They work hard, believe in family love and unity, and live every day with purpose.
I find that I think about and consider Asians a lot. I lived in a largely Asian area at home, and my high school was 47% Asian. My high school was an academic and fine arts school (not to qualify a stereotype) kind of like a college prep thing, and there were a lot of Asians. We had 2 pages in our yearbook dedicated to students with the last name “Nguyen.” So, coming from what I was surrounded by, I was used to thinking about Asian people and their culture a lot. My junior year of high school, I dated an Asian guy who was half Vietnamese and half Chinese. I got so used to the culture, that just by looking at someone, I could tell you what their Asian heritage was.
I think being at Penn state has jaded me though. Now, I see Asians as a clump of people who don’t have their own identity. I’ve lost my ability to tell by the subtle differences in features, actions, and dress. For example, I think of the international students who hang around each other and speak their own respective languages. Also, generally, most of the Asians on campus smoke, and they do it together. Though, every minority on this campus is like that. They stay with their respective cultural groups because they feel more comfortable with it.
So to sum it all up, I think Asians are people just like everyone else. Some fit into the stereotype of being smart and studious, but others break the stereotype. Asians are like, the mix between whites and black. They can fit the stereotype of each, yet they have their own individuality and uniqueness.
First of all, thank you so much for bringing up this topic! I have been wondering about why Sam is skipping mentioning about Asians most of the time. It is true that he talks lots about Whites, Blacks, and Browns, but not Asians necessarily. At first, I was kind of confused when he used the term “brown people.” Do Asians included in brown people criterion? As an Asian, I have never thought my skin color as brown though. I guess that was why I was not sure which skin color group I am included. Or is he just keeps forgetting mentioning about Asians…
I think one of the reasons why Asians often excluded from the racial topic is because our problems are not highlighted most of the time. Racial tensions between Whites and Blacks are always considered as serious societal issues; but how about relationships between Asians and other racial groups?
In early 1990s, many Asians who lived in LA had to be harmed by Black rioters. Many stores were robbed and so many people were killed by gun shots and fires. At that time, it was a serious issue what everyone was talking about. However, I doubt there would be many people who still remember this incident. On the other hand, I am sure that many people still remember the Black guy who was beaten up by a bunch of policemen. As one can see, racism against blacks is considered by many people. Even brown people are considered as minorities who face lots of discriminations. What about Asians? Even though we are also the people of color, it seems like not that many people care about us.
Maybe the reason behind this is because discriminations against Asians are not as severe as they are against other people of color. Also, I think it is because there are more numbers of Black and Brown people than Asians are. People tend to be focused on majorities than on minorities. Among all the colored people, Blacks are definitely the majority. They take the greatest number among us.
I do not know the exact reason why Asians are usually off the topic. Actually, I do not want to know the exact reason either. The only thing I wish to happen is that Whites give more attention to our difficulties. Even though it is kind of hard to see the difficulties we face everyday as colored people, I hope more people talk about us. Also, I hope Sam gives more attention to Asians. As everyone saw in the class today, in some metropolitan cities, Asians take more percentages than Brown people do. Well…. I am sure Sam will talk more about Asians in his class at some point.
In my experience with Asian Americans, many of them have considered themselves white. They have taken on many vestiges and norms of the white culture and I don’t think that many Asians consider themselves to be in the group with brown and black people. The think the Asian culture is very different from many of the other cultures in the world because it is so ancient. The history of Asians and Asian people is different and longer than many of the cultures around the world. Asians may even be in a category all by themselves. I also think that because there are so many different kinds of Asians and cultures in Asia that it is in fact its own category or classification. I think it can be difficult for Asians to identify with a certain race or group of people. It is a clear example of how difficult it can be sometimes to identify, but maybe it is ultimately up to us for self-identification.
I think just by appearances that it is not that easy to choose an Asian apart from an Asian American. I haven't really been around as many Asians as I have when it comes to Penn State and at times you can tell that certain Asians really actually do come from the continent of Asia, usually originating from China, Japan, or Korea (even some Vietnamese I've met as well). Like my high school had probably somewhere around 20-30 Asians in it, but you could tell that they were all American or at least Americanized. A lot of them didn't really have an Asian accent and I guess that is another thing that gives away a foreigner too. You can tell (especially here at Penn State) if an Asian has actually traveled abroad to come here by their accent (if its really heavy, also if they can't really speak English at all, thats usually a clear giveaway too) and also by who they hang out with. Asians who come over here tend to stay in packs and chill with only just Asians. Asian Americans on the other hand have a nice variety of friends being Asian, white, or black. I have never really seen one Asian that came from Asia and who didn't really hang out with anyone but Asians. But I mean that does kinda make sense. If I went over to Japan I would sure as hell try to hang around White people cause I'm new over there and we all have something in common. But I think the one thing that people in a new country cling to is language. If I went to Japan, I would hang around more with English speaking people because I have not even one clue about the Japanese language.
When it comes to my thoughts on Asian Americans goes, I personally think that they worked their asses off to get where they are today. They were (and still are) a minority that came into the United States started off extremely poor like all the other minorities but quickly rose to the top, even surpassing white people in the highest per capita income. I have respect for Asians because they are hard workers. Whenever I see Asians around Penn State, I always wonder too if they are majoring in some kinda science and what their GPA is because they are smart. Granted, I don't think Asians are naturally smarter than white people or black people, I just think that they work harder and because of them working hard they succeed in school and in jobs. To me, it just seems like Asians are just a chill race. Yeah, like every race, we didn't like them very much when they started coming over to America, but I don't see them as bad. Hell, I think they are helping out America as a matter of fact, but thats just my opinion
When Sam did the presentation on how many other racial groups put Asians into one category, and many of them are completely different. I actually learned a lot from that. What this student brings up that we never really talk about Asians specifically that much, that actually occurred to me in class the other day. Does Sam consider Asians when he says brown people? Can they be put in to that group of people? I don't know the exact percentage but it seems that for the middle of PA penn state has a large percentage of Asian and Asian American students.
Personally, I have a very hard time distinguishing between the different Asians. I know that there are Asian Americans and Asians. I think that we should talk about them more often. Sometimes, the class is just so focused on white and black that we often forget about the other types of minorities that exist in the United States. I know that Sam is pretty much referring to them when he says “brown” but I think he is mainly talking about blacks. There is a large Asian population in this world and even at Penn State. I think that we should be more educated on Asians.
Before coming to college I think I didn’t know a whole lot about Asians and I kind of saw them all the same and didn’t make any distinguishes between them. But then I learned that I was going to have an Asian roommate, I was very excited because I thought I would be a wonderful learning experience for me, and indeed it was. She is from Vietnam but she is very much American even thought she may have an accent. She likes many American brands like Abercrombie and Fitch and American Eagle. I learned a lot from her and we became good friends. It was then when I started to distinguish all the other Asians. I met a international student form Korea in one of my classes and quickly noticed the differences between him and my roommate. I also have heard other Asians talk that have a clear American Accent. I also learned from my roommate that her parents were very strict and that many parents were strict in Asia, that when they come to America is when they become more liberal. I thought that was very interesting. I can relate to Asians I think because I am Mexican and I too think that sometimes people look at us as a whole as well but never really catch our differences. I have lived here most of my life so I do consider myself very much American. Just like Asians there’s the Mexican Americans that have lived her for many years or were born here and the Mexicans that have just arrived and are still adapting to this country. I know many Mexican American that don’t know Spanish just like there’s many Asians that don’t know their country’s language. I wouldn’t not consider them Mexican or Asian because they are, but they might just considers themselves as just Americans. Like Sam mentioned last class about the Korean girl that considered herself American but not Korean. I don’t think it’s accurate to think this way because I think that they are denying their own race and that’s not right. Other people are not going to look at them too and think that they are just American, they will quickly see that you are something else besides American. Therefore, I learned a lot from having an Asian roommate and about myself as well. I saw where I stood in this university and realized that we all aren’t totally different. We have many similarities and aren’t totally different from one another like I once might have thought.
I definitely thought this was a good question because it seems like majority of the time Sam is talking about black people. Honestly, I don’t even think I would be able to distinguish an Asian American from an Asian. I feel like a lot of people would have difficulty doing so. One thing that I feel can help distinguish between them is the language but even then I still get confused because some people speak one language at home and English at school. But, if I saw an Asian walking around Penn State, I would not be able to differentiate between Asian and Asian American.
Can I distinguish between Asian and Asian American? Yea bro I def can I love everybody but you can defiantly tell. I think its really about the clothes that are worn is a typical dead give away at least for the girls. If you don’t know what them means I would say Asian girls who are from Asia are a little more conservative then Asian Americans and they wear more flashy types of articles of clothing. For the guys a lot of Asians in general have cool hair dos but in general all you have to do is hear someone talk for about 10 seconds to find out.
It is hard to tell the difference between Asians and Asian-Americans. I know that the difference is that one was born in America and one was born in Asia but besides that how can you really tell just from looking at them where they are from? And I am also curious about Asians. Are they as discriminate against as blacks and browns? I think that Sam talks about Asians often but it is true that we haven’t really had a class dedicated to it like with the Native Americans. Maybe Sam feels that they are not as discriminated against as other races.
I think that when you are apart of any group you indentify people within your group as individuals, and people of other groups as a whole. If you do not know too many people of another group, but they look all the same to you, you’re going to classify them together. Another way you classify people is by the way they act, or dress. I have found that some Asians dress like Americans, which are probably the Asian Americans, and some dress completely foreign. I disagree with the person who said we envy Asians, I do not think the reason we kind of ignore Asians is because they’re smart I think its because they often distance themselves from people who are not apart of their race. I know every race tends to segregate themselves from one another, but I have almost never witnessed an Asian person mingle with someone outside of their ethnic group.
I definitely agree that when you’re in the majority, you don’t realize that you are in the majority until you take a step back and actually think about it. People get so caught up in life that it does take some time to think about who we are as people and where we stand to realize what it is like for another person to live their life as a minority. As a white male, I know that I rarely thought about race prior to SOC119. As for the question about Asian Americans and Asians, I know that I cannot distinguish between the two. I’m not surrounded by people of Asian decent enough to be able to pick apart the differences.
This is a great question. I have noticed that Sam often asks us to relate to white people then to black and brown people but never anything else. I couldn't tell you if he just considers black and brown people to be everyone that isn't white or not you would have to ask him but I'd like to get back to your question at the end. Two of my friends actually have international students as roommates one being from Taiwan and the other being from Japan. Speaking to both of them I get a sense that they're not big fans of each other. Note that its not each others specifically but each other as a whole population. Rayne, who is from Taiwan, tried to educate me on picking up key differences in both facial structure, eye shape, and even style decisions. Whether that last one really does work is still yet to be determined but it seems to be right on so far. We will be hanging out and he tests me asking me to tell him where all of his friends are from and I'm usually right on point. I definitely agree with you though, what ever happened to everyone else that isn't black or brown?
No two races are the same. In our class we definitely focus on whites and blacks the most but I do think we talk about other races as well. I think this class is a bit unorganized and off the path of clear learning but I do think that anything someone wants to discuss about race, they can ask and the question will be answered. I do not think I have learned much in this class because it is so jumbled, but I do think that Sam has a decent understanding about the difference between all races. I wonder why everyone loves this class so much. It is not even that easy and it is quite boring.
I think that Asians are a minority that are very present in today’s society, but not many people know about them. Because there are so many countries in Asia, there are in turn many cultures as well. Many Asians may look similar to one another but be from different countries and have completely different cultural customs. I think that in the U.S. most people group Asians together just like they group black and brown people together. I think this is particularly unfair for Asians because they are so different.
At Penn State, it seems that Asians group together just like other minorities. If one were to sit in the HUB, as I’m doing right now, they could look around and see the different groups of people who sit together. It’s sort of like the cliques in high school, except that instead of types of personalities, people are grouped together based on their nationalities. I think Asians may rely on each other more because for some of them there is a language barrier. When people first come to this country and they don’t know the language they want to be around similar people. It’s probably comforting to surround yourself with not only like minded people but with people that speak the same language that you do. If I were to visit Asia I would probably want to find other Americans because they could help me adapt to new surroundings.
I don’t know how strong Asian stereotypes hold because I can neither confirm nor deny them. I’m not Asian so I don’t know how true they are, but from the Asians I do know some are true and some aren’t, just like all stereotypes. I know Asians who are atrocious at math and I know others that are incredible drivers.
Asia will continue to become an increasingly talked about topic in my lifetime because the continent and its people are becoming an integral part of the world economy. People are going to have to understand Asia and its cultures if they want to find success in business.
I think if any race were to have the closest stereotypes to white people it would probably be Asians. Culturally, they may fit in most with white people as a whole. Asians are usually deemed studious, hard working and good with quantitative skills. I feel that looks aside, they could blend in relatively easily with the rest of society. Unless an Asian were very connected with his or her cultural upbringing, their day to day lives I feel are similar to what is “normal” in society. As far as I know, Asians aren’t discriminated against too often, but I’m certainly not speaking from experience because I’m white.
This is a very interesting question. I have never thought of it that way, even though Asians are minority, It is like no one pays attention to them. In the United States, people are more interested in the white or Caucasian community and the black and brown community. I mean I don’t consider Asians to be white, very often people does. I also don’t consider them to be brown; I think they are in their own little section. In the United States, very often people don’t even bother to classify a person from Asian descent, i.e. most people don’t think about a person being an Asian-American or an Asian emigrated from Asia. It is true that our professor Sam barely mention Asian people but we got to understand, Asians are not really a big part of the cause of racism in our country. They were not involved in the slavery time, which is a big part of why racism is a big deal in our country. I believe Sam is trying to teach us to pass this event and start leaving equally. From that we can infer that if the Asians people were not a big part of that history, we don’t have to focus on them. However, this is a race relation class, so we have to include everybody. I would like for him to talk about Asian people, I got to admit, I have always been curious about the way people classify them. I also believe that Sam said some Asian people refer to themselves as white. This is a big issue, how they want us to classify them as their own race if they see themselves as white. This is a similar problem when we are referencing to black people, many people are confused between African-American or black people, which is the reason why we turn to them to self-indentify themselves. Many people do that so they don’t offend them, and many others do it because they don’t want to be wrong. All those issues are the reason why sometimes I wish no one would give a damn about races and just live in a peaceful way with each other. Then again, this will never happens, we always notice the difference in each other, either it is a disability or skin’s color, as human being we always seek for this one thing that make another human being different. I am wondering if this issue is only in the United States, or maybe is it a bigger deal in the United States than any other nation. I have lived in Jamaica for couple years, even though black people are the majority, there were other races, white, Asians, etc. I don’t remember anyone ever mention races, sure we noticed their skins were different but we did not care as much as people in the United States do.
There is a lot of talk in Sam's class about white vs. black and brown. In today's society, black vs white is talked about much more because it is more apparent then most other cultures and differences. It has been that weight since slavery and so on throughout America's society. Within the past generation, we have had more and more foreigners enter into America and start to form their own lives here. They have traveled from their home countries for various reasons to start a new life or to progress on the life they previously had. To me, it has recently become more obvious about how America is becoming a much more diverse country considering the about of immigrants and how neighborhoods, cities, towns and regions are changing to become much more diverse and multicultural. I think it is personally a great thing that America is learning or will have to learn to except that there are many different cultures, ethnicities, and religions in the world besides just the average "american" lifestyle.
When it comes to the Asian culture, there are the American-Asians as well as the international Asians. I feel as if looking at the people without speaking to them, I would not be able to see the difference between the two. It sounds naive and as if i don't care, but it is not that way. It is just I haven't been able to experience a lot of the different asian cultures and be able to relate to them.
I see Asian Americans as almost no difference compared to any American due to the fact that they have the American lifestyle in person, dress similarly, act the same way, and talk the same way. I believe that the only difference is in their own home and how they relate with their families. I have best friend who is Asian and he acts just like any american and I do not see him in any different way. The only difference is when he gets on the phone to call his parents, he speaks his language which I believe is Korean. When he goes home, he has asian meals most of the time that his mom prepares and also caters. By the way, she makes the BEST egg rolls and spring rolls that I have ever had. Overall, American-asians act very similar to any American.
International Asians from what I have perceived, do act differently. Normally they dress a little differently and it is normally more abstract style. The biggest difference is when they speak. Sometimes it can be with broken english or with a slight accent. The one thing I have noticed, international asians congregate with their friends and speak their language. Usually, it is very loud, fast, and I wonder how they understand each other. It is just like any other foreigner though, they speak in their language that they are the most familiar with because it is easier for them. I do believe that is also why the congregate with others of the same culture because it makes their life easier, rather then having to blend in completely.
I think that's a great question. I think, for the most part, people don't stop to think about the difference between the different ethnicities that consider themselves to be Asian. I feel like most people just lump all the groups together. For example, I've heard many people just assume someone is Chinese when they are in fact Japanese, or vice-versa. That is just completely ridiculous because both groups are so different. It is like someone saying a Russian person and an Italian person are the same simply because they're both white. It’s so stupid. Wouldn’t you be upset if someone continuously lumped you with a group of people that you have nothing in common with and are nothing like? I know I would. I’m sorry, but I think that being white is no longer an excuse to be ignorant about race issues. Yes I understand the awakening stages and stuff, but I also think that a lot of the ignorance against other races like the Asian race, can be dealt with simply by education. We can teach our children that there are physical differences in those who are Chinese or Japanese or Vietnamese. It may not be a huge help, but I think it’s a start.
I am from New York and I grew up in an area where there was a lot of Asian people and I had a lot of friends who were Asian. I know that they personally would get offended when someone would call them Chinese when they were actually Japanese, or in one instance, I have a friend who was called Chinese, when he is actually Phillipino. I think these are things that shouldn’t be happening.
Another thing is the confusion by some people with Asian people who have immigrated here and those who are actually Asian-American. I don’t know why, but for some reason a lot of people assume that when they mean an Asian person there will be broken English and everything. Um, no, some of these people have parents and grandparents who immigrated here and who were born in the U.S….making them citizens just like the rest of us!
I think that this is something we should talk about in class and I really hope that Sam does because I feel like it is another thing that needs fixing in our society today. I mean why can’t we just take the time to understand one another and treat each other with respect. I think once we do that the hate will begin to fade, if even slowly.
I think that in this country this is often a common misconception that all Asians are exactly the same regardless of their background and where they come from. That is a stupid way to think of course because that is like saying that all white people in the world are the same even though there are cultures all over the world occupied by white people very different from the white people in America or in any other country. In terms of Asian Americans I feel as if they are a group that tends to be left out of the conversation because we kind of don’t acknowledge them. I feel as if people in this country don’t ever assume that anyone with Asian appearance is actually genuinely American. I think that people might tend to assume that they are just always going to be Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, etc. and that they just happen to be living in this country. I do not really know why that is, it just seems to be that way. An Asian American’s family could have been in this country for over 100 years but would still have a tendency to be classified as Chinese, Japanese, or Korean when in reality they have lost all ties to their foreign land. And yes those lands are very foreign to them as much as some people may not think they are. I am basically just making assumptions here and presenting my opinion based on experiences and discussions with people in my life. Maybe it isn’t actually this way for most people but from what I’ve been around it certainly seems as if it is.
There is also an issue that I Asian people in America face that I’m sure bothers them quite a bit. Often times no matter what country of origin in Asia they may actually be from or that their ancestors may be from they tend to be classified as Chinese when in actuality they probably aren’t even remotely Chinese. I would assume this occurs because of the fact that China is the largest country in the world and that in fact most of the Asian Americans in this country do trace their ancestry back to China but it is still not right to classify an entire race of people that just happen to have similar features as being from one culture. Asian peoples may look very similar but their cultures are very different from one another just as American culture is very different from English culture. Just because a people look similar doesn’t make them as similar as you may think. I’m going to admit even I of course have a tendency to refer to Asian people as Chinese and I’m going to make a conscious effort to stop because I wouldn’t want people assuming things about me.
I don't think Sam mentions Asians much in class because America itself is more focused on white vs. black issues because of the past and what is still going on in black communities. There are poor Asian people but their situation is not as dire as blacks, hispanics, or native Americans. I myself wouldn't categorize Asians as white or black but put them in their own category. I think when most American people think of 'Asians" they think specifically of Chinese and Japanese culture, and not of Indian cultures, which is technically Asian.
Personally I really do not think that it is easy to distinguish between Asian American and Asians. To me I feel like if I see an Asian vs an Asian America they would look the same to me. I think it would take a bit more interaction on my part to be able to distinguish the two. I mean I guess in the way they speak I would be able to tell whether or not someone was Asian vs being Asian American. But I think it is similar to how to distinguish different African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos, that you have to spend time to distinguish the groups.
Is it strange that I hate being called brown? It reminds me of poop. ugh. Anyways.
I'm glad that I'm the only one who has noticed that we have been left out! Sam is always talking about blacks and whites and the tension between the two, and sometimes he does talk about Native Americans and such. He also rarely talks about Mexicans and Arabs and many other races. This was brought up in our discussion groups once, and what was said helped me understand. The problems between the blacks and whites of this country are so big and so hard to hurdle over. If we are to solve any race issues, these problems must be faced first. Yes, everyone is important. However, like one person in my group said, it is better get one thing done well rather than doing several things poorly. I really do wish we could discuss Asians and Asian Americans though. I used to talk in my small group a lot, but seeing as few of the things we talk about pertain to me, I have recently not been giving my input on things.
So, I'm Filipino-American. I grew up in the suburbs of Philly in a very diverse school. If you were white there was a good chance that you knew, were friends with, or talked at least once with an Asian-American. However, coming to Penn State, I have been flabbergasted at the amount of people who have never seen an Asian-American person! It just blows my mind! Though it shouldn't. I'm not bitter or angry, just saddened that so many people stereotype us so incorrectly.
We are not all smart. We do not all have small eyes. Yes, many Asians eat with chopsticks. Filipinos however love to eat with their hands. We do not all know each other.
Like Sam said in class, there are a lot of Asians who do not think of themselves as Asian. Though I never thought of myself as "white", I never thought of myself as Asian. I am just me. When I was younger my friends were a hodgepodge group of people. I never stuck to other Asian-Americans and had friends of all colors. I do not know how to speak any of the three Philippine national languages, so that never united me to my native heritage. I do not dress "Asian" or even think the same way as other native Filipinos. In fact, growing up I generally disliked my race. But upon coming to PSU and learning about myself, I have realized that I love being Filipino-American and wouldn't give up my heritage for the world.
I feel bad for people who do not know Asians or Asian Americans because there are so many things about them that are so awesome! Seriously, if you do not know one now, get to know one soon. You will get to eat lots of delicious food that you never thought possible. You will get addicted to songs that you will love even though you don't understand a thing. You will learn so many interesting things about Asian-American culture. And just to put it out there- Filipino-Americans are very chill and are not cliquey and love people of all colors! So get to know one, please?
oh and just a bit more… Legit Chinese food and Korean food are AMAZING. I practically live at my Korean friend's house and raid her fridge whenever I'm at home haha!
It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between Asians and Asian Americans. Of course there are differences in appearance as exists between Africans and African Americans, not to mention white Americans and their European counterparts. Verbally these individuals are described as ethnic looking and of course this is purely from our perspective. Appearances aside, Asians and Asian Americans possess different mannerisms due to their place of origin. Asian Americans are Americans, I’d say first and foremost. This is not to diminish ethnic heritage, but rather place emphasis on the shared characteristics of Asians Americans, African Americans, European Americans, and anyone else who could possibly enter the gamut. Despite discrepancies in outward appearance, we all share values, mannerisms, ideals, and lifestyles with one another. In that way Asian Americans share more in common and can relate more to other Americans more so than native Asians. Of course Asian Americans can practice similar customs as Asians, just as any other immigrant group (and that’s about everyone) will carry on the traditions of their ancestral homeland. Overtime however, customs transform in little ways that eventually make them distinct. Holidays, religious ceremonies, garments, food, and other aspects of the homeland cultured gradually become Americanized. Just try to order American Chinese food in China.
An original population can produce many subgroups, which will diverge when separated. This phenomena is true for any split population and is easily observable throughout the world. Separate gene pools produces groups with different external features. This contributes why African Americans look different than African Caribbeans, Asian Americans look different than Asians, and German Americans will look different than Germans. Regionally dialects and accents form to match the prevailing characteristics of the subgroup. Americans have become uniquely American developing our own features and characteristics which are shared among citizens with spurious differences.
Asians, those born and raised in Asia, though I should say more particularly the Far East, certainly can become Americans. Achieving this status is more than a routine legal process. To be an American is an idea. Conflicting perspectives consistently arise and our debates are often intense but the principles of egalitarianism, liberty, and justice are the undertones. And for those who espouse differently, even the native born “traditional full blooded” Americans, have lost their grip on our unity. Assimilation is also part of the process. For Asian Americans who are born in America, this is invisible and natural. They are raised in this environment and consequently participated in our shared culture. For immigrants assimilation is tangible. The things that make Americans American will be more visible to you than they will be to Americans because as Sam said, only do you truly understand your culture when you view another. Before then, culture is often assumed to be just life.
I think Asians are just people and I mean that in all honesty. Im not here to judge who you are and what your about. Honestly though I don’t know if I could tell who is Asian and who is Asian American. You have characteristics that make your race and ethnicity look similar. If I talk to you then I can easily tell who is Asian and who is Asian American. But back to the main point in what do we think about asian’s…I don’t see why anyone can really have a problem with them because unless your stuck in the WWII era then they are just another group that makes America what it is, and that is a diverse nation. I understand some people stereotype them to be smart and what not but your going to have that in every race no matter what the case. I do feel sometimes they get forgotten though because we do focus so much on black and white that we forget there are so many other “colors” out there to discuss and learn from.
When Sam first started talking about “Brown” people, I was fairly confused. First of all, by the word, because I've never heard anyone use that word to describe people. Secondly, the definition of the word, which Sam seemed to use to describe anyone that is neither White or Black. As an Asian-American myself, I've never been classified as Brown before this class. First of all, I am as pale as most White people (if not more), and I've been classified as “Yellow” more than Brown. But with both terms, I have a problem in that I am neither yellow or brown. So when Sam starts to talk about Brown people in class, I have a hard time picturing myself in that group, because in my mind I am definitely not Brown. So when he asks “Black and Brown people” to sympathize or respond, I usually sit in my seat wondering if he's talking about me too. Most times, I tell myself that he is not talking about me. After all, I am not Brown!
The class on Thursday did remind me of my Elementary School days, however, with the pre-awakening stage for “colored people”. He said that Asian people are most likely to identify themselves as being “White”. Did I just do that in the paragraph before? Not necessarily, but it does sound similar. I did consider myself “White” once upon a time, however. When I was in Elementary School I thought I was one of the “White people,” because my skin color was similar to theirs. If not “White,” I was Korean. I never saw myself as Yellow, Brown, or any other colors that Asian people are identified as. Currently, I am beyond that pre-awakening stage now, and know that I am not “White”.
But I am glad that there's room to talk about Asians on this blog now. So many times, Asians are just looked over. In my discussion group, we talked about Asians for maybe five to ten minutes, and most of it was about Asian stereotypes. Then, my group basically came to a general consensus that Asians stereotypes are usually “good” things (such as being smart, good at math, etc.) and that neither White or Black people are too judgemental about Asians – in fact, most people are “jealous” of Asians based on the stereotypes. I'm not sure if I like that. Why can't we talk about Asian people in a broader aspect? Like, how many different kinds of “Asians” there are on earth. After all, Asia is a large continent. So now I'm sitting here wondering, how many people actually know the differences among “Asians”? I'm an Asian Amerian myself, and most of the times I am unable to distinguish between Asians from different parts of Asia.
part 1: My best friend since I was 8 has been an Asian kid named Vincent. He’s Filipino, but not from there, just a Jersey kid. He has also been my roommate in college the past 3 years. He does not fit into the typical stereotype of Asians. Let’s go over some of them. Asians can’t drive, they study, they’re cheap, and there’s a myriad of other ones but that’s beyond the point. Stereotypes we’re invented because of the majority people’s fear of something different. Everyone’s the same, but stereotypes prevail because people assume that they have to fit into their group.
part 2: Jewish people will be very covetous with money because other Jewish people are. You’d be surprised how many people don’t have the strength or the will to be their own person. I could give a shit what people think of me, and I’m Hispanic. I’m Colombian, so people assume I do coke and drink coffee, uh wrong. But Asians to me are the same as everyone else. It’s the individual that chooses to be smart, not every Asian is smart, trust me. I guess I’m past the awakening stage, or I also feel like people in New Jersey aren’t that racist. They’re assholes a lot of the time, but not racist. PA has a lot of racist bigots. People don’t make fun of my friend Vince because he’s Asian in the fraternity house I live in. He is who he is, and people get that. But we live in a world where your either in the “in” group (meaning white) or the “out” group. It’s completely ridiculous, but clearly racism will never be eradicated. So what is an Asian?
part 3: He or she is the same as me; the exterior features are just adjusted a little bit. It’s nothing more than that. If someone disagrees with me, I could care less. Say something. Prove me wrong. They’re different because…. And another thing; Asians are the funniest people in the world. I have so many tool white friends that think they are, but Asians are always funny, I don’t get it! So in the end, this kid is right in saying they’re all lumped together, and it probably won’t ever change. For a racism free society we need a group of people willing to make that change and move forward, and it sure as hell won’t happen today. But words of wisdom to you, who cares what people think of you. In one ear and out the other. If someone pisses you off, don’t fight them, just walk away and never think of it again. They’ll get theirs one day. You’re the same person as everyone in this 700 person class, our exterior features are our only difference, inside were all humans.
Additional Blog#1
I cannot speak for everyone, but for myself personally, I think Asians and Asian Americans are pretty cool people. Growing up, I encountered both Asians and Asian American people and I can say that although they have similar beliefs and cultural upbringing, they also very different.
Now as a little girl, I will say that I would hear various stereotypes that would categorize all Asians be the just pure Asian or Asian American as money hungry, rude, very business oriented, great at science and math, and so forth. However, I never took heed to any of these stereotypes. I wanted to see for myself. From what I have encountered, some of the stereotypes are true, but many are not. To me Asian American are more into the American culture. I think they dress in the more urban and preppy type look and speak with less of an accent, and are incredibly smart, funny. At the same time I think there are Asians that are more cultural based, very business oriented, and skilled in various backgrounds of types of work. However, both groups are very smart, funny, diverse, and skilled. To me they are just people at the end of the day. They are human beings just like all of us.
I might just have a problem of over-simplifying things, but I think for the most part, "Asian-Asians" and "Asian-Americans" share a similar experience with that of "Africans" and "African-Americans," as well as any other "immigrant vs naturalized" group for that matter. In general, any person that one can not identify with is seen as an "other" and therefore grouped together with other people within a particular category regardless of her background. It is when people take the time to get to know each other that people truly become individuals.
I think there is no single answer to the question of whether or not people can tell different "types" of Asians apart. It is like how Sam talked about people in that Eastern European country way back in the semester: the more exposed you are to a person or a people, the more you pick up on the minute differences. If someone saw many different Asian people frequently for a period of their life, of course they would be able to distinguish certain things that someone who has met and Asian person for the first time would be able to. I think it IS hard for someone who's grown up in the US all of her life to go through experiences like having someone ask is she understands English because she carries Asian features. It is unfortunate because I don't think I have ever been expected to speak any other language other than the national language when I have visited foreign countries even if I am not "colored" the same as the nation.
People like to associate visually similar things with each other, but people are heavily affected by things that are exclusive of their physical features. If people could wrap their head around that and actually start seeing each other as an individual person rather than a representative of some grand entity of people, they will find more common ground than they ever would have thought possible.
Before taking Sam's class, I assumed that all Asians looked the same: dark hair, light skin and Asian features. Now I am more aware that people from Asia can have all different skin tones and unique features that have to do with where they are from in Asia. Being a Caucasian female, I do agree that people of the majority do get looked at as an individual compared to the minority whereas that is not always the case. I think that the main cause of this is partially due to race but also due to the lack of knowledge of that minority and their different cultures. For example, out of fifteen grandchildren (myself being one of them) eight of my cousins are half Asian. Two of my mother's siblings married Asians from Taiwan and they had children. So for me personally, even with Asians being the minority, I feel as though I view them differently, and as a group within the minorities that I can relate to more. This isn't because of their race, it is just because I am more accustom to Asians and their culture. Every year, sometimes multiple times a year, I am treated to homemade dumplings and stories about Taiwan when I am visiting my family members. I love having this diversity within my family because I feel like it makes it easier for me to accept people are they are and not based on if they are a minority. Back to the video, I think that having this diversity helps me view minorities as individuals, especially Asians. So to answer the question, yes I actually think it is pretty easy to distinguish the difference between Asians and Asian Americans. If I can't tell just from their outward appearance, if I am able to talk to them I can almost always tell who is directly from Asia due to their accent. But because I am white, and I grew up around Asians, to me that is why I am more likely to be able to tell a difference between Asians and Asian Americans. So I can't speak for all Caucasian people, but a big reason on why I think people think of minorities as a whole are just because they aren't educated on different cultures and customs. I actually believe that this is a main reason on why there are still race issues today. If everyone were to take the time to get to know a person or a group of people outside of their comfort zone, they would see that everyone really is just the same, but no one is giving anyone the chance to prove them wrong. And because this happens, people of the majority and minority assume things about other individuals even though it is not necessarily true.
Personally, it is difficult for me to characterize an entire continent and say, oh they are Asian. Asia is HUGE. Especially to call people Asian Americans, because then they aren't even straight from Asia, if they were born in America. It's weird because you could classify so many people as being Asian, but when people in the United States think of an Asian person, you typically think of someone who is Chinese or Japanese, etc. It's stereotypical and stupid, but that is typically what it is for a lot of people. I honestly think that this topic should be brought up more. A lot of Asian Americans, who were born in America, are discriminated against just because they're Asian. For example, how a lot of people put standards on them like thinking they can't speak english well, or they can't drive. It's completely ridiculous. And obviously this is going to happen with any minority group. It makes the people who create these stereotypes completely ignorant and personally, its really annoying.
I agree that Sam skips over Asians a lot, but I'm not here to complain about that. I am Asian myself, and I can't say that it truly bothers me that he doesn't talk about us much. Although, it does sometimes bother me that races such as the Asians are always piled into the 'Brown' category by sam, whereas White and Black are distinguished. It's just kind of not right to put all the rest of us together cause we are just so different. If you are talking about race relations, how can you put the Asians and the Latinos together, like we are one? I mean, yes of course we are really all the same – humans – and we do have a lot of similarities, but our cultures are significantly different and we are not more similar than any other two races. Then you might as well put Black and Asian together and White and Hispanic together, too. What does it matter? How does it work? Grouping is just not a very right thing to do in race relations. However, I do understand that there are certain reasons that we are grouped into the 'Brown People' group, and I know that Sam doesn't just do this for the hell of it and he doesn't think that we are the same. I realize that not nearly as much research has been done on races other than Black and White and that makes it hard to present facts and data, so we are all grouped together. It's all good, I'm not too upset. I hope and I know that more research will be done on us and we will get new results where we are not just the 'Brown people.'
Regarding the question that was asked in the video, no, even being Asian myself I don't think one can always differentiate between an Asian and Asian American with full confidence just by looking at them. I’ll assume that by ‘Asian’ versus Asian American, you mean international students…(?) Yes, sure some of them are pretty obvious. Sometimes we can tell that the dude sitting in the HUB is an international student by the way he’s dressed and because he is surrounded by a thousand other international students, say from China, and they are all holding up Chinese-English dictionaries. But regarding trying to determine if someone is Asian or Asian American by the language they are speaking…come on… I believe someone in class raised their hand and said that the best way to tell is to see if they are speaking English or their native language. Umm…I’m sorry, but are you stupid? You think an Asian American can’t be speaking their native language? Many of us don’t speak English at home, we are what they call bilingual, ever heard of that? You may see two girls walking by Pattee and they are speaking Chinese. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are not Asian AMERICAN, sometimes when you are around people from your country it is just easier to speak in your language because that’s the best way that you can explain yourself and that’s a way to relate to each other. So the point is that there is no definite way to determine this. But seriously, why did you even ask this? And why would anyone need to try to figure out whether the person in front of them is an Asian or Asian American? So that they can talk slower or something?
Another thing that gets me is that people who aren’t Asian just love to group us, and I understand that and I realize that it doesn’t just happen with Asians. People have no idea that there are so many groups that we have within ourselves as well. You most likely would know nothing about this unless you are Asian yourself or hang with a lot of Asians. We have classifications such as FOB(fresh of the boat), Fobby, ABC(American born Chinese), Twinkie or Banana(Yellow on the outside and white on the inside), and in places such as Philly and New York you got your ghetto or hood Asians, whatever you want to call them etc. etc. There is actually a good amount of discrimination going on even within Asians, not only on the ethnic level(such as Chinese and Japanese people disliking each other) but also on this class/group level that I mentioned above. …And then of course there are the ‘White Asians’ that Sam mentioned.
We are definitely not all nerds and we are not all good at math and science. I am living proof. I am not a nerd, I am the biggest procrastinator and I hate math and science and I suck at them. I am not quiet, I am crazy and outgoing. But then again, I am ‘that different kind of Asian’ which no one ever talks about – I am Central Asian. Not only does Sam never talk about us, but most people just have no idea about us… When you think of Asians, you think of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean right away. We are very different from them, our languages sound nothing like Chinese and many of us actually speak Russian. Actually, for this reason I am often not accepted and included into the Asian groups/cliques because they think that I am too different. They even often jokingly tell me that I’m not Asian, but I AM Asian. I have to admit, we are very different though. There aren’t that many of Central Asians in the U.S., so here I am, not really fitting in anywhere… Anyway, this is just a heads up that there is a lot more to us than you realize…
Personally as an Asian American, I feel that white people have trouble distinguishing from Asians who are from Asia and Asian Americans. I have heard it all, from they all look alike to they all are really smart at math. I feel like it most of these stereotypes have to do with how the media portrays Asians. In most movies, TV shows and in commercials, if there is an Asian person, they are usually the smartest one and are very nerdy. I feel like this portrayal from the media gives people this sense that all Asians are like this and leads to the trouble of distinguishing from Asians and Asian Americans.
In my personal experience, I have usually been the “token Asian guy” in my group of friends or one of the few Asian people in my group of friends. I do not mind this at all, since I grew up in a very diverse community where I had white friends, black friends, and Indian friends. So we all had different views and different culture backgrounds to bring to the table. I knew about race and all that stuff just because I was exposed to different types of races and cultures from my community. So I was very comfortable with joking around and talking about different racial stereotypes between my friends. As a group of friends, I would say that we got past what we looked like. Sure, we would make fun of each other and the races that we belong to, but that is because we were so comfortable with each other and our background. When hanging out in the end, we never saw each other as different or inferior to each other. We were just people. Coming to Penn State was kind of a culture shock for me to see the lack of diversity that I was used to. When I formed a group of friends, I became the “token Asian guy” with no other races but White people in my group. It definitely took time to get used to and to “watch” what I say about different races. Since I was so comfortable talking about race and my own race in particular, people were shock about the things I would say about Asian people. I feel that you cannot make fun of someone else before you can make fun of yourself. Eventually, my friends got to know me and understood the types of things I would say. But being here at a majority white school, such as Penn State, I have to watch what I say around people who do not know me that well since people come from different places and may not know anything about Asian culture or any other culture but their own.
I honestly could not tell you the difference between asians and asian americans. i think theyre all pretty similar. at waht point does being asian american differentiate you from being asian? the only thing that could make them different is a lack of traditions that they used to have in asia until they came to america. now these traditions are probably pretty entrenched in their culture and their lifestyles but you know its whatever. i still dont think its that big of a deal to be asian or asian american. but like i also only apply the words asian american to one type of people. there are specific regions that i associate people with and thats how i classify things. that being said, this whole thing of classifying people is fucking dumb. this doesnt change who these people are, what they do, the jobs they get, etc. it is only a way to classify people for sociologists which is a pretty dumb. thats what i dont get and i really disagree with the whole classification of these things in general. sociology is a study of people and therefore they need to classify people in certain ways. that being said, why do we have to classify people? why cant people jsut be people, why cant they just be who they are, instead of being a "black" "west african" "homosexual"? thats what i really dont like about sociology. they put people in these categories. and theres something that our discussion group talks about all the time: the "gray area". life is full of gray area; in fact, one could argue it is entirely gray area. so theres no way to classify people in one definite group. like whats the point. theres always gunna be something that changes a persons classification in one way or another. so thats waht bothers me about this whole thing. but anyway so about asian people. ive had asian friends and asian acquantances so tahts pretty sick. were all bros. but i dont think they should be called brown. brown people are like african, not asian. for real. but lets talk about sam talking about his wifes period. that shit was fucked up. lets be honest he was like yeah i go for the jugular im an iconoclast blah blah but like come on dude, youre talking about checking out your wifes period in the toilet how did you think people would react. even if it wasnt 700 strangers that were 20 years old, which is a terrible audience for this kind of thing, say to a bunch of 50 year olds what you were saying to us and the reaction wouldve been the same. all that said, i can understand what your lesson was, like i get what he was trying to teach us. but that just wasnt the best way to go about it. you have to know your audience and realize that most of us arent going to react seriously to you talking about your wifes period. and by the way, this came up in our discussion group, i dont think people left because they were uncomfortable. if peopel felt uncomfortable they wouldnt draw more attention to themselves by standing up in a 700 person class and leaving. people were getting up and leaving because there was 2 minutes left in class and you were talking about your wifes menstrual cycle.
If you asked anyone of my friends, they would tell you that I do not fall into the stereotypical Asian guy. They see me as another dude from New Jersey. So when someone comes up to me and say a stereotypical Asian joke, I just laugh and go about my own way. I do not know if it is just me, but I am used to making fun of myself so I do not feel anything when there is an Asian joke directed toward me. A lot of people, even my friends, are shocked of how well I take it, but it does not bother me, since I know who I am and I do not play into their games.
I agree with other bloggers that distinguishing between Asian international students and Asian Americans is challenging and the majority of the majority would fail at doing it. The things I would look at would be language accents, and mannerisms. In high school one of my good friends was Korean and a lot of white people just assumed he was Asian or Chinese he got upset by it. Only once was I as a white guy told that I look like all other white people. It felt weird and I didn’t understand what the hell my co-workers were talking about. I would hate to go through that all the time though.
Going towards the question at hand, I feel that I can definitely distinguish from those international students who are Asian and Asian Americans. If you just go to the HUB during lunch hours, you can see who is who. The international students usually stay in a pack and their demeanor is a giveaway. Asian Americans, from what I have experienced, have different types of people that they hang out with and from their clothing and the way they walk and talk are giveaways to let you know that they are Asian Americans. Asian Americans are very American and you can compare them to any of your white friends on how they act.
This class does focus a lot on the blacks vs. white battle. Perhaps the reason for this is due to the long history white Americans have had with Africans and slavery and rights for blacks. What do I think of Asians? Eh, I suppose I don’t think much about it. Honestly, it seems like a forgotten race, or the race that will take over the world (or that’s the way it’s presented in my business classes). I’d like for us to talk about Asians and other ethnicities; I do think that with the lessons of the different stages of awakening and so forth will be enlightening. That it will shine light on other ethnicities and their struggle of identity in America.
I have a bunch of Asian friends, I went to a high school with a pretty high percentage of Asians in the school, and I even have Asians in my family, and can say with out a doubt I have absolutely no idea how to tell apart different Asian groups. I am not talking about like Indians and Chinese people, I mean like Chinese, japanese, korean, whatever else there is (as there are probably hundreds of different groups) I really cannot tell them apart at all. I know that I have friends of different backgrounds that I have mentioned, but I do not know any of the differences between the groups. I think that the differences are probably pretty huge to them because in my high school I know that the Asians segregated their groups of friends based upon nationality but I still could not tell them apart.
The truth is, I really don't care what nationality they are, whether they are Chinese, or Thai, or Japanese; It really doesn't make a difference to me. That may sound ignorant, but I don't care in the same way that I don't care if a European is from Germany, Belguim, or the Netherlands, either way it makes no difference to me. I couldn't care if an American is from Texas, California, New Jersey, or Maine, I think way too much attention is put on the differences in races and nationalities. People are just people and thats all they are ever going to be.
Not that this is related directly to the question, but this is my blog response so I'll write what I want… While I was traveling Europe one thing I really learned is that people are the same all of the world. I met kids in my generation from all across the world and they had basically the same views on the world that I did. It was pretty much at that point that I found myself thinking that all of this race relations crap was pretty meaningless. In my abroad classes they had sessions on how we had to act according to the culture and all that, but when it came down to it I didn't act any differently and no one had a problem with that. I met people from every continent on earth and we interacted just fine. I think it is a little pathetic that anyone generalizes and stereotypes people when they meet them on an individual level when deep down everyone knows that things arent true. I also think that this idea comes with education, and I am a little disappointed in my discussion group because I expected my peers to be more educated and more aware to the BS in all of this.
Back on to the Asians, I love Asians, I even dated an Asian girl for a little while. To be honest, I have no idea where her family is from… I don't think that it ever came up because it isn't something that I ever cared about. Come to think of it, I have asian cousins and I don't know what kind of Asians they are. I wonder if they would be insulted or if they wouldn't care either. I don't care that they probably don't know that I am German.
This is a great topic that we really do not focus on much in class. My roommate from last year is from Kazakhstan and she speaks Russian but looks more Asian. She is also in an Asian Sorority here at school so obviously she classifies herself as Asian, as do other Asian Americans. Knowing about how she would relate more to Russians than Chinese or Japanese people and that people in Russia do not like the people from Kazakhstan since they declared their independence from Russia in 2001, this topic really becomes confusing. I know that this makes everything all the more confusing but is just shows how Asians find it hard to really relate to this class and would not really fit in with the black and brown group or white group.
I have had a lot of Asian friends growing up and I have distinguished many differences between my friends who were Asian American and my friends who were born in countries such as India, China and Korea. When I first met my friends, I did automatically group them into one specific category, just as I did with other Hispanics, whites and blacks. But, soon enough, I learned there are huge differences between Asian Americans and International Asians, mostly based on values and the way they socialize with others. It can be found in many other cultures and the fight to stay true to your cultures in hard within an American society, where values are completely different from values in other parts of the world.
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Being an Asian American, I do not feel that I belong in the “black/brown,” group nor the white group. Sam does not really cover much about the sociology of Asians. I feel that it is important because Asian influence is increasingly growing in America as well as the world. Asians have their own characteristics, culture, and history. Asians have a different view on race relations as they do not share the same history, hardships, or experiences as other races. As many can see, not a lot of people understand Asian people. This is because in America, Asians are one of the smaller minorities and people have not put as much attention into understanding Asians as much as other races such as black people. This is a problem because it feeds the stereotype of Asians being “foreigners.” Originally, just as other immigrants from Europe, Asians came to America as immigrant seeking opportunities. Asians have established themselves in America for a long time now and yet they are still considered “foreign or immigrants.” The Asian culture is very different from American culture, and contributes to why Asians are viewed as foreign. Some parts of the Asian culture are considered taboo in America. When people hear for example, “in Asia, people eat dog,” many Americans will feel that it is extremely weird and because it goes against traditional American values, people will distinguish themselves from Asians. The differences in culture heavily impact the image of Asians with Americans. For those who are interested in learning more about Asians, I encourage you to visit a Chinatown in any major city. Chinatown can offer anyone the cultural experience of an Asian American.
Many people are confused to as who is an Asian American and who is not. Although Asians share very similar physical characteristics, so does every other race. I agree with Sam, that people really can distinguish what an American is like when you travel outside of the country. Being in a different country really opens you eyes as to how you view people. I personally cannot tell the difference between an African from Ghana compared to an African from Nigeria. However, I can definitely tell the difference between an African American and an African. Distinguishing Asians Americans is the same. Asian Americans share the same American culture as any white person. You can tell by the way they talk, act, dress, etc. People have to look pass the physical characteristics and realize that the American culture we live in is multiracial – not just white. I also wonder what people think of Asians. I have found that people stereotype Asians harder than other races. Maybe this is because people do not understand them and use stereotypes as guidelines.
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This is an interesting topic as Asians and Latinos, etc. are often meshed together as one race, even though that always does not apply. I think in most cases I can tell the difference between an Asian American and an Asian person. Here at Penn State I have met many Asians in which I previously did not have much contact with them. Overall, they are just people, and I can stereotype them, but I never really know anything about them until I engage in conversation. The most notable difference between Asian Americans and International students here is obviously the language. If I see two Asian people speaking something other than English, I probably assume they are international, but I can never really know, as I said. I think Asians have much different cultures and they are very absorbed into their cultures so when I see a group of Asians with similar dress or interests I may assume they are international students rather than other Asians who are more integrated into other racial groups.
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When I saw this video I was really excited because first this is a friend of mine, but also because this is been a question that I’ve wanted to ask and hear more about Asian American topics. Personally I can distinctly tell apart Asians and Asian Americans; being Asian myself is a large part of the reason I guessed. However, there is a big difference between the two. When I interact with Asian Americans sometimes I just feel like they are pretty much American; I mean, their ethnicity is Asian, race is Asian, but culture might just be White.
Moving to the United States when I was 13 years old from China was the most eye-opening and thought-provoking experience on the topic of racial experience or exposure. Basically I moved from a place where everyone looked the same to here where most people look different from each other. I was challenged to many issues I previously had no chance to ever face. When I came to the United States, I couldn’t speak English, so from that day on, people just assumed that I couldn’t speak English, and that assumption stayed with me all of the way to my senior year of High School, because some of the people who met me in middle school stayed my classmates for high school. All those years I tried to prove a point that I can speak English and that I can fit in quite well into the main-stream culture. Now, I know that I am Asian because I can trace my ancestry to China, but also I have adapted the American culture so I really don’t know how to call myself exactly, I guess something in between the two.
In class today, we talked more about the different sociological stages and we came across some shocking videos. The one I remembered clearly is “Girl like me,” and then some classmates had strong reactions to the video saying they felt when they were kids, they would pick the same white doll over the black doll as well and some of their struggles with their identity, trying to feel beautiful when all the media and social images are rejecting them. When I heard that, I was touched because it is a start-point when someone opens up about their personal feelings and pains in an audience of 700. I think, being an Asian, or a minority, I had felt strongly the same way with trying to fit in and at the same time, finding my identity. The thought of, “I wish I am White,” crossed my mind probably a million times when I was in high school. It was a feeling of frustration after trying so hard to be part of the main-stream culture and just trying to be someone who can stand out in a group of mostly Caucasian friends. Then after the attempts ultimately just came to realization to wish that I was built differently and look different. I think media has a huge influence on all of us; all the main characters in movies weren’t Asian, all the roles in a popular TV shows aren’t Asian, etc. The environment where we grow in also has a huge influence. The social pressure, the ideal image of blonde hair, blue eye, just keeps on coming back to hit me. But I was really glad that we can talk about it openly, it’s a start.
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I think this is a really interesting comment. I think that in our society people just tend to group others together. It's interesting because when we talk about white people in regards to different countries people differentiate themselves, at least in the US. When we talk about Asian people, among other groups, unfortunately, I don't think we tend to differentiate. As a society, I don't think we are educated enough on the different groups to make the distinction. Even though people who are often grouped together are so different, I think that we tend to see them as one group. I don't think people really think about how we really are all different.
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As an Asian-American student, I feel as though that our society under represents Asian people, not only in our classroom alone. If you look at famous celebrities, there aren’t many to look up. There aren’t many Asian role models in the United States.
It takes me back to the video we watched in class today about the little colored people that picked the white doll to play with. I can easily understand why they would because there aren’t any to look up to.
In terms of how the class doesn’t really emphasize on Asian students as much, I feel like Sam doesn’t always have time to touch base on every type of ethnicity. We are bundled up as colored people (brown). I can understand how he tries to relate to us as much as possible in terms of black and white and the issues in between.
Since I am an Asian American student, I can easily tell the difference between those that were born here and those who are born in their native country. Asian Americans definitely grow up differently from the natives. I have traditional Vietnamese parents that speak broken English. You would think I would grow up traditionally more Vietnamese but that’s not usually the case. Like many Americans, I grew up watching Barney and Rugrats. I played all American Sports like softball and basketball. I engaged with American friends and went to school with them my whole life.
Asian Americans that are born here dress differently. They walk differently and behave differently. Things that seem normal to the native Asian can be somewhat odd to the modern day American. For example, Vietnamese people eat chicken fetus and its perfectly normal. Most Americans would cringe at the idea of eating baby chickens.
But it goes the same with me going back to Vietnam. Although I’m full Vietnamese, I stuck out like a sore thumb in my Native country. They called me a tourist. They can tell by the way we dress and carry ourselves. But ironically, It’s how the sun effects our skin compared to those who have endured it for years over there. Many of them work in the fields or the market place so they are constantly in the sun from dust to dawn. For example, my face turned bright red being in that weather for the day. I’m not used to 100 degrees and up everyday.
So yes, it’s easy for me to tell if a student is Asian American or just Native Asian because I am the poster child of Asian American. I used to consider myself as white but I’ve learned over the years that its doesn’t reflect back in the mirror. If I were put in a room with a bunch of Asian people, I could tell easily if there were born in America.
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This is a really interesting question. When talking about race issues and problems, Asians have always been in the back of my mind. I think this is partially due to the white guilt that I have. Most of the white guilt has to due with Blacks and Native Americans. I have not been educated on Asain history, the only thing that I know that was a terriable mistake of the bombing of Hiroshima. The other thing I know is the concentration camp that America held during world war 2 for Japenese people. Both of these incedents were terriable decisions. I cannot trult call how many times I was taught about slavery compated to these two things, but for some reason the slavery of black people stuck in my head more. I can only assume that is because slavery lasted many years compared the bombing of Hiroshima and the internment camps of Japenese people. Throughout my school history I have met and became friends with Asian decent. Most of them have a really calm attitude in general. This goes to the fact that maybe why there is not so much talk about Asians in a race relations class is because there is not as much conflict between Blacks and whites. I do not see the same conflict between Asains and White people. I am sure there are a decent amount of racial discrimination against Asians as there are against Blacks, Latinos, and Mexicans. This also brings something else to my mind, kind of unrelated. Today in class Sam had African-Americans raise their hands and had other dark-skinned people raise their hands that had a different desent. It was kind of surprising that there was just as many if not more dark-skinned people as there was African-Americans. This goes to say that I guess we need to be more politcally corrent because calling a Malesian an African-American might really upset him and the end result might be you getting called a racist. Going back to the question though, if you call a Chinese person a Japenese, most of the time from my experience they really do not get upset. This is my opinioin, but I think that for the most part dark-skin people get upset easier than Asains if you call them of the wrong desent. I am not saying one should act like the other, I am just trying to show that this is another reason why there is probably why there is not much talk about Asains because there is no major conflict behind it. In my opinion we should just get rid of all this Asain, Black, Mexican terms and just start using guys and girls. I mean in the end there are only two types of people men and women. So when the next time you have to talk about someone just use the term girl or guy.
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Well its true we did not touch much on Asians and its topic. But the question is "can people distinguish the difference between Asians and Asian Americans?" I think sometimes its hard to distinguish the two. As in appearance i feel Asian are grouped as a whole instead of individually, doest matter whether your Chinese, Vietnamese, Phillipans, Korean, Asians are just Asian. People not from Asia will see Asians as people who have pale skin, small eyes, kung-fu- basically their viewpoint is stereotypical. In reality though like with all other races, Asians are really different from each other by a lot. We all may look the same, but in reality its like two different cultures. Asian Americans born here in the United States seem to be in the awakening stage where we believe that we are white or in terms of people – "white washed" or "twinkies"- Asians who are Asians in the outside but white in the inside. I myself is Asian and was born here in America and i feel completely different from Asians and some of the international student who attend here at penn state. We both are different and its hard for us to find a fitting with each other.
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I understand exactly what is being said here, Sam does group Asians and Asian Americans with brown a person which doesn’t seem to make much sense. Today when he asked all the black people to raise their hands there was so much hesitation from all the black people in the room. Me as well as other black people in the class have no idea what the difference is between black and brown people are. My black friends are all different shades and trace their ancestry to many different places but I still consider them black because that is what they are. To address the second part of this video blog, I really can’t tell the difference 100% between Asians and Asian Americans. I use to think you could by the way they dress, which is wrong but it seemed to work for a little while. I then realized anyone can where anything they want and it isn’t going to show what your ethnicity is.
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I think that Asians are under the bubble of people of color, or the “black and brown” people. Though, I always had a problem with Sam using brown as a term for Hispanics when I’ve spent most of my life considering brown people to be pacific islanders. But besides that, Asians have always been Asian to me.
Today in class, Sam showed us that Asian comedian. I feel like almost everything he said hit home. For example, we are fine with Asians because they brought us Kung Fu and have really amazing movies, but we don’t remove ourselves from that outside world. I feel that Asians are one of the hardest working, most admirable cultures that have come to America. Not to be racist, but to simply point out that Asians have dominated the cosmetic industry. As many times as I feel people joke about it, but many are successful business owners of hair salons, nail shops, and massage parlors. They work hard, believe in family love and unity, and live every day with purpose.
I find that I think about and consider Asians a lot. I lived in a largely Asian area at home, and my high school was 47% Asian. My high school was an academic and fine arts school (not to qualify a stereotype) kind of like a college prep thing, and there were a lot of Asians. We had 2 pages in our yearbook dedicated to students with the last name “Nguyen.” So, coming from what I was surrounded by, I was used to thinking about Asian people and their culture a lot. My junior year of high school, I dated an Asian guy who was half Vietnamese and half Chinese. I got so used to the culture, that just by looking at someone, I could tell you what their Asian heritage was.
I think being at Penn state has jaded me though. Now, I see Asians as a clump of people who don’t have their own identity. I’ve lost my ability to tell by the subtle differences in features, actions, and dress. For example, I think of the international students who hang around each other and speak their own respective languages. Also, generally, most of the Asians on campus smoke, and they do it together. Though, every minority on this campus is like that. They stay with their respective cultural groups because they feel more comfortable with it.
So to sum it all up, I think Asians are people just like everyone else. Some fit into the stereotype of being smart and studious, but others break the stereotype. Asians are like, the mix between whites and black. They can fit the stereotype of each, yet they have their own individuality and uniqueness.
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First of all, thank you so much for bringing up this topic! I have been wondering about why Sam is skipping mentioning about Asians most of the time. It is true that he talks lots about Whites, Blacks, and Browns, but not Asians necessarily. At first, I was kind of confused when he used the term “brown people.” Do Asians included in brown people criterion? As an Asian, I have never thought my skin color as brown though. I guess that was why I was not sure which skin color group I am included. Or is he just keeps forgetting mentioning about Asians…
I think one of the reasons why Asians often excluded from the racial topic is because our problems are not highlighted most of the time. Racial tensions between Whites and Blacks are always considered as serious societal issues; but how about relationships between Asians and other racial groups?
In early 1990s, many Asians who lived in LA had to be harmed by Black rioters. Many stores were robbed and so many people were killed by gun shots and fires. At that time, it was a serious issue what everyone was talking about. However, I doubt there would be many people who still remember this incident. On the other hand, I am sure that many people still remember the Black guy who was beaten up by a bunch of policemen. As one can see, racism against blacks is considered by many people. Even brown people are considered as minorities who face lots of discriminations. What about Asians? Even though we are also the people of color, it seems like not that many people care about us.
Maybe the reason behind this is because discriminations against Asians are not as severe as they are against other people of color. Also, I think it is because there are more numbers of Black and Brown people than Asians are. People tend to be focused on majorities than on minorities. Among all the colored people, Blacks are definitely the majority. They take the greatest number among us.
I do not know the exact reason why Asians are usually off the topic. Actually, I do not want to know the exact reason either. The only thing I wish to happen is that Whites give more attention to our difficulties. Even though it is kind of hard to see the difficulties we face everyday as colored people, I hope more people talk about us. Also, I hope Sam gives more attention to Asians. As everyone saw in the class today, in some metropolitan cities, Asians take more percentages than Brown people do. Well…. I am sure Sam will talk more about Asians in his class at some point.
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In my experience with Asian Americans, many of them have considered themselves white. They have taken on many vestiges and norms of the white culture and I don’t think that many Asians consider themselves to be in the group with brown and black people. The think the Asian culture is very different from many of the other cultures in the world because it is so ancient. The history of Asians and Asian people is different and longer than many of the cultures around the world. Asians may even be in a category all by themselves. I also think that because there are so many different kinds of Asians and cultures in Asia that it is in fact its own category or classification. I think it can be difficult for Asians to identify with a certain race or group of people. It is a clear example of how difficult it can be sometimes to identify, but maybe it is ultimately up to us for self-identification.
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I think just by appearances that it is not that easy to choose an Asian apart from an Asian American. I haven't really been around as many Asians as I have when it comes to Penn State and at times you can tell that certain Asians really actually do come from the continent of Asia, usually originating from China, Japan, or Korea (even some Vietnamese I've met as well). Like my high school had probably somewhere around 20-30 Asians in it, but you could tell that they were all American or at least Americanized. A lot of them didn't really have an Asian accent and I guess that is another thing that gives away a foreigner too. You can tell (especially here at Penn State) if an Asian has actually traveled abroad to come here by their accent (if its really heavy, also if they can't really speak English at all, thats usually a clear giveaway too) and also by who they hang out with. Asians who come over here tend to stay in packs and chill with only just Asians. Asian Americans on the other hand have a nice variety of friends being Asian, white, or black. I have never really seen one Asian that came from Asia and who didn't really hang out with anyone but Asians. But I mean that does kinda make sense. If I went over to Japan I would sure as hell try to hang around White people cause I'm new over there and we all have something in common. But I think the one thing that people in a new country cling to is language. If I went to Japan, I would hang around more with English speaking people because I have not even one clue about the Japanese language.
When it comes to my thoughts on Asian Americans goes, I personally think that they worked their asses off to get where they are today. They were (and still are) a minority that came into the United States started off extremely poor like all the other minorities but quickly rose to the top, even surpassing white people in the highest per capita income. I have respect for Asians because they are hard workers. Whenever I see Asians around Penn State, I always wonder too if they are majoring in some kinda science and what their GPA is because they are smart. Granted, I don't think Asians are naturally smarter than white people or black people, I just think that they work harder and because of them working hard they succeed in school and in jobs. To me, it just seems like Asians are just a chill race. Yeah, like every race, we didn't like them very much when they started coming over to America, but I don't see them as bad. Hell, I think they are helping out America as a matter of fact, but thats just my opinion
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When Sam did the presentation on how many other racial groups put Asians into one category, and many of them are completely different. I actually learned a lot from that. What this student brings up that we never really talk about Asians specifically that much, that actually occurred to me in class the other day. Does Sam consider Asians when he says brown people? Can they be put in to that group of people? I don't know the exact percentage but it seems that for the middle of PA penn state has a large percentage of Asian and Asian American students.
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Personally, I have a very hard time distinguishing between the different Asians. I know that there are Asian Americans and Asians. I think that we should talk about them more often. Sometimes, the class is just so focused on white and black that we often forget about the other types of minorities that exist in the United States. I know that Sam is pretty much referring to them when he says “brown” but I think he is mainly talking about blacks. There is a large Asian population in this world and even at Penn State. I think that we should be more educated on Asians.
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Before coming to college I think I didn’t know a whole lot about Asians and I kind of saw them all the same and didn’t make any distinguishes between them. But then I learned that I was going to have an Asian roommate, I was very excited because I thought I would be a wonderful learning experience for me, and indeed it was. She is from Vietnam but she is very much American even thought she may have an accent. She likes many American brands like Abercrombie and Fitch and American Eagle. I learned a lot from her and we became good friends. It was then when I started to distinguish all the other Asians. I met a international student form Korea in one of my classes and quickly noticed the differences between him and my roommate. I also have heard other Asians talk that have a clear American Accent. I also learned from my roommate that her parents were very strict and that many parents were strict in Asia, that when they come to America is when they become more liberal. I thought that was very interesting. I can relate to Asians I think because I am Mexican and I too think that sometimes people look at us as a whole as well but never really catch our differences. I have lived here most of my life so I do consider myself very much American. Just like Asians there’s the Mexican Americans that have lived her for many years or were born here and the Mexicans that have just arrived and are still adapting to this country. I know many Mexican American that don’t know Spanish just like there’s many Asians that don’t know their country’s language. I wouldn’t not consider them Mexican or Asian because they are, but they might just considers themselves as just Americans. Like Sam mentioned last class about the Korean girl that considered herself American but not Korean. I don’t think it’s accurate to think this way because I think that they are denying their own race and that’s not right. Other people are not going to look at them too and think that they are just American, they will quickly see that you are something else besides American. Therefore, I learned a lot from having an Asian roommate and about myself as well. I saw where I stood in this university and realized that we all aren’t totally different. We have many similarities and aren’t totally different from one another like I once might have thought.
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I definitely thought this was a good question because it seems like majority of the time Sam is talking about black people. Honestly, I don’t even think I would be able to distinguish an Asian American from an Asian. I feel like a lot of people would have difficulty doing so. One thing that I feel can help distinguish between them is the language but even then I still get confused because some people speak one language at home and English at school. But, if I saw an Asian walking around Penn State, I would not be able to differentiate between Asian and Asian American.
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Can I distinguish between Asian and Asian American? Yea bro I def can I love everybody but you can defiantly tell. I think its really about the clothes that are worn is a typical dead give away at least for the girls. If you don’t know what them means I would say Asian girls who are from Asia are a little more conservative then Asian Americans and they wear more flashy types of articles of clothing. For the guys a lot of Asians in general have cool hair dos but in general all you have to do is hear someone talk for about 10 seconds to find out.
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It is hard to tell the difference between Asians and Asian-Americans. I know that the difference is that one was born in America and one was born in Asia but besides that how can you really tell just from looking at them where they are from? And I am also curious about Asians. Are they as discriminate against as blacks and browns? I think that Sam talks about Asians often but it is true that we haven’t really had a class dedicated to it like with the Native Americans. Maybe Sam feels that they are not as discriminated against as other races.
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I think that when you are apart of any group you indentify people within your group as individuals, and people of other groups as a whole. If you do not know too many people of another group, but they look all the same to you, you’re going to classify them together. Another way you classify people is by the way they act, or dress. I have found that some Asians dress like Americans, which are probably the Asian Americans, and some dress completely foreign. I disagree with the person who said we envy Asians, I do not think the reason we kind of ignore Asians is because they’re smart I think its because they often distance themselves from people who are not apart of their race. I know every race tends to segregate themselves from one another, but I have almost never witnessed an Asian person mingle with someone outside of their ethnic group.
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I definitely agree that when you’re in the majority, you don’t realize that you are in the majority until you take a step back and actually think about it. People get so caught up in life that it does take some time to think about who we are as people and where we stand to realize what it is like for another person to live their life as a minority. As a white male, I know that I rarely thought about race prior to SOC119. As for the question about Asian Americans and Asians, I know that I cannot distinguish between the two. I’m not surrounded by people of Asian decent enough to be able to pick apart the differences.
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This is a great question. I have noticed that Sam often asks us to relate to white people then to black and brown people but never anything else. I couldn't tell you if he just considers black and brown people to be everyone that isn't white or not you would have to ask him but I'd like to get back to your question at the end. Two of my friends actually have international students as roommates one being from Taiwan and the other being from Japan. Speaking to both of them I get a sense that they're not big fans of each other. Note that its not each others specifically but each other as a whole population. Rayne, who is from Taiwan, tried to educate me on picking up key differences in both facial structure, eye shape, and even style decisions. Whether that last one really does work is still yet to be determined but it seems to be right on so far. We will be hanging out and he tests me asking me to tell him where all of his friends are from and I'm usually right on point. I definitely agree with you though, what ever happened to everyone else that isn't black or brown?
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No two races are the same. In our class we definitely focus on whites and blacks the most but I do think we talk about other races as well. I think this class is a bit unorganized and off the path of clear learning but I do think that anything someone wants to discuss about race, they can ask and the question will be answered. I do not think I have learned much in this class because it is so jumbled, but I do think that Sam has a decent understanding about the difference between all races. I wonder why everyone loves this class so much. It is not even that easy and it is quite boring.
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I think that Asians are a minority that are very present in today’s society, but not many people know about them. Because there are so many countries in Asia, there are in turn many cultures as well. Many Asians may look similar to one another but be from different countries and have completely different cultural customs. I think that in the U.S. most people group Asians together just like they group black and brown people together. I think this is particularly unfair for Asians because they are so different.
At Penn State, it seems that Asians group together just like other minorities. If one were to sit in the HUB, as I’m doing right now, they could look around and see the different groups of people who sit together. It’s sort of like the cliques in high school, except that instead of types of personalities, people are grouped together based on their nationalities. I think Asians may rely on each other more because for some of them there is a language barrier. When people first come to this country and they don’t know the language they want to be around similar people. It’s probably comforting to surround yourself with not only like minded people but with people that speak the same language that you do. If I were to visit Asia I would probably want to find other Americans because they could help me adapt to new surroundings.
I don’t know how strong Asian stereotypes hold because I can neither confirm nor deny them. I’m not Asian so I don’t know how true they are, but from the Asians I do know some are true and some aren’t, just like all stereotypes. I know Asians who are atrocious at math and I know others that are incredible drivers.
Asia will continue to become an increasingly talked about topic in my lifetime because the continent and its people are becoming an integral part of the world economy. People are going to have to understand Asia and its cultures if they want to find success in business.
I think if any race were to have the closest stereotypes to white people it would probably be Asians. Culturally, they may fit in most with white people as a whole. Asians are usually deemed studious, hard working and good with quantitative skills. I feel that looks aside, they could blend in relatively easily with the rest of society. Unless an Asian were very connected with his or her cultural upbringing, their day to day lives I feel are similar to what is “normal” in society. As far as I know, Asians aren’t discriminated against too often, but I’m certainly not speaking from experience because I’m white.
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This is a very interesting question. I have never thought of it that way, even though Asians are minority, It is like no one pays attention to them. In the United States, people are more interested in the white or Caucasian community and the black and brown community. I mean I don’t consider Asians to be white, very often people does. I also don’t consider them to be brown; I think they are in their own little section. In the United States, very often people don’t even bother to classify a person from Asian descent, i.e. most people don’t think about a person being an Asian-American or an Asian emigrated from Asia. It is true that our professor Sam barely mention Asian people but we got to understand, Asians are not really a big part of the cause of racism in our country. They were not involved in the slavery time, which is a big part of why racism is a big deal in our country. I believe Sam is trying to teach us to pass this event and start leaving equally. From that we can infer that if the Asians people were not a big part of that history, we don’t have to focus on them. However, this is a race relation class, so we have to include everybody. I would like for him to talk about Asian people, I got to admit, I have always been curious about the way people classify them. I also believe that Sam said some Asian people refer to themselves as white. This is a big issue, how they want us to classify them as their own race if they see themselves as white. This is a similar problem when we are referencing to black people, many people are confused between African-American or black people, which is the reason why we turn to them to self-indentify themselves. Many people do that so they don’t offend them, and many others do it because they don’t want to be wrong. All those issues are the reason why sometimes I wish no one would give a damn about races and just live in a peaceful way with each other. Then again, this will never happens, we always notice the difference in each other, either it is a disability or skin’s color, as human being we always seek for this one thing that make another human being different. I am wondering if this issue is only in the United States, or maybe is it a bigger deal in the United States than any other nation. I have lived in Jamaica for couple years, even though black people are the majority, there were other races, white, Asians, etc. I don’t remember anyone ever mention races, sure we noticed their skins were different but we did not care as much as people in the United States do.
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There is a lot of talk in Sam's class about white vs. black and brown. In today's society, black vs white is talked about much more because it is more apparent then most other cultures and differences. It has been that weight since slavery and so on throughout America's society. Within the past generation, we have had more and more foreigners enter into America and start to form their own lives here. They have traveled from their home countries for various reasons to start a new life or to progress on the life they previously had. To me, it has recently become more obvious about how America is becoming a much more diverse country considering the about of immigrants and how neighborhoods, cities, towns and regions are changing to become much more diverse and multicultural. I think it is personally a great thing that America is learning or will have to learn to except that there are many different cultures, ethnicities, and religions in the world besides just the average "american" lifestyle.
When it comes to the Asian culture, there are the American-Asians as well as the international Asians. I feel as if looking at the people without speaking to them, I would not be able to see the difference between the two. It sounds naive and as if i don't care, but it is not that way. It is just I haven't been able to experience a lot of the different asian cultures and be able to relate to them.
I see Asian Americans as almost no difference compared to any American due to the fact that they have the American lifestyle in person, dress similarly, act the same way, and talk the same way. I believe that the only difference is in their own home and how they relate with their families. I have best friend who is Asian and he acts just like any american and I do not see him in any different way. The only difference is when he gets on the phone to call his parents, he speaks his language which I believe is Korean. When he goes home, he has asian meals most of the time that his mom prepares and also caters. By the way, she makes the BEST egg rolls and spring rolls that I have ever had. Overall, American-asians act very similar to any American.
International Asians from what I have perceived, do act differently. Normally they dress a little differently and it is normally more abstract style. The biggest difference is when they speak. Sometimes it can be with broken english or with a slight accent. The one thing I have noticed, international asians congregate with their friends and speak their language. Usually, it is very loud, fast, and I wonder how they understand each other. It is just like any other foreigner though, they speak in their language that they are the most familiar with because it is easier for them. I do believe that is also why the congregate with others of the same culture because it makes their life easier, rather then having to blend in completely.
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I think that's a great question. I think, for the most part, people don't stop to think about the difference between the different ethnicities that consider themselves to be Asian. I feel like most people just lump all the groups together. For example, I've heard many people just assume someone is Chinese when they are in fact Japanese, or vice-versa. That is just completely ridiculous because both groups are so different. It is like someone saying a Russian person and an Italian person are the same simply because they're both white. It’s so stupid. Wouldn’t you be upset if someone continuously lumped you with a group of people that you have nothing in common with and are nothing like? I know I would. I’m sorry, but I think that being white is no longer an excuse to be ignorant about race issues. Yes I understand the awakening stages and stuff, but I also think that a lot of the ignorance against other races like the Asian race, can be dealt with simply by education. We can teach our children that there are physical differences in those who are Chinese or Japanese or Vietnamese. It may not be a huge help, but I think it’s a start.
I am from New York and I grew up in an area where there was a lot of Asian people and I had a lot of friends who were Asian. I know that they personally would get offended when someone would call them Chinese when they were actually Japanese, or in one instance, I have a friend who was called Chinese, when he is actually Phillipino. I think these are things that shouldn’t be happening.
Another thing is the confusion by some people with Asian people who have immigrated here and those who are actually Asian-American. I don’t know why, but for some reason a lot of people assume that when they mean an Asian person there will be broken English and everything. Um, no, some of these people have parents and grandparents who immigrated here and who were born in the U.S….making them citizens just like the rest of us!
I think that this is something we should talk about in class and I really hope that Sam does because I feel like it is another thing that needs fixing in our society today. I mean why can’t we just take the time to understand one another and treat each other with respect. I think once we do that the hate will begin to fade, if even slowly.
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I think that in this country this is often a common misconception that all Asians are exactly the same regardless of their background and where they come from. That is a stupid way to think of course because that is like saying that all white people in the world are the same even though there are cultures all over the world occupied by white people very different from the white people in America or in any other country. In terms of Asian Americans I feel as if they are a group that tends to be left out of the conversation because we kind of don’t acknowledge them. I feel as if people in this country don’t ever assume that anyone with Asian appearance is actually genuinely American. I think that people might tend to assume that they are just always going to be Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, etc. and that they just happen to be living in this country. I do not really know why that is, it just seems to be that way. An Asian American’s family could have been in this country for over 100 years but would still have a tendency to be classified as Chinese, Japanese, or Korean when in reality they have lost all ties to their foreign land. And yes those lands are very foreign to them as much as some people may not think they are. I am basically just making assumptions here and presenting my opinion based on experiences and discussions with people in my life. Maybe it isn’t actually this way for most people but from what I’ve been around it certainly seems as if it is.
There is also an issue that I Asian people in America face that I’m sure bothers them quite a bit. Often times no matter what country of origin in Asia they may actually be from or that their ancestors may be from they tend to be classified as Chinese when in actuality they probably aren’t even remotely Chinese. I would assume this occurs because of the fact that China is the largest country in the world and that in fact most of the Asian Americans in this country do trace their ancestry back to China but it is still not right to classify an entire race of people that just happen to have similar features as being from one culture. Asian peoples may look very similar but their cultures are very different from one another just as American culture is very different from English culture. Just because a people look similar doesn’t make them as similar as you may think. I’m going to admit even I of course have a tendency to refer to Asian people as Chinese and I’m going to make a conscious effort to stop because I wouldn’t want people assuming things about me.
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I don't think Sam mentions Asians much in class because America itself is more focused on white vs. black issues because of the past and what is still going on in black communities. There are poor Asian people but their situation is not as dire as blacks, hispanics, or native Americans. I myself wouldn't categorize Asians as white or black but put them in their own category. I think when most American people think of 'Asians" they think specifically of Chinese and Japanese culture, and not of Indian cultures, which is technically Asian.
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Personally I really do not think that it is easy to distinguish between Asian American and Asians. To me I feel like if I see an Asian vs an Asian America they would look the same to me. I think it would take a bit more interaction on my part to be able to distinguish the two. I mean I guess in the way they speak I would be able to tell whether or not someone was Asian vs being Asian American. But I think it is similar to how to distinguish different African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos, that you have to spend time to distinguish the groups.
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Is it strange that I hate being called brown? It reminds me of poop. ugh. Anyways.
I'm glad that I'm the only one who has noticed that we have been left out! Sam is always talking about blacks and whites and the tension between the two, and sometimes he does talk about Native Americans and such. He also rarely talks about Mexicans and Arabs and many other races. This was brought up in our discussion groups once, and what was said helped me understand. The problems between the blacks and whites of this country are so big and so hard to hurdle over. If we are to solve any race issues, these problems must be faced first. Yes, everyone is important. However, like one person in my group said, it is better get one thing done well rather than doing several things poorly. I really do wish we could discuss Asians and Asian Americans though. I used to talk in my small group a lot, but seeing as few of the things we talk about pertain to me, I have recently not been giving my input on things.
So, I'm Filipino-American. I grew up in the suburbs of Philly in a very diverse school. If you were white there was a good chance that you knew, were friends with, or talked at least once with an Asian-American. However, coming to Penn State, I have been flabbergasted at the amount of people who have never seen an Asian-American person! It just blows my mind! Though it shouldn't. I'm not bitter or angry, just saddened that so many people stereotype us so incorrectly.
We are not all smart. We do not all have small eyes. Yes, many Asians eat with chopsticks. Filipinos however love to eat with their hands. We do not all know each other.
Like Sam said in class, there are a lot of Asians who do not think of themselves as Asian. Though I never thought of myself as "white", I never thought of myself as Asian. I am just me. When I was younger my friends were a hodgepodge group of people. I never stuck to other Asian-Americans and had friends of all colors. I do not know how to speak any of the three Philippine national languages, so that never united me to my native heritage. I do not dress "Asian" or even think the same way as other native Filipinos. In fact, growing up I generally disliked my race. But upon coming to PSU and learning about myself, I have realized that I love being Filipino-American and wouldn't give up my heritage for the world.
I feel bad for people who do not know Asians or Asian Americans because there are so many things about them that are so awesome! Seriously, if you do not know one now, get to know one soon. You will get to eat lots of delicious food that you never thought possible. You will get addicted to songs that you will love even though you don't understand a thing. You will learn so many interesting things about Asian-American culture. And just to put it out there- Filipino-Americans are very chill and are not cliquey and love people of all colors! So get to know one, please?
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omnomnom_ramen Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
oh and just a bit more… Legit Chinese food and Korean food are AMAZING. I practically live at my Korean friend's house and raid her fridge whenever I'm at home haha!
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It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between Asians and Asian Americans. Of course there are differences in appearance as exists between Africans and African Americans, not to mention white Americans and their European counterparts. Verbally these individuals are described as ethnic looking and of course this is purely from our perspective. Appearances aside, Asians and Asian Americans possess different mannerisms due to their place of origin. Asian Americans are Americans, I’d say first and foremost. This is not to diminish ethnic heritage, but rather place emphasis on the shared characteristics of Asians Americans, African Americans, European Americans, and anyone else who could possibly enter the gamut. Despite discrepancies in outward appearance, we all share values, mannerisms, ideals, and lifestyles with one another. In that way Asian Americans share more in common and can relate more to other Americans more so than native Asians. Of course Asian Americans can practice similar customs as Asians, just as any other immigrant group (and that’s about everyone) will carry on the traditions of their ancestral homeland. Overtime however, customs transform in little ways that eventually make them distinct. Holidays, religious ceremonies, garments, food, and other aspects of the homeland cultured gradually become Americanized. Just try to order American Chinese food in China.
An original population can produce many subgroups, which will diverge when separated. This phenomena is true for any split population and is easily observable throughout the world. Separate gene pools produces groups with different external features. This contributes why African Americans look different than African Caribbeans, Asian Americans look different than Asians, and German Americans will look different than Germans. Regionally dialects and accents form to match the prevailing characteristics of the subgroup. Americans have become uniquely American developing our own features and characteristics which are shared among citizens with spurious differences.
Asians, those born and raised in Asia, though I should say more particularly the Far East, certainly can become Americans. Achieving this status is more than a routine legal process. To be an American is an idea. Conflicting perspectives consistently arise and our debates are often intense but the principles of egalitarianism, liberty, and justice are the undertones. And for those who espouse differently, even the native born “traditional full blooded” Americans, have lost their grip on our unity. Assimilation is also part of the process. For Asian Americans who are born in America, this is invisible and natural. They are raised in this environment and consequently participated in our shared culture. For immigrants assimilation is tangible. The things that make Americans American will be more visible to you than they will be to Americans because as Sam said, only do you truly understand your culture when you view another. Before then, culture is often assumed to be just life.
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I think Asians are just people and I mean that in all honesty. Im not here to judge who you are and what your about. Honestly though I don’t know if I could tell who is Asian and who is Asian American. You have characteristics that make your race and ethnicity look similar. If I talk to you then I can easily tell who is Asian and who is Asian American. But back to the main point in what do we think about asian’s…I don’t see why anyone can really have a problem with them because unless your stuck in the WWII era then they are just another group that makes America what it is, and that is a diverse nation. I understand some people stereotype them to be smart and what not but your going to have that in every race no matter what the case. I do feel sometimes they get forgotten though because we do focus so much on black and white that we forget there are so many other “colors” out there to discuss and learn from.
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When Sam first started talking about “Brown” people, I was fairly confused. First of all, by the word, because I've never heard anyone use that word to describe people. Secondly, the definition of the word, which Sam seemed to use to describe anyone that is neither White or Black. As an Asian-American myself, I've never been classified as Brown before this class. First of all, I am as pale as most White people (if not more), and I've been classified as “Yellow” more than Brown. But with both terms, I have a problem in that I am neither yellow or brown. So when Sam starts to talk about Brown people in class, I have a hard time picturing myself in that group, because in my mind I am definitely not Brown. So when he asks “Black and Brown people” to sympathize or respond, I usually sit in my seat wondering if he's talking about me too. Most times, I tell myself that he is not talking about me. After all, I am not Brown!
The class on Thursday did remind me of my Elementary School days, however, with the pre-awakening stage for “colored people”. He said that Asian people are most likely to identify themselves as being “White”. Did I just do that in the paragraph before? Not necessarily, but it does sound similar. I did consider myself “White” once upon a time, however. When I was in Elementary School I thought I was one of the “White people,” because my skin color was similar to theirs. If not “White,” I was Korean. I never saw myself as Yellow, Brown, or any other colors that Asian people are identified as. Currently, I am beyond that pre-awakening stage now, and know that I am not “White”.
But I am glad that there's room to talk about Asians on this blog now. So many times, Asians are just looked over. In my discussion group, we talked about Asians for maybe five to ten minutes, and most of it was about Asian stereotypes. Then, my group basically came to a general consensus that Asians stereotypes are usually “good” things (such as being smart, good at math, etc.) and that neither White or Black people are too judgemental about Asians – in fact, most people are “jealous” of Asians based on the stereotypes. I'm not sure if I like that. Why can't we talk about Asian people in a broader aspect? Like, how many different kinds of “Asians” there are on earth. After all, Asia is a large continent. So now I'm sitting here wondering, how many people actually know the differences among “Asians”? I'm an Asian Amerian myself, and most of the times I am unable to distinguish between Asians from different parts of Asia.
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part 1: My best friend since I was 8 has been an Asian kid named Vincent. He’s Filipino, but not from there, just a Jersey kid. He has also been my roommate in college the past 3 years. He does not fit into the typical stereotype of Asians. Let’s go over some of them. Asians can’t drive, they study, they’re cheap, and there’s a myriad of other ones but that’s beyond the point. Stereotypes we’re invented because of the majority people’s fear of something different. Everyone’s the same, but stereotypes prevail because people assume that they have to fit into their group.
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part 2: Jewish people will be very covetous with money because other Jewish people are. You’d be surprised how many people don’t have the strength or the will to be their own person. I could give a shit what people think of me, and I’m Hispanic. I’m Colombian, so people assume I do coke and drink coffee, uh wrong. But Asians to me are the same as everyone else. It’s the individual that chooses to be smart, not every Asian is smart, trust me. I guess I’m past the awakening stage, or I also feel like people in New Jersey aren’t that racist. They’re assholes a lot of the time, but not racist. PA has a lot of racist bigots. People don’t make fun of my friend Vince because he’s Asian in the fraternity house I live in. He is who he is, and people get that. But we live in a world where your either in the “in” group (meaning white) or the “out” group. It’s completely ridiculous, but clearly racism will never be eradicated. So what is an Asian?
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part 3: He or she is the same as me; the exterior features are just adjusted a little bit. It’s nothing more than that. If someone disagrees with me, I could care less. Say something. Prove me wrong. They’re different because…. And another thing; Asians are the funniest people in the world. I have so many tool white friends that think they are, but Asians are always funny, I don’t get it! So in the end, this kid is right in saying they’re all lumped together, and it probably won’t ever change. For a racism free society we need a group of people willing to make that change and move forward, and it sure as hell won’t happen today. But words of wisdom to you, who cares what people think of you. In one ear and out the other. If someone pisses you off, don’t fight them, just walk away and never think of it again. They’ll get theirs one day. You’re the same person as everyone in this 700 person class, our exterior features are our only difference, inside were all humans.
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Additional Blog#1
I cannot speak for everyone, but for myself personally, I think Asians and Asian Americans are pretty cool people. Growing up, I encountered both Asians and Asian American people and I can say that although they have similar beliefs and cultural upbringing, they also very different.
Now as a little girl, I will say that I would hear various stereotypes that would categorize all Asians be the just pure Asian or Asian American as money hungry, rude, very business oriented, great at science and math, and so forth. However, I never took heed to any of these stereotypes. I wanted to see for myself. From what I have encountered, some of the stereotypes are true, but many are not. To me Asian American are more into the American culture. I think they dress in the more urban and preppy type look and speak with less of an accent, and are incredibly smart, funny. At the same time I think there are Asians that are more cultural based, very business oriented, and skilled in various backgrounds of types of work. However, both groups are very smart, funny, diverse, and skilled. To me they are just people at the end of the day. They are human beings just like all of us.
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I might just have a problem of over-simplifying things, but I think for the most part, "Asian-Asians" and "Asian-Americans" share a similar experience with that of "Africans" and "African-Americans," as well as any other "immigrant vs naturalized" group for that matter. In general, any person that one can not identify with is seen as an "other" and therefore grouped together with other people within a particular category regardless of her background. It is when people take the time to get to know each other that people truly become individuals.
I think there is no single answer to the question of whether or not people can tell different "types" of Asians apart. It is like how Sam talked about people in that Eastern European country way back in the semester: the more exposed you are to a person or a people, the more you pick up on the minute differences. If someone saw many different Asian people frequently for a period of their life, of course they would be able to distinguish certain things that someone who has met and Asian person for the first time would be able to. I think it IS hard for someone who's grown up in the US all of her life to go through experiences like having someone ask is she understands English because she carries Asian features. It is unfortunate because I don't think I have ever been expected to speak any other language other than the national language when I have visited foreign countries even if I am not "colored" the same as the nation.
People like to associate visually similar things with each other, but people are heavily affected by things that are exclusive of their physical features. If people could wrap their head around that and actually start seeing each other as an individual person rather than a representative of some grand entity of people, they will find more common ground than they ever would have thought possible.
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Before taking Sam's class, I assumed that all Asians looked the same: dark hair, light skin and Asian features. Now I am more aware that people from Asia can have all different skin tones and unique features that have to do with where they are from in Asia. Being a Caucasian female, I do agree that people of the majority do get looked at as an individual compared to the minority whereas that is not always the case. I think that the main cause of this is partially due to race but also due to the lack of knowledge of that minority and their different cultures. For example, out of fifteen grandchildren (myself being one of them) eight of my cousins are half Asian. Two of my mother's siblings married Asians from Taiwan and they had children. So for me personally, even with Asians being the minority, I feel as though I view them differently, and as a group within the minorities that I can relate to more. This isn't because of their race, it is just because I am more accustom to Asians and their culture. Every year, sometimes multiple times a year, I am treated to homemade dumplings and stories about Taiwan when I am visiting my family members. I love having this diversity within my family because I feel like it makes it easier for me to accept people are they are and not based on if they are a minority. Back to the video, I think that having this diversity helps me view minorities as individuals, especially Asians. So to answer the question, yes I actually think it is pretty easy to distinguish the difference between Asians and Asian Americans. If I can't tell just from their outward appearance, if I am able to talk to them I can almost always tell who is directly from Asia due to their accent. But because I am white, and I grew up around Asians, to me that is why I am more likely to be able to tell a difference between Asians and Asian Americans. So I can't speak for all Caucasian people, but a big reason on why I think people think of minorities as a whole are just because they aren't educated on different cultures and customs. I actually believe that this is a main reason on why there are still race issues today. If everyone were to take the time to get to know a person or a group of people outside of their comfort zone, they would see that everyone really is just the same, but no one is giving anyone the chance to prove them wrong. And because this happens, people of the majority and minority assume things about other individuals even though it is not necessarily true.
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Personally, it is difficult for me to characterize an entire continent and say, oh they are Asian. Asia is HUGE. Especially to call people Asian Americans, because then they aren't even straight from Asia, if they were born in America. It's weird because you could classify so many people as being Asian, but when people in the United States think of an Asian person, you typically think of someone who is Chinese or Japanese, etc. It's stereotypical and stupid, but that is typically what it is for a lot of people. I honestly think that this topic should be brought up more. A lot of Asian Americans, who were born in America, are discriminated against just because they're Asian. For example, how a lot of people put standards on them like thinking they can't speak english well, or they can't drive. It's completely ridiculous. And obviously this is going to happen with any minority group. It makes the people who create these stereotypes completely ignorant and personally, its really annoying.
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I agree that Sam skips over Asians a lot, but I'm not here to complain about that. I am Asian myself, and I can't say that it truly bothers me that he doesn't talk about us much. Although, it does sometimes bother me that races such as the Asians are always piled into the 'Brown' category by sam, whereas White and Black are distinguished. It's just kind of not right to put all the rest of us together cause we are just so different. If you are talking about race relations, how can you put the Asians and the Latinos together, like we are one? I mean, yes of course we are really all the same – humans – and we do have a lot of similarities, but our cultures are significantly different and we are not more similar than any other two races. Then you might as well put Black and Asian together and White and Hispanic together, too. What does it matter? How does it work? Grouping is just not a very right thing to do in race relations. However, I do understand that there are certain reasons that we are grouped into the 'Brown People' group, and I know that Sam doesn't just do this for the hell of it and he doesn't think that we are the same. I realize that not nearly as much research has been done on races other than Black and White and that makes it hard to present facts and data, so we are all grouped together. It's all good, I'm not too upset. I hope and I know that more research will be done on us and we will get new results where we are not just the 'Brown people.'
Regarding the question that was asked in the video, no, even being Asian myself I don't think one can always differentiate between an Asian and Asian American with full confidence just by looking at them. I’ll assume that by ‘Asian’ versus Asian American, you mean international students…(?) Yes, sure some of them are pretty obvious. Sometimes we can tell that the dude sitting in the HUB is an international student by the way he’s dressed and because he is surrounded by a thousand other international students, say from China, and they are all holding up Chinese-English dictionaries. But regarding trying to determine if someone is Asian or Asian American by the language they are speaking…come on… I believe someone in class raised their hand and said that the best way to tell is to see if they are speaking English or their native language. Umm…I’m sorry, but are you stupid? You think an Asian American can’t be speaking their native language? Many of us don’t speak English at home, we are what they call bilingual, ever heard of that? You may see two girls walking by Pattee and they are speaking Chinese. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are not Asian AMERICAN, sometimes when you are around people from your country it is just easier to speak in your language because that’s the best way that you can explain yourself and that’s a way to relate to each other. So the point is that there is no definite way to determine this. But seriously, why did you even ask this? And why would anyone need to try to figure out whether the person in front of them is an Asian or Asian American? So that they can talk slower or something?
Another thing that gets me is that people who aren’t Asian just love to group us, and I understand that and I realize that it doesn’t just happen with Asians. People have no idea that there are so many groups that we have within ourselves as well. You most likely would know nothing about this unless you are Asian yourself or hang with a lot of Asians. We have classifications such as FOB(fresh of the boat), Fobby, ABC(American born Chinese), Twinkie or Banana(Yellow on the outside and white on the inside), and in places such as Philly and New York you got your ghetto or hood Asians, whatever you want to call them etc. etc. There is actually a good amount of discrimination going on even within Asians, not only on the ethnic level(such as Chinese and Japanese people disliking each other) but also on this class/group level that I mentioned above. …And then of course there are the ‘White Asians’ that Sam mentioned.
We are definitely not all nerds and we are not all good at math and science. I am living proof. I am not a nerd, I am the biggest procrastinator and I hate math and science and I suck at them. I am not quiet, I am crazy and outgoing. But then again, I am ‘that different kind of Asian’ which no one ever talks about – I am Central Asian. Not only does Sam never talk about us, but most people just have no idea about us… When you think of Asians, you think of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean right away. We are very different from them, our languages sound nothing like Chinese and many of us actually speak Russian. Actually, for this reason I am often not accepted and included into the Asian groups/cliques because they think that I am too different. They even often jokingly tell me that I’m not Asian, but I AM Asian. I have to admit, we are very different though. There aren’t that many of Central Asians in the U.S., so here I am, not really fitting in anywhere… Anyway, this is just a heads up that there is a lot more to us than you realize…
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Personally as an Asian American, I feel that white people have trouble distinguishing from Asians who are from Asia and Asian Americans. I have heard it all, from they all look alike to they all are really smart at math. I feel like it most of these stereotypes have to do with how the media portrays Asians. In most movies, TV shows and in commercials, if there is an Asian person, they are usually the smartest one and are very nerdy. I feel like this portrayal from the media gives people this sense that all Asians are like this and leads to the trouble of distinguishing from Asians and Asian Americans.
In my personal experience, I have usually been the “token Asian guy” in my group of friends or one of the few Asian people in my group of friends. I do not mind this at all, since I grew up in a very diverse community where I had white friends, black friends, and Indian friends. So we all had different views and different culture backgrounds to bring to the table. I knew about race and all that stuff just because I was exposed to different types of races and cultures from my community. So I was very comfortable with joking around and talking about different racial stereotypes between my friends. As a group of friends, I would say that we got past what we looked like. Sure, we would make fun of each other and the races that we belong to, but that is because we were so comfortable with each other and our background. When hanging out in the end, we never saw each other as different or inferior to each other. We were just people. Coming to Penn State was kind of a culture shock for me to see the lack of diversity that I was used to. When I formed a group of friends, I became the “token Asian guy” with no other races but White people in my group. It definitely took time to get used to and to “watch” what I say about different races. Since I was so comfortable talking about race and my own race in particular, people were shock about the things I would say about Asian people. I feel that you cannot make fun of someone else before you can make fun of yourself. Eventually, my friends got to know me and understood the types of things I would say. But being here at a majority white school, such as Penn State, I have to watch what I say around people who do not know me that well since people come from different places and may not know anything about Asian culture or any other culture but their own.
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I honestly could not tell you the difference between asians and asian americans. i think theyre all pretty similar. at waht point does being asian american differentiate you from being asian? the only thing that could make them different is a lack of traditions that they used to have in asia until they came to america. now these traditions are probably pretty entrenched in their culture and their lifestyles but you know its whatever. i still dont think its that big of a deal to be asian or asian american. but like i also only apply the words asian american to one type of people. there are specific regions that i associate people with and thats how i classify things. that being said, this whole thing of classifying people is fucking dumb. this doesnt change who these people are, what they do, the jobs they get, etc. it is only a way to classify people for sociologists which is a pretty dumb. thats what i dont get and i really disagree with the whole classification of these things in general. sociology is a study of people and therefore they need to classify people in certain ways. that being said, why do we have to classify people? why cant people jsut be people, why cant they just be who they are, instead of being a "black" "west african" "homosexual"? thats what i really dont like about sociology. they put people in these categories. and theres something that our discussion group talks about all the time: the "gray area". life is full of gray area; in fact, one could argue it is entirely gray area. so theres no way to classify people in one definite group. like whats the point. theres always gunna be something that changes a persons classification in one way or another. so thats waht bothers me about this whole thing. but anyway so about asian people. ive had asian friends and asian acquantances so tahts pretty sick. were all bros. but i dont think they should be called brown. brown people are like african, not asian. for real. but lets talk about sam talking about his wifes period. that shit was fucked up. lets be honest he was like yeah i go for the jugular im an iconoclast blah blah but like come on dude, youre talking about checking out your wifes period in the toilet how did you think people would react. even if it wasnt 700 strangers that were 20 years old, which is a terrible audience for this kind of thing, say to a bunch of 50 year olds what you were saying to us and the reaction wouldve been the same. all that said, i can understand what your lesson was, like i get what he was trying to teach us. but that just wasnt the best way to go about it. you have to know your audience and realize that most of us arent going to react seriously to you talking about your wifes period. and by the way, this came up in our discussion group, i dont think people left because they were uncomfortable. if peopel felt uncomfortable they wouldnt draw more attention to themselves by standing up in a 700 person class and leaving. people were getting up and leaving because there was 2 minutes left in class and you were talking about your wifes menstrual cycle.
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If you asked anyone of my friends, they would tell you that I do not fall into the stereotypical Asian guy. They see me as another dude from New Jersey. So when someone comes up to me and say a stereotypical Asian joke, I just laugh and go about my own way. I do not know if it is just me, but I am used to making fun of myself so I do not feel anything when there is an Asian joke directed toward me. A lot of people, even my friends, are shocked of how well I take it, but it does not bother me, since I know who I am and I do not play into their games.
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I agree with other bloggers that distinguishing between Asian international students and Asian Americans is challenging and the majority of the majority would fail at doing it. The things I would look at would be language accents, and mannerisms. In high school one of my good friends was Korean and a lot of white people just assumed he was Asian or Chinese he got upset by it. Only once was I as a white guy told that I look like all other white people. It felt weird and I didn’t understand what the hell my co-workers were talking about. I would hate to go through that all the time though.
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Going towards the question at hand, I feel that I can definitely distinguish from those international students who are Asian and Asian Americans. If you just go to the HUB during lunch hours, you can see who is who. The international students usually stay in a pack and their demeanor is a giveaway. Asian Americans, from what I have experienced, have different types of people that they hang out with and from their clothing and the way they walk and talk are giveaways to let you know that they are Asian Americans. Asian Americans are very American and you can compare them to any of your white friends on how they act.
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This class does focus a lot on the blacks vs. white battle. Perhaps the reason for this is due to the long history white Americans have had with Africans and slavery and rights for blacks. What do I think of Asians? Eh, I suppose I don’t think much about it. Honestly, it seems like a forgotten race, or the race that will take over the world (or that’s the way it’s presented in my business classes). I’d like for us to talk about Asians and other ethnicities; I do think that with the lessons of the different stages of awakening and so forth will be enlightening. That it will shine light on other ethnicities and their struggle of identity in America.
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I have a bunch of Asian friends, I went to a high school with a pretty high percentage of Asians in the school, and I even have Asians in my family, and can say with out a doubt I have absolutely no idea how to tell apart different Asian groups. I am not talking about like Indians and Chinese people, I mean like Chinese, japanese, korean, whatever else there is (as there are probably hundreds of different groups) I really cannot tell them apart at all. I know that I have friends of different backgrounds that I have mentioned, but I do not know any of the differences between the groups. I think that the differences are probably pretty huge to them because in my high school I know that the Asians segregated their groups of friends based upon nationality but I still could not tell them apart.
The truth is, I really don't care what nationality they are, whether they are Chinese, or Thai, or Japanese; It really doesn't make a difference to me. That may sound ignorant, but I don't care in the same way that I don't care if a European is from Germany, Belguim, or the Netherlands, either way it makes no difference to me. I couldn't care if an American is from Texas, California, New Jersey, or Maine, I think way too much attention is put on the differences in races and nationalities. People are just people and thats all they are ever going to be.
Not that this is related directly to the question, but this is my blog response so I'll write what I want… While I was traveling Europe one thing I really learned is that people are the same all of the world. I met kids in my generation from all across the world and they had basically the same views on the world that I did. It was pretty much at that point that I found myself thinking that all of this race relations crap was pretty meaningless. In my abroad classes they had sessions on how we had to act according to the culture and all that, but when it came down to it I didn't act any differently and no one had a problem with that. I met people from every continent on earth and we interacted just fine. I think it is a little pathetic that anyone generalizes and stereotypes people when they meet them on an individual level when deep down everyone knows that things arent true. I also think that this idea comes with education, and I am a little disappointed in my discussion group because I expected my peers to be more educated and more aware to the BS in all of this.
Back on to the Asians, I love Asians, I even dated an Asian girl for a little while. To be honest, I have no idea where her family is from… I don't think that it ever came up because it isn't something that I ever cared about. Come to think of it, I have asian cousins and I don't know what kind of Asians they are. I wonder if they would be insulted or if they wouldn't care either. I don't care that they probably don't know that I am German.
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This is a great topic that we really do not focus on much in class. My roommate from last year is from Kazakhstan and she speaks Russian but looks more Asian. She is also in an Asian Sorority here at school so obviously she classifies herself as Asian, as do other Asian Americans. Knowing about how she would relate more to Russians than Chinese or Japanese people and that people in Russia do not like the people from Kazakhstan since they declared their independence from Russia in 2001, this topic really becomes confusing. I know that this makes everything all the more confusing but is just shows how Asians find it hard to really relate to this class and would not really fit in with the black and brown group or white group.
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