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Maybe you were referring to people from predominated Islam middle east. They are as Asian as Scottish in the sense that both happen to live in Eurasia landmass.
So what? If you are not Chinese, who cares what YOU think. My mother wanted us girls to fully assimilate into America society. We don't live to offer YOU diversity and a little piece of China in your part of the US.
It's allowing a Chinese-American child to grow up in America and not be picked and bullied on in school because the other children can't pronounce their name. ALL children want to blend in and be part of their grade school "pack". Diversity is fine for adults with strong self esteem, but in reality, no one ever wants to be seem as different and not part of the tribe.
Having a Chinese name only make sense when one speaks Chinese and is living in a Chinese dominated area where the locals speak Chinese.
Also consider how differently people who speak Chinese (and Japanese) as their primary language and later in life learn English. Chinese natives have great difficulty in pronouncing some English words because of they can't deal with L's and R's. The Chinese language also uses five different tones for any given "word", which gives it five different meanings. So a Chinese=American who speaks English as their primary or only language, isn't going to be able say a Chinese name correctly.
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Giving a Chinese-American kid a generic Anglo name like James, John or Michael is in itself, kind of a stereotype. Might as well make him wear glasses and give him violin lessons as well.
And really what kind of stereotype is that???
If a Chinese child is wearing glasses, it's only because their eyes need correction. I needed glasses because I am near-sighted, not because it made me look studious or that all the schoolwork I did strained my eyes and made me near-sighted. I needed glasses in order to see more clearly, things in the distance.
And yes, I took flute and violin lessons. So what? It was a great after school activity, a great discipline for my mind, a social activity (when I played with other musicians in chamber music) and a way to learn and appreciate classical music. What else would you have me do with my extra time as a child? I also had a bicycle and rode to high school frequently. But having these activities helped me stay out of trouble, I wasn't hanging out idly with friends and learning how to smoke cigarettes or pot. I never snuck drinking alcohol either. Perhaps more cultures ought to raise their children in the same way by offering music lessons. And perhaps poor eyesight is why some children do poorly in school, especially when people like YOU think that it's uncool for a child to be wearing glasses.
Western culture is very loosely defined. Yet it seems that people assume western is American or American like.
German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch are all western in my opinion. Even though names like Jose and Juan are probably considered more Hispanic than Western?
Linguistically, what is easy to pronounce for Spaniards can be ridiculously hard for English speakers.
Personally, I lean towards Spanish culture even though I have no Spanish/Hispanic heritage. I find the lifestyle in Spain much more laid back. 9-5 work schedule dominates in China, Japan, USA, etc. Whereas in Spain, it's common to have a siesta in the middle of the day and eat dinner after 9 PM. Not having to tip is also an advantage of living in Spain, as well as China and Japan. On the other hand, I prefer American breakfast, not Churro. Similarly, I have a long list of what I love/hate in China/Japan/Thailand.
I wouldn't say I lean towards western culture or not, because there are many specific aspects of various cultures that appeal to me, western or not.
Anglo-American does equal western. I didn’t imply that all Asians have English names. I know many with Spanish and French names. My nephew is Chinese-French Canadian with a French name.
My dads mom is from Mexico City and has a lot of Mexican influence, but her parents were British. Most people in the west are hybrids of various cultures.
I consider myself fully western with some Chinese leanings.
Edit: I can see how what I said could be misread. Western is much more the just Americans or anglos. I didn’t mean to imply that either.
Maybe you were referring to people from predominated Islam middle east. They are as Asian as Scottish in the sense that both happen to live in Eurasia landmass.
Those are East Asians. Technically Asian includes SE Asians, Mongols, Indians, and even Arabs.
I think Slavic names suit them better.
I’ve met a Pavel Huang, a Vladimir Takeshi, a Ratko Do Ik, for instance.
Their name - surname combos sound bloody awesome
Maybe you were referring to people from predominated Islam middle east. They are as Asian as Scottish in the sense that both happen to live in Eurasia landmass.
I understand that in Britain Asian means South Asian/Middle Eastern, and East Asians are generically referred to as Chinese.
[quote=Mattks;52649832]Those are East Asians. Technically Asian includes SE Asians, Mongols, Indians,
SE Asians have a lot of similarities with East Asians.
Culturally and ethnically Indians, Middle Easterners are as foreign as Europeans/Africans.
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