According to the textbook, "Racial and Ethnic Groups" (Fourteenth Edition) by Richard T. Schaefer described Asian Americans trying to find a panethnic identity to be recognized as a whole. The individuals of Asian nationalities formed together in result of previous discrimination including present-day stereotypes. Vast majority of Asian Americans identify themselves as their nationality group, whereas most from time to time view themselves as being Asian American. Pan-Asian identity on numerous occasions assist to reinforce when Asian Americans are attempting to change their community while they're outnumbered as well as underrepresented; this is where unity is considered to be necessary. To my belief, the social phenomenon over the foreign …show more content…
With that being said, there has been an increase in the percentage of Asian-Americans who consider themselves to be a Democrat. Now, adolescent Asians' political view is of the Democratic party as opposed to the Republican party. Asians have been considered to swing vote for a long period. Among Asian communities, it's common for them to vote as a Democrat.In the article, "More Asian-Americans Are Identifying as Democrats, Survey Finds" by Jeremy W. Peters explained how in the present-day numerous of Asian-Americans identify themselves as being a Democrat rather than a Republican. There's a possibility that an Asians' political view can cause harm to the expanding minority group's political view of being a Republican. Over a twenty year period, there has been an increase in Asian-American support for Democratic presidential candidates than any other racial group. Today, fifty-seven percent of Asians identify themselves as being a part of the Democratic Party, whereas twenty four percent of Asians identify themselves as being a part of the Republican Party. Thus, the Asian vote has always involved multiple ethnicities, nationalities, and religious
For 20 years, Asian Americans have been portrayed by the press and the media as a successful minority. Asian Americans are believed to benefit from astounding achievements in education, rising occupational statuses, increasing income, and are problem-fee in mental health and crime. The idea of Asian Americans as a model minority has become the central theme in media portrayal of Asian Americans since the middle 1960s. The term model minority is given to a minority group that exhibits middle class characteristics, and attains some measure of success on its own without special programs or welfare. Asian Americans are seen as a model minority because even though they have faced prejudice and discrimination by other racial groups, they have succeeded socially, economically, and educationally without resorting to political or violent disagreements with the majority race. The “success” of the minority is offered as proof that the American dream of equal opportunity is capable to those who conform and who are willing to work hard. Therefore, the term ...
- Asian American history is the history of ethnic and “racial groups in the United States who are of Asian descent. Spickard (2007) shows that the ‘Asian American’ was an idea invented in the 1960s to bring together the Chinese, Japanese, and the Filipino Americans for strategic political purposes”. Soon other Asian-origin groups, such as Koreans, Vietnamese, Hmongs, and South Asian Americans, were added."For example,
In addition to discriminating against Asians, what most people don’t realize is that they are discriminating against the other ethnic groups too, thus creating interracial tension. When one superficially praises the success of one group, they are indirectly bringing out the failures of the other group. For example, when comparing Blacks, Hispanics or Native Americans to Asian American success, they are disregarding the fact that Blacks, Hispanics or Native Americans can be successful too. The model minority myth also creates an exaggerated portrayal of Asian students as hard working, studious, and persevering, which can lead to Asian American students being bullied by their fellow peers.
In the beginning when Asians came to America, they had started out with nothing, no foundation, and no help. All they could do was work hard to create a better life with their own hands, someday, in hope that they will succeed. Back in the 1800’s, during the gold rush days, Americans were displeased with the amount of Asian immigrants who came and took their jobs. Since then, Asians were able to survive and to achieve a great amount of success in the US. In order to catch up along with the rest of the world, the government created an example for their own people, known as the model minority. The model minority is a stereotype suggests that Asian Americans are “more academically, economically, and socially successful than any other racial minority groups.” (Yoo) In today’s world, Asian Americans are known to be “culturally — even genetically — endowed with the characteristics that enable them to succeed in American society.” (Wu) Model minority refers to a racial minority that serves a good example to be followed and compared for all other race; therefore, Asian Americans are characterized to it as one. If an Asian American is successful and smart, then it must be true about the whole Asian race. It creates false assumptions that every Asian is the same, which can discriminate and stereotype all Asian Americans who doesn’t belong in the category. This creates an unfair and unjust disadvantage and treatment towards Asian Americans who are targeted as one, in other words, it’s a problem that their needs and aids are ignored by society.
I also researched instances of counter actions taken by Asian Americans to protest against these negative images. My research also has examples of Asians that have succeeded in breaking through the racial barriers in the media. The results show that even though racial stereotyping still exists in various forms of mass media, there are signs that show noticeable improvement in allowing a more balanced image of Asian Americans. Statement of the Problem There are close to 12 million Asian Americans living in the United States (U.S. Asian, 2000). Asian Americans are considered one of the fastest growing minorities (Pimentel, 2001).
When you think about the culture in the United States (U.S.), it is considered to be very diverse. There are many different cultures and religions in the country, which increases the diversity. Asians are a significant part of U.S. culture as they have been around for years. However when compared to how other U.S. citizens are treated, Asian Americans are treated significantly worse. “Asian Americans, like other people of color, continually find themselves set apart, excluded and stigmatized-whether during the 19th century anti-Chinese campaign in California, after the 1922 Supreme Court decision (Ozawa v. United States) that declared Asians ineligible for U.S. citizenship, or by a YouTube video that went viral on the Internet in 2011 in which a UCLA student complained bitterly about Asians in the library” (Healey, p.330). Many Asian Americans have been treated poorly because of how they are perceived within the society. It may be because of a jealousy against their strong academic achievement or because of the many jobs that they have “taken away” from the American population. In Wu Franks Article, Yellow, he claims that when someone refers to someone as an American, it is automatically assumed that they are White, however when someone is thought of as a minority they are thought of as Black. Asian Americans neither fit into the Black or White category, therefore feel as if there is no place within society for them to fall into. Wu’s article in comparison to the documentary Vincent Who?, explains how Asian Americans have been treated in America in the past, and how those stigmas have not changed as much. The documentary Vincent Who?, goes to describing murder of Vincent Chin, who was brutally attacked and murdered outside of a ...
Mexican Americans has become one of the largest identities in the Unites States. The Mexican American identity has roots dating back to the beginning of the destruction of the Mexica in Mesoamerica, to colonial times of Nueva España, to period of U.S Manifest Destiny. The Mexican American Identity has been shaped with abuse, violence, loss of lives and the consequences of a single story and historical amnesia.
In the end, it is up to Asian-Americans to discredit the positive and negative stereotypes. By assimilating with other race groups, Asian-Americans will gain more understanding from their non-Asian peers. In addition, when Asians are more forth-coming with their struggles, it will unmask the myth of perfection and allow others to see them as an individual.
The United States as a country has always been an entity unique amongst the world’s myriad of nations: a conglomeration of cultures, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds from around the planet, all fused together to yield something entirely new. Since its very inception, those who dwell within its borders have attempted to ascertain the makeup of the American identity, in order to pin down how exactly one can come to be considered as an American themselves. This is inherently quite a subjective issue, but the conversation primarily boils down to three core factors that make the American people who they are: a dedication to preserving the natural rights of every human being, a belief in the importance of the individual in deciding their own
Asian Americans have been more active and involved in politics over the past decade. Furthermore, Asian Americans increasingly became more visible in politics extending beyond the city limits. While in many major cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City remain packed and serve as a gateway for Asian Americans immigrants. A majority of the United States Asian American population has now moved into the Suburbs. This serves as a part of reaching the American “Dream”. The dream is to own a house in the suburbs with a pool and picket fence. Once a person obtains this status, they are seen as making it in America. Between 2000 and 2010, Asian American population growth in the suburbs reached 1.7 million, which was nearly four times the growth during the same period for those Asian Americans living in central cities. Approximately 62 percent of the U.S. Asian American population is situated in the suburbs. In California, The San Francisco and Los Angeles metro area contain the most diverse Asians in the whole America. The city and state is known for their diversity in many ethnic groups. The variation of Asian Americans is broking down into large numbers of Filipinos (27%), Chinese (26%), Asian Indians (11%), Japanese (9%), and Koreans (8%) . For Asian Asians, this sets up a perfect situation for political power or might. With population numbers being so high, incorporation efforts in these cities and suburbs in only feasible.
In today’s society there are many words that are used or said without giving it complete thought. For example, the word “identity” is something to which I have never really given much thought or even considered how I identify myself.
“When Race Becomes Even More Complex: Toward Understanding the Landscape of Multiracial Identity and Experiences”
Having a strong foundation is something that has been passed down from our ancestors post slavery, which was used to help my family form their ethnic identity as African Americans. Ethnicity refers to a social group’s distinct sense of belongingness as a result of common culture and descent (Organista, Marin, & Chun, 2010). This influenced my family to raise me with awareness of family structure, old fashion southern culture, and valuable beliefs that molded me into the woman that I am today. Along with my family’s ethnic identity, I also have my own self -identity, which is my identity as a mother and a student. However, my family’s ethnic identity along with my own self-identity was not always seen as socially excepted or
Being able to identify with a certain group has been an issue that individuals hesitate with daily. Am I Black, are you a girl, what religion do you practice? These are all common questions that society has forced individuals to concentrate on. Should an individual have to pick a side or is it relevant to the human race to identify with any group? One may believe not, but for others having and knowing one’s own identity is important, because it is something that they have been developing their entire life. Along with how their identity influenced their life chances and their self-esteem. This can also affect how society interact with whatever identity an individual chooses to live. Which is why it was important to recognize how identifying