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The Chinese were literally saying that they were white, and were members of white supremacist groups in the South that fought against integration. That's white.
People who grew up during segregation are still living today. There are city-data members who remember this.
Listerner2307 is a poster who grew up in Alabama and actually regarded Chinese people and various other ethnic groups as "white".
.
I mean,..from a 'taking sides' standpoint, I get that.
It's like saying "I am not a Red Sox Fan! I am a Yankee fan through and through! "
But c'mon,...being Asian, no one would honestly mistake me for 'white'( unless they were literally blind).
I also question some of their education back then. Or perhaps simple self-preservation. If I was living in Alabama back when whites were lynching blacks and whatnot, I'd probably be like,..Yo,...I am Not with those dudes. We cool! Look..I do laundry real well!
I'd hope,..or wish, that in this day and age we'd just simply say,..hey,..I am American. And be done with it. But alas, it seems it's the opposite.
We are in the United States. Why would we be talking about concepts of race elsewhere in the world when the discussion is about American identity politics? That's irrelevant.
In America, people used to be black or white. That's the historical reality. All these other 'people of color' are new concepts that were politically fabricated in the 70s/80s.
How do you think they got into white schools - when racial minorities were barred? Do you understand that you had to be white to go to white schools in the South?
Chinese has been a racial category on the US Census since 1860 so it is incorrect for you to say it was fabricated in the 70s/80s. "Hindoo" (spelled that way anachronistically) was the label meant for South Asians. Other Asian groups chose Other as their category. These labels all go back to the mid 19th century so I am unsure where you are coming up with this POC revisionist labeling.
Asians are simply tired of having our own struggles minimized and put within the framework of black and white relations. What is so hard to understand about that? You come onto a thread asking Asians about their experiences and then immediately gaslight us into picking and choosing sides in a Black/White divide. This is 2021. Not even in 1921 did broader society make that distinction. Yes Some isolated segments like Southern Chinese did not that is not indicative of the whole. Also if the choice was identify as White or face a lynch mob guess which choice people will make?
As a black man, I like asian culture. But I also think asian Americans have a very complex history in the USA. And also Asia itself is quite a diverse continent (being the largest and all). So there is a lot of different viewpoints and thoughts in what we may consider the Asian community. For example the Cambodian communities are much different than maybe some upper middle class Chinese community.
When I lived out West, I did notice that some of the more "Americanized" asians somewhat gravitated towards certain influences. For example, some Asians aligned themselves more with white culture. And some Asians related more with black culture.
I've found that Vietnamese, some Koreans, Cambodians tend to not come here with a high upper middle class status. And grow up around working class black and white people. They tend to identify more with working class culture. And tend to have normal jobs like everyone else.
I also think there are a group of asians who seem to come here through student or work visas. Either get an advance degree, or come here to work a really nice job. And tend to be what some white people like to point at when they talk about "model minority".
To some degree I think SOME asians are accepted into a more majority status. However I from working with many Asians in my field. Some feel that status is flimsy, and all it takes is some lack of public trust to mess up that relationship. So I do feel that younger Asians tend not to break their neck to try to fit into the proper white narrative. Especially when there are some people who go to far into that, and demonstrate some level of self hate. Such as with eye-lid surgery or skin bleaching. Which is seemingly fairly popular in Asia.
Then there is the Asian male problem. Where I've definitely know there are some communities online where Asian men have shown outrage by asian women trying to fit the white supremacist narrative. And how Asian men need to show more masculinity.
TL;DR. Asian American narratives are super complex. It's uniquely an East Asian or Southeast Asian thing from what I can tell. Because East Indians in America don't seem to have these sort of complexities in America. Maybe because they've been here a lot less time
Every scar tells a story, how can you compare suffering ?
Yeah I absolutely find that comparing who is the biggest victim to be reprehensible. It also creates more division where different communities can come together and come away with solutions. I remember a few years ago when the Asian officer killed a black man. And the Asian officer looked like he was going to go to jail. Asians protested this because clearly it showed that they were willing to sacrifice an Asian officer to the mob, but the very same police department let a white man walk.
And for a time there was some unity, until people started comparing their victimhood.
My best friend is half Asian and half white and grew up in a small southern segregated community. I don't think he was considered "white" as he did experience discrimination but he did go to the white school.
Only white people could go to white schools. You're taking that for granted like anybody could do that. If he went to white schools during segregation, he was white.
Do you not recall what racial minorities had to go through to be able to go to white schools? Chinese people in Mississippi didn't go through that. They went to white schools in the 40s, didn't have a problem.
The national guard had to be brought out before colored people (the real "people of color") could even step foot in a white school.
As a black man, I like asian culture. But I also think asian Americans have a very complex history in the USA. And also Asia itself is quite a diverse continent (being the largest and all). So there is a lot of different viewpoints and thoughts in what we may consider the Asian community. For example the Cambodian communities are much different than maybe some upper middle class Chinese community.
When I lived out West, I did notice that some of the more "Americanized" asians somewhat gravitated towards certain influences. For example, some Asians aligned themselves more with white culture. And some Asians related more with black culture.
I've found that Vietnamese, some Koreans, Cambodians tend to not come here with a high upper middle class status. And grow up around working class black and white people. They tend to identify more with working class culture. And tend to have normal jobs like everyone else.
I also think there are a group of asians who seem to come here through student or work visas. Either get an advance degree, or come here to work a really nice job. And tend to be what some white people like to point at when they talk about "model minority".
To some degree I think SOME asians are accepted into a more majority status. However I from working with many Asians in my field. Some feel that status is flimsy, and all it takes is some lack of public trust to mess up that relationship. So I do feel that younger Asians tend not to break their neck to try to fit into the proper white narrative. Especially when there are some people who go to far into that, and demonstrate some level of self hate. Such as with eye-lid surgery or skin bleaching. Which is seemingly fairly popular in Asia.
Then there is the Asian male problem. Where I've definitely know there are some communities online where Asian men have shown outrage by asian women trying to fit the white supremacist narrative. And how Asian men need to show more masculinity.
TL;DR. Asian American narratives are super complex. It's uniquely an East Asian or Southeast Asian thing from what I can tell. Because East Indians in America don't seem to have these sort of complexities in America. Maybe because they've been here a lot less time
Thank you for that well written post. You took the time to recognize the complexities. There is an expectation among many non Asians that we are a monolithic bloc. That is hardly the case. As for East Indians most of them came over after the Immigration and Naturalization Act was passed in the mid 1960s. So yes they have not been here as long. Additionally, they have their own internal issues stemming from caste, religion, provincial rivalries, etc. back in Asia that go beyond mere skin color. (Supposedly an Indian or Pakistani can tell another's caste just by the last name or looking at them - I have no idea how true
that is). South Asian features are also, depending upon the region like the northern areas, more easily passable for Caucasian features - straight hair, sharp noses, taller heights, fair to medium skin tone, blue or green eyes, etc.
Yeah I absolutely find that comparing who is the biggest victim to be reprehensible. It also creates more division where different communities can come together and come away with solutions. I remember a few years ago when the Asian officer killed a black man. And the Asian officer looked like he was going to go to jail. Asians protested this because clearly it showed that they were willing to sacrifice an Asian officer to the mob, but the very same police department let a white man walk.
And for a time there was some unity, until people started comparing their victimhood.
agreed!
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