talking about asian people
Originally Posted by TRock
ok, yes, i did figure out you were asian. i agree with you on the most
part, but i'm talking about relative terms. it'd be too easy to just gloss over racial discrepancies in different
parts of the country and to not acknowledge they exist. but, these things are entrenched. like i had said in the
other thread, i had never been called a chinaman OR a chink outside of friends and family except here in the south.
and i had never heard anyone complain about going to walmart because there are too many "ni**ers" there until i came
here. and this is from a friend who has complained to me numerous times that people are too closed minded here. it
might not be a huge disadvantage, but it does exist, either within my mind, shaped by experiences, or within other
people's minds, shaped by history and culture.
but, it IS interesting to note... i get more hits from white
women here than i do when i was living in california. but, they're stupid, ignorant lines, such as "let's go make
some purty chinky eyed babies. they'll be naturally tanned." maybe it's the novelty of it all or something
sociologically deeper than that. california is actually very segregated, despite all the liberal talk. you have
koreatown, japan town, little saigon, monterey park, inglewood, west LA, each their own little bastions of racial
purity.
unfortunately, it IS a big deal for me. it's only been 50 years since the civil rights movement,
and i think racial harmony has a long way to go in the united states. i've lived in singapore, where the population
is like 60% chinese, 30% malay, 10% indian, and a sprinkling of others. but there are fewer racial issues. it may be
attributed to the tight controls the government has there, but it may also be due to the fact that everyone there is
"singaporean" and not chinese-singaporean, or malay-singaporean, etc. it may be created, but there is a national
identity that everyone ascribes to- singaporean. people may speak tamil or hakka at home, but on the streets it's
"singlish," an amalgamation of mostly english, chinese with some malay thrown in. in proper channels, it's english.
to me, singapore is a true melting pot, whereas the US is akin to a house salad calling itself fondue.
that
said, i agree with you that cocky and funny works across racial lines. but what about the other side? if i talk to a
white, black or whatever woman, and the first thing that comes out of their mouth is a compliment on how good my
english is, it gets discouraging. it makes me think that this person i am talking to has lived in the country her
whole life, and knows nothing more of asians than fu manchu and her local chinese buffet. it's a detractment,
though not necessarily a barrier. i know there's something deeper than just a racially ignorant person. depending
on my mood, i can make a negative a positive. or i can blow her off and look for something a little easier and on my
level. this is true in the south. not as true out west, or north of the mason dixon. most of the time, i don't
think it is malicious at all, but just an indicator of limited experience. i can't fault them for being that way,
but at the same time, it's still a reality. when the color of your skin is a constant topic of conversation, you
start thinking that society hasn't moved anywhere since 1965, and it's high time it did.
in no way is this
a dig at the south and the people here. i've lived in china as well, and believe me, they'll pick an ABC out
faster than they can pick a booger for a goldfish. people in the south, generally speaking, are warm, friendly,
hospitable, and if you like that look, britney-spears-essque. but, while pheromones can lower barriers, they can't
change mindsets, and that's what i'm getting at.
race is a touchy subject, i know, and this might not be
the right place for it. this is not a catagorical statement about southerners, i've met plenty of idiots
everywhere. my apologies if i offend anyone, but take it as social commentary and not a prescription.
I dealt with a lot of hate when I
left the east and I know exactly where you are coming from. Some parts of the country it is just more prevalent,
others, people become social outcasts for even joking about it.
It is very easy to get mad, but in the end,
I just accepted it, stopped trying to fight it or change everyone, and just lost my respect for them.
yah, unfortunately, i'm an
idealist and i think i can change the world.
i just think most people are afraid to talk about it, the
elephant in the corner. they think just cause we went through the civil war and civil rights fight, it's over and
we should never talk about it. ah well, it's endemic. racism and prejudice is prevalent throughout the world,
we're all a bunch of tribal savages in the end.
Dude, I can tell u have lived in
Singapore from awhile. Hahah, not many do know the 'lahs', 'lehs' and the ubiqutious "Wah Lau..."
I think
you are pretty accurate with regards to Singapore. Now first off, no country is perfect. I will be the first to
admit that Singapore is not perfect as much as any country is not perfect. (If there is a perfect country, I would
be the first to buy a one way ticket there)
But when I first got here, many questions/instances struck me as
odd .... (as in I have never came across them in my life before)
Q) How do you have four different
races (malay, chinese, Indian and caucasian) live together with no racial issues / tension?
I really was
stumped to answer that question. I never thought about it and hence it never became a problem. So I recalled
answering that question by saying that well... from a very young age, I was surrounded by people of 4 different
races...we all went to school together...we all played football and rugby together...and chilled at the pubs and
clubs....it never dawned on us that we were malay, chinese, indian or caucasian...but that we were all singaporeans
(whatever that means...and would prob require a whole thread)
Also, I once asked my American Asian friends
why they introduced themselves as American Chinese/Korean/Taiwanese /Japanese etc rather than American? .... I
basically said that you are American but of different ethinc descent. Doesn't the term American refer to
people who are citizens of the US and of different ethnicities?
Another interesting situation that ocurred
was when there was an AA performance night. Well, the guys and gals selling tickets a few days before the event were
saying to me that "I had to come down to the performance to show Asian solidarity or Asian power..." (I can't
really recall what they said, this was when I was a freshman...but it was something along the lines) ... I basically
declined in a polite fashion... and told them that what they were implying is very dangerous. That simply because
you are asian, and I am asian, we have to be best friends, chums and that we have to be "United or show
solidarity"... might I ask, united against what?
...and yes, I have been called chink, nip, gook,
chinaman...been told to go home to (china/korea/japan/vietnam...but strangely not singapore...hahahaha)....had
people walk up to me and said "We should have killed all of you in WWII"....and even been challenged by some drunk
frat boys to pull some jackie chan/bruce lee shit....
But I must say, all the experiences has taught me alot.
Firstly, it taught me that it was arrogant of me to think that the US (or anywhere else for that matter) is going to
be similar to singapore (and unfortunately, alot of Singaporeans have that mindset..that we are the best...well,
I'm singaporean...I think we have alot to be proud off...but the best? thats streching it....)
Secondly,
that we don't live in a perfect world and we should find it in ourselves to react in positive, level headed way
that does not promote pain suffering and violence for ourselves and our fellow human being (but unfortunately ,
sometimes pain suffering and violence do find you...)
Actually, I do like living in the US alot, never would
I be meeting so many people from various countries, of different races and its all terribly exciting to learn new
languages, customs/traditions lingo, lifestyles and have so much to see in a single country (and of course...the
cross cultural/racial dating is a big plus....hahahah)...no regrets on my part.... and I would like to say this
too...some of the most intelligent / self-motivated / "got their shit together" people I have met in my life are
Americans......and boy did I learn alot from them after getting my ass kicked academically in
school....
First of..to anyone reading this...do not take all this in a negative or "social commentry" light
(no one died and I'm not king)...rather take it as a shared experience and something that you can hopefully draw a
positive learning experience from... what I've voiced is merely some personal experiences, and is simply that...a
personal expereince... that does not reflect anyone or anything in a better or worse way...
Finally, I would
like to say:
Between Stimulus and Action, we as human beings have something very important, and that is
Choice
Move the Thread to Open Discussion
After I posted the above, I realised that this thread should be moved to 'Open Discussion'
Anyone know how
to do that?
where is north cakalak anyways?
for me to minimize and racism i would face based on location, i decided that i would only live in the nyc area or
southern cali.
I had left it here at first
because the subject was relationship between races which would have been valid for this forum. It seems to have
drifted away from that subject and so it's moved.
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson
north cakalak- just north of
south carolina.
ah, singapore. i was only there for one year. i went to UWC, a british boarding school. talk
about social tension... i got crap for from the british for being american. ah they didn't care whether you were
chinese-american or british-american, if you were american, you'd never hear the end of it. and those are our
friends...
i liked singapore. the food was great (chicken rice and roti for $3, man i loved the public
housing blocks.) the people were smart and polite, and the city was clean. everyone got housing, and things were
orderly. that said, there's the infamous tradeoff. strict government control and less personal freedom for social
stability and general prosperity. it's typical confucian/paternalistic philosophy- give up the aspirations of the
individual for the good of the state, who will take care of you. most governments miss out on the last part, but
singapore has somehow got it down. granted you might not be able to drive your car downtown on mondays, wednesdays
and fridays, or smoke a spliff, but you had a roof over your head and a strong social net to fall back on. however,
i think this stifles innovation and entrepreneurship. i liken it to how americans invent, and the japanese innovate.
americans invented the TV, but sony came out with the wega. or the car, or videogames, there are many examples.
it's the benefit and tradeoff that comes with choosing the individual or society. an emphasis on personal freedom
breeds creativity, but also greed and self-absorption; an emphasis on society creates stability, but lessens the
likelihood of sticking your neck out and trying something new.
To some extent I've always had
it easy. My places of permanent residence, ie both the town I grew up in where my family still lives and the town
in which I now attend college, are very open and accepting. I have got to say that I have not once experienced any
sort of racial discrimination, and I'm glad for it. But I have experienced racism in other parts of the US,
particulary the south but mostly rural places in any region really. It's unsettling and very saddening.
So
maybe I'm unnaturally optimistic, but I love this place. I find that the majority of americans, even the ones that
are racist to some extent, are willing to change their opinions after getting to know you. Most of racism comes
from dislike of the unfamiliar, and improves with knowledge, understanding, and education. However, it can be a
frustrating and saddening that this change is required at all. All I can say is thank god for educated people.
~Silver
Damn dude, u make me want to head
home again just for the food.
Cheap and good food, ava. till 3 am.. al fresco .... a whole meal perhaps for $3
USD....
...ahh the spliff ... that I agree with, might be more dangerous ... but possible....... not
something that you would have to go to the moon for hahahahah.....
...as for the prohibition on driving into
town... I've never heard that one before... are you talking about the ERP? When you have to pay a toll to get into
town/CBD at certain hours? Unless the law is new. I've never heard that you can't drive anywhere at certain
times...
...UWC... damn... u guys have a pretty good rugby team dude... I had quite a few friends from UWC,
SAS (the american school) and the other austrialian one....I suppose then you would be famililar with the gimh moh
... buona vista and the whole holland village pub scene?
Actually, from a personal point of view, I like the
US alot. I have no qualms about staying here an extended period of time or even the rest of my life. (But I have to
find someway to replicate the food from back home and shift my arse to somewhere warm after grad school...)
cheers, and keep warm.
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