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The truth IS that I'm more assimilated than many other Asian Americans in terms of my language, accent, politics, religion, worldview and cultural tastes/hobbies. Not as in go to Starbucks, listen to Justin Timberlake, kind of assimilated. As in my favorite kind of music is country and my dream vehicle is an F150 and owning 5 guns including an AK-47 kind of assimilated. I'm proud of my Asian heritage but I do recognize I'm assimilated on a higher level than many other Asian Americans based on the communities I've spent my life in. This is neither good nor bad.
People don't assume I was not born in the US like with some Asians who are less assimilated or who have an accent. I've met Asian Americans who grew up in mostly Asian circles in California and they still speak with a foreign accent despite being born here. I'm American and Southern in my speech. People always do assume my parents came LEGALLY and aren't afraid to go on rants about illegal immigration and the wall around me. However most white people I know would NOT talk about politics if there are black people around since blacks are assumed to be Democrat here.
Several people I know including good friends of mine do use "regular person" to mean something like them. I've heard things like how Darius Rucker doesn't sound like a black singer he's just a "regular person". A 'regular person" typically means a white, middle class or working class person from the South. So a NY transplant would also not be a "regular person" in this context.
NOW going back kinda to the OP I've not experienced what he has. BUT this is what I've seen.....see above.....often at work when no black people are present, white people would start talking politics, express their support for Trump and their hatred for Obama, their hatred of Obamacare and illegal immigration, their belief that welfare and Medicaid is too generous, their anger over Colin Kaepernick and the Confederate flag removal etc etc....but when there are blacks around they wouldn't talk about any of these things. Likewise black people here would also generally not talk about politics in the presence of white and Asian people.
But when only white and assimilated Asian/hispanic people are around, it IS acceptable to rant about politics because its assumed everyone around you would agree, and it typically IS true. Given that 84% of my district voted for Trump and we have a 9% black population.....
As you well know, I am of the same ethnicity as you are and consider myself assimilated. And I agree with you on almost nothing.
You aren't the cultural arbiter of what is considered assimilation. Certainly not in California, where I was born and raised. It's all regional. And we'd consider a Southern drawl a 'foreign accent' if you come here. Capish?
It's the 21st Century. A "regular person" or a "default regular person" isn't necessarily a white person.
Last edited by silverkris; 02-06-2019 at 10:07 AM..
The truth IS that I'm more assimilated than many other Asian Americans in terms of my language, accent, politics, religion, worldview and cultural tastes/hobbies. Not as in go to Starbucks, listen to Justin Timberlake, kind of assimilated. As in my favorite kind of music is country and my dream vehicle is an F150 and owning 5 guns including an AK-47 kind of assimilated. I'm proud of my Asian heritage but I do recognize I'm assimilated on a higher level than many other Asian Americans based on the communities I've spent my life in. This is neither good nor bad.
That's not a "higher level" of assimilation. Asians raised in NYC will be assimilated to NYC, Asians raised in Idaho will be assilimated to Idaho, etc. You were raised in the deep south so you assimilated to that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70
Several people I know including good friends of mine do use "regular person" to mean something like them. I've heard things like how Darius Rucker doesn't sound like a black singer he's just a "regular person". A 'regular person" typically means a white, middle class or working class person from the South. So a NY transplant would also not be a "regular person" in this context.
Sure, to white people in your area, that's a regular person. But its all relative. In another part of the country, you (or them) wouldn't necessarily be "regular people" anymore either. Fitting in with them is not next level, its regional.
Being comfortable among white southern conservatives is fine but it isn't, like, magic or something. LOL
The truth IS that I'm more assimilated than many other Asian Americans in terms of my language, accent, politics, religion, worldview and cultural tastes/hobbies. Not as in go to Starbucks, listen to Justin Timberlake, kind of assimilated. As in my favorite kind of music is country and my dream vehicle is an F150 and owning 5 guns including an AK-47 kind of assimilated. I'm proud of my Asian heritage but I do recognize I'm assimilated on a higher level than many other Asian Americans based on the communities I've spent my life in. This is neither good nor bad.
You are right, this is neither good nor bad.
You can either live in reaction to circumstances and thus be a product of your environment or you can decide upon the state of being you prefer independent of circumstances and thus shape and create your environment to reflect your internal reality.
In term of AK-47, I don't know what is so special about AK-47, but I hope you get it someday.
Nope, German-Norwegian the most gifted people in the world
I would argue the British did the most post-industrial revolution closesly followed by the Germans. China did the most in the ancient world, and as time is still moving China and India are set to dominate till at least 2100. So I’m pretty sure China without a doubt is top dog here. Germany is still second for Europe after the Brits. Look at patents today, China and Japan as well as the U.S are dominant.
I don't know any Asians who fit the stereotypes people have of most Asians and as noted, I grew up with a lot of Asians and are still friends with them.
For pretty much any Asian stereotype you can name, I can think of at least one personal friend of mine who meets it, sometimes rather comically. I can also think of some Asian friends who don't meet a single one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
Asians have been in America for a long time. The idea that you/they are "perpetual foreigners" is prejudiced and stereotypical.
Yes they have. Yes it is. Are you denying that the "perpetual foreigner" stereotype doesn't exist? Because I've seen it played out right before my very eyes, more than once.
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
A majority of black people speak common English just like a majority of American Asians speak English well and without an accent.
Yes they do. But enough of them don't that the stereotype exists.
A certain subset of liberals is full of white guilt. That type feels the need to go out of their way to prove that they aren't racist, to the point of being obnoxious and phony. They're the ones who tend to adopt non-white babies, move to non-white neighborhoods, frequently talk about their non-white friends, etc.
For pretty much any Asian stereotype you can name, I can think of at least one personal friend of mine who meets it, sometimes rather comically. I can also think of some Asian friends who don't meet a single one.
Yes they have. Yes it is. Are you denying that the "perpetual foreigner" stereotype doesn't exist? Because I've seen it played out right before my very eyes, more than once.
Yes they do. But enough of them don't that the stereotype exists.
So what's your point? Are stereotypes fair? Or maybe the question is, should we fight stereotyping, or just give in to what they imply?
So what's your point? Are stereotypes fair? Or maybe the question is, should we fight stereotyping, or just give in to what they imply?
My point was that I was responding to a poster who said that he didn't know any Asians who meet the stereotypes. I was saying that I do. Nothing more sinister than that.
As for fighting stereotyping, count me out. I don't want to waste my time tilting at windmills. Human beings have used stereotyping to help make sense of their world for who-knows how long, and I don't see it stopping any time soon. Because, the fact is, stereotypes exist for a reason. If a noticeable proportion of a specifically identifiable group exhibits a certain behavior, a stereotype will form that says that all members of that group exhibit that behavior. And though we can deny it all we want, there are certain behaviors that are more readily observed in some specifically identifiable groups than there are in others. Is this fair to those members of the group that don't exhibit that behavior? No, of course not. But I'm not going to be able to change that. What I CAN do, is work on myself to ensure that I personally don't allow stereotypes to color how I interact with any particular individual - even if I do end up seeing certain stereotypical behaviors in that person.
My point was that I was responding to a poster who said that he didn't know any Asians who meet the stereotypes. I was saying that I do. Nothing more sinister than that.
As for fighting stereotyping, count me out. I don't want to waste my time tilting at windmills. Human beings have used stereotyping to help make sense of their world for who-knows how long, and I don't see it stopping any time soon. Because, the fact is, stereotypes exist for a reason. If a noticeable proportion of a specifically identifiable group exhibits a certain behavior, a stereotype will form that says that all members of that group exhibit that behavior. And though we can deny it all we want, there are certain behaviors that are more readily observed in some specifically identifiable groups than there are in others. Is this fair to those members of the group that don't exhibit that behavior? No, of course not. But I'm not going to be able to change that. What I CAN do, is work on myself to ensure that I personally don't allow stereotypes to color how I interact with any particular individual - even if I do end up seeing certain stereotypical behaviors in that person.
Well, as a member of a community that is directly affected by stereotypes, I don't have that luxury that you might have. So I have to counteract that to some extent.
Last edited by silverkris; 02-06-2019 at 12:40 PM..
For pretty much any Asian stereotype you can name, I can think of at least one personal friend of mine who meets it, sometimes rather comically. I can also think of some Asian friends who don't meet a single one.
Yes they have. Yes it is. Are you denying that the "perpetual foreigner" stereotype doesn't exist? Because I've seen it played out right before my very eyes, more than once.
Yes they do. But enough of them don't that the stereotype exists.
No, on the bold - I'm saying it is some racist BS.
On the blue - I know a lot of Russian and Polish people who don't speak English, but I don't think that a majority of all white people don't speak English....
You are letting your own prejudices show, which is fine - but it is silly to act like they are not prejudices. Prejudice is "pre-judging" people and thinking an Asian person who lives in America doesn't speak English is rather prejudiced. People do the same thing with Latinos. It is always stupid to me. Someone doesn't have to be white to speak English and not all white people here even speak English themselves.
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