Discover Top Posts Tagged with #aas218jetherg

Blog 13: Trump and Pelosi on Asian Americans; Semester Wrap-Up

Regarding the exchange between Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi, there isn’t much to say for those who are familiar with the facts pertaining to the current state of the United States and its politics. Trump vs. Pelosi: What happened in Chinatown by the Washington Post does an excellent job describing the statements that were made, their context, their subjects, and some attributes of the exposition.

As many know, Donald Trump has been diverting the blame of COVID19 onto China, Chinese people, and neglected any and all of his own shortcomings. Given his influence over the nation, this has led to dangerous repercussions on the Asian American Community. Recently, this manifested itself again as he attempted to slander Nancy Pelosi, his long-time political opponent, by condemning her visit to Chinatown. More specifically, he skewed the nature of her visit while describing it, saying that she promoted a “big parade” or “street party” there. Because he condemns her and her actions by denoting derogatory implications to these actions, which haven’t actually occurred, Donald Trump is implicitly ascribing a negative association to San Francisco’s Chinatown, and perhaps inadvertently, a negative association to the Asian American population, with emphasis on the Chinese.

While there is much to dissect in Donald Trump’s statements, including the way that “Pelosi’s parade” is a strawman fallacy to her actual intention of showing that Chinatown isn’t overtly dangerous, I will put emphasis on what this bodes for the American people, the subjects of the fallout of politics.

The Op-Ed, Op-Ed: John Cho: Coronavirus reminds Asian Americans like me that our belonging is condition, by the Los Angeles Times, acknowledges these developments in politics and social behaviour. Prior to COVID19, Asian American representation was on a clear rise, and with it, an increasing degree of social acceptance of Asians in the United States. Unfortunately, due to the words and actions of people such as Donald Trump, there is clear, significant regression. Hate-crimes against Asian Americans, many of which hesitantly classified as such, have been on a stark rise recently and open instances of racist remarks have been too.

Quite frankly, I tire of this topic. I grow weary with every analysis on the effects on Asians due to the fear and remarks of people about COVID19. What’s worse is the country’s attempt to cease the lockdown, negating the positives of what the quarantine has already done so far. To talk about the tragedy of the Asian American population in early 2020 is to beat a dead horse for people like me, well familiar with this side of the coin. As the majority of the United States is unaware of these hardships, I saw with hope that many Asian Americans have taken this into their own hands- gun sales have also shot up, with most customers being Asian-American. While conservative news outlets report this as panic-buying by preppers, which to some extent it is, they fail to acknowledge the legitimate reality and motivations of the new consumer- Asian Americans are aware of the new danger presented to them and are making precautions to defend themselves. Though a potentially violent and temporary fix, I feel that a temporary fix like this is enough to grant peace of mind for our vulnerable communities in this trying time.

This past semester has been a turbulent one with the conflicts of the coronavirus. In time, I hope that the racism subsides with the virus.

#AAS218JetherG

Blog 12: Chinese Cowboy, an American

Chinese cowboy.

We grasp the diversity of America:

America of rainbow people.

But is a Chinese transfer student an Asian-American?

University of Texas.

I have that fluent Texan Accent,

Texan pride,

Cowboy Attire,

I’m an apprentice cattle rancher.

I embraced the cowboy culture.

I ain’t pursuing an American stereotype.

In my youth I sat in awe at the cowboys on the screens.

I wanted to be like them.

I am them.

My American dream is on horseback with a big iron on my hip.

The American dream is as flexible as the composition of an American Person.

Suits and ties, saddles and lassoes.

American-born or not.

I assimilate into cowboy culture,

Texan culture,

American Culture.

I spent my first 18 years in China,

But I am an Asian American.

A Poem Based on the True Story of Bruce Wang

The experiences of Asian-Americans, and immigrants as a whole are as variable as the individuals in the population. No two American Dreams are identical and neither are any two sets of circumstances. Indeed, there have been many whose drive was an urgent and profound push factor, but for many others who have the fortune of choice, the same drawback to many others- assimilation- may be the pull factor. America has the capacity to be a wonderful country, and in many ways it is. Such wonder is vividly represented in the many people who came to America by choice, and not by necessity.

#AAS218JetherG

Blog 11: Claudia Kishi

Claudia Kishi of The Babysitter’s Club proved to be a positive influence and good role model for Asian American people in a time when Asian American representation was scarce and often negative. The character of Claudia Kishi is humanized in such a way that her portrayal is relatable and seen as cool by people of all types. More importantly, she is Japanese-American girl rather than a Japanese stereotype. As a result, the representation that she posed inspired a generation of teens in the 80s and 90s to be successful writers and artists, unabashed about their race.

It is important that we see Asian American characters like Claudia in popular culture, or all types of characters for that matter, because when one perceives a world that is homogenous in the screen, their views on the world around them and of themselves are skewed. An unrealistic world that calls itself “normal” onscreen will negatively impact what its viewers perceive as normal. As such, when people see characters like them being represented, the feeling of being an outcast fades away.

In the United States, Asian Americans are a minority, and oftentimes, young Asian-Americans find themselves to be one of few Asians in a place that looks more like the general American demographic. When these young and impressionable minds see people like themselves, a sort of self-embrace of racial identity takes place.

In modern times, negative Asian American portrayal still exists, but positive ones have increased greatly. To see people in media as more than their appearance and as more than a background character, to add depth to that character- it invigorates the significance of that character to people of a community who need representation; Real, human, representation. By humanizing Asian Americans and other people of color in the media, it normalizes their presence in society as much more than a novelty or as a one-dimensional cardboard cutout. In turn, the perception of these minorities in the real world are at least plagued a little less by ignorance because it solves one of the pervasive skews in the perception of minorities; Meaningful Asian American representation is a statement saying that they are just as human and just as capable as the rest of the majority white characters in media.

#AAS218JetherG

Blog 10: Hate Crimes and COVID

An argument against choosing to identify with one’s cultural background is that identity should stem from the individual. But in the face of a worrying spike in hate crimes, of which nearly 15% are violent, racial identity becomes significant, especially when a particular type of people are seen as the scapegoat for a far-reaching problem, the problem being Covid-19. Politically, the attribution of blame to Asians has clear motives in terms of the Trump presidency. Socially, this regression into flagrant racism is a reminder of how tightly insinuated racism and ignorance is in American history.

“He spent almost two months denying that the virus was a serious problem and falsely claiming that the number of cases was falling.” (Leonhardt 2020) There are two obvious motives for downplaying the gravity of the virus and in throwing a group of people under the bus as soon as it is perceived as the legitimate problem that it is. Regarding the former, Trump felt that a nationwide pandemic would hurt his chances of reelection. While that may have been true, his attempt to cover it up instead of handling the situation immediately will inadvertently cause the opposite. Unlike South Korea, which responded immediately and has a far lower number of cases per capita, the attempt to delay a response directly resulted in the deaths of many in Washington, a precursor to the spread throughout the rest of the United States. Furthermore, his refusal to take responsibility for his actions, and rather blaming it on the Asian-American community, heavily implied by his usage of the term “Chinese virus” causes further havoc in the United States. Recall, this is exactly what happened in post-World War I Germany with the Jews. While there may be some unity in the hatred of a community, as with the views on Middle-Eastern people post-9/11, this unity is ultimately self destructive regression, picking at the nicks in the diversity that makes our nation great.

Socially, we see history reiterate itself in its racist of conduct, to no surprise of many. Racism has been an issue since 1619 and racism against Asians in the US precedes even the first Asian Immigrants in 1898.

#AAS218JetherG

Blog 9: Value of the First Amendment for People of Color

For people who have suffered chronic discrimination and injustice the 1st amendment has proven to be of greatest value and utility. More specifically, the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and petition has been vital. Without the 1st amendment, progressive action in the United States would have been almost impossible, evident in the abolitionist movement and its corollary in what followed.

Though Lincoln ended slavery in most states with the Emancipation Proclamation, the abolitionist movement in the US preceded him by many decades, with the Emancipator, an anti-slavery paper being available as early as 1819 (Mielnik 2010). The exercise of free press brought this topic to light throughout the United States, as well as to the government. Likewise, free speech and assembly allowed meetings for the abolitionist movement (PBS), with the Pennsylvania Abolition Society meeting as early as 1775. The assembly, discussion, and widespread attention of a topic is more important to its advancement than anything else; There is no workaround to it.

The value of the constitutional rights to the oppressed comes from its fundamental form, and not from its derivatives. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were all brought to bring some equality to the freed slaves, but opposition came to fruition in the form of literacy tests and the Grandfather Clause, among many others. However, with discourse and national attention on the issue of segregation, greater change eventually came very successfully in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1940s through 60s.

Transitively, the progression that benefits the African-American population also applies to Asian Americans, who, especially at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, face distinct prejudice as well.

#aas218jetherg

Blog # 8: Midsem CAR

Pertaining to the topic of assimilation and coming of age for Asian-Americans, I watched the films, Seoul Searching and Minding the Gap. The former held themes of assimilation, immigration, and rediscovery. Themes in the latter were of family values, the composition of a family, a generational divide, and on growing up. For the sake of length, I will primarily be discussing Seoul Searching because I only feasibly achieve more depth by analyzing one film.

Minding the Gap is a coming of age story documenting the development of 3 main characters: Zack, Keire, and Bing. As they tread the river separating childhood from adulthood, they face the obstacles of responsibility, racial identity, and forgiveness, respectively. Though Bing is Asian-American, more is to be learned from Keire regarding Asian-American studies in that his storyline handles the duality of race-relations and juggling the American identity with being a person of color. As he said it, “because we have to deal with these issues, it just makes other things that like my white friends would complain about not even be a problem to me.” In other words, the world to a person of color is so distant from a white person in America that some of the problems of the latter are at the level of luxury to the former; They have first world problems, problems that even some people in America, like Asian-Americans, are unacquainted with. Likewise, though Zack is white, lessons on fatherhood can be learned from him. His quote, “I wanna give him every opportunity to help him succeed,” referring to his son Elliot, draws many parallels to immigrant families that made sacrifices for the greater opportunities abundant in America. It states a universal truth in parenthood and in doing so, rationalizes the actions of the waves of Asian-American migrants throughout history.

The exposition of Seoul Searching places the setting in the Korean Summer Camps of the 1980s, which was set in place for foreign-born teenagers so that they can learn about their roots. Seoul Searching more directly approached the themes of Asian-American identity, providing insight from the perspective of first-generation Americans then supplementing them with the depth of their parents’ backstories. Likewise, further parallels are drawn between these first-generation Koreans of different countries and backgrounds; For example, Klaus is Korean-German, Sergio is Korean-Mexican, and Kris is an adopted Korean-American. The story arc of each main character ultimately approaches the idea of what it means to be the child of foreign parents in a different country, looking into the idea of culture clashes and differing family values.

The characters were simplified for the sake of easier storytelling, but it does not take away from the substance of the plot and subplots. The storyline of Sid Park and Mr. Kim conveys an enlightening story on the cultural and generational gap in lieu of some simplification of their character. On the surface, Sid is a rebellious American teenager and Mr. Kim is a strict teacher who is always on his case. But when Sid is called into Mr. Kim’s office, Mr. Kim’s background is revealed- he was a prestigious tutor who drove his son to suicide after beating him unconscious the previous day for failing to get into Seoul National University. This juxtaposes Sid’s story, who feels he has parents that don't understand him and discipline him often. Sid says he hates his father and that he wants to kill himself without fully grasping the weight of such a notion the way Mr. Kim does. What this conveys about a difference in cultures between America and Korea extends beyond rebellion and education. Their story develops an understanding of how these two different cultures handle family matters and authority, with Mr. Kim representing the extreme end of the Korean half and Sid edging on the representation of the American half. Together, their stories share a social commentary on the complexities of a first-generation Korean-American [or any immigrant family, for that matter] from the perspectives of the parents whose roots are foreign and from the child, whose values are influenced by his differing surroundings.

Similarly, the story of Kris Schultz and Klaus Kim shares a story of assimilation, expectations, and rediscovery. Klaus is from Hamburg, but unlike many of his peers, he speaks Korean and has a grasp on his Korean roots. He intends not to go into the sausage manufacturing business like his parents, but rather to go to university for a more prestigious line of work to prove that immigrants are not a one-dimensional working class. His character is structured to be a near-perfect character, a foil to Kris. Kris was adopted in the United States and has little to no recollection of her birth mother. As such, she has been completely assimilated into American culture. Together, they help Kris find her mother. To her dismay, when Kris meets her mother, she finds out that she has a new family that has no knowledge of her existence and that her mother has no intention of them finding out. Only later do they discover that she was sent away from Korea for her safety because her biological father was abusive and neglectful. Kris is not at all like Klaus, but when her mother sees her for the first time she is incredibly happy. When she reveals that her family can’t know about Kris, she displays guilt, sorrow, and is more than willing to take the blame. The story and interactions between Kris and her mother is a story of love and hardship for foreign parents. It is very apparent that her mother is happy to see Kris and that she loves her- she made the sacrifice of sending her to the U.S., she did not convey any disappointment at their meeting, and she accepted full responsibility for Kris’s frustrations in her sadness. Kris and Klaus are contrasting developments of what first-generation children can become in the face of the sacrifices of their parents. The idea of “struggle for a better life for your kids” is expanded in these characters; The struggles of Klaus’s parents were immigration and establishment, whereas Kris’s mother faced total sacrifice and absolute loss. Furthermore, the latter half of the idea is manifested in multiple ways- the subjective perfection and success of Klaus and the happiness but detachment of Kris.

There are many more storylines, but the reflections that I take away are essentially insights on the motivations of deciding to face the difficulties of immigration and the cultural differences with an assimilated child, on top of the generational gap within families. Being a first-generation Asian-American myself, these films allow me different points of view for introspection as I perceive and handle the conflicts and the successes of my own family.

#aas218midsem #AAS218JetherG

Blog #7: Vincent Chin

The case of Vincent Chin makes me feel frustrated. I audibly said “Fuck you” to the screen multiple times in response to the injustice that was administered to the individuals who killed him.

To begin, I’d like to say that I greatly appreciate the cinematography of the video. It began with exposition; The location is Detroit, in the declining economy in the 80s due to a trade war with the Japanese automobile industry. In the words of a person in the video, it’s “a war that only the Japanese have been shooting.” Of course, the implication of a statement worded in such a manner is that it bears heavy bias and negative sentiment against the Japanese as a whole. As an extension of this, the Asian community in Detroit has been harassed and attacked, which as another person mentioned, is a giant leap from simply holding that someone hates Japanese imports.

This contempt for Asians led to the “manslaughter” of Vincent Chin, the word manslaughter being in quotes because of the injustice of such a sentence; It was a homicide, and at least second-degree murder. Two men, Ebenz and Nitz, attacked Vincent Chin. Nitz held him down as Ebenz bludgeoned Chin with a baseball bat, cracking his skull open. Two police officers witnessed the case. These two men were prepared to go to prison for their actions, which further solidifies the understanding that this was an injustice, if not at the very least the overlooking of what is obviously malicious behavior. Rather than a 15-year prison sentence for second-degree murder, the two men got 3 years of probation and $3,000 fine. Chin’s mother wasn’t notified until it was too late and the two officers who witnessed the event weren’t summoned to testify. Judge Kaufman did not allow the development of the prosecuting case due to his conscious negligence and defended his sentence by saying that because Chin didn’t die immediately, it as a punishment rather than manslaughter, as if beating someone over the head with a bat isn’t grounds for attempted murder in and of itself.

As much as I’d like to say that we’ve moved past this, I can’t reasonably say so. The case of Vincent Chin occurred in the 80s, and a 40-year gap in time is barely a generation and a half. In the 21st century we see police brutality and flagrant exercises of racism, especially now, where Asian Americans see violence and contempt for the Coronavirus, which like the economy in the 80s, they are not responsible for. The case of Vincent Chin makes my blood boil, but it is a necessary reminder that as progressive as America may seem, equality is still a facade, and it will be until enough time has passed to remove the unconscious biases and negativity from the American people. This is beyond evident in the closing of the video. In response to the comment on the light sentence of Ebenz and Nitz, someone replied, “Don’t be naive.” He’s not wrong. Don’t be naive to the perceptions of America, we still have a long way to go.

Below is the link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7BTzvJryjc

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Blog #6: The International Hotel

As a Filipino, and especially as someone who grew up in and around San Francisco, the story of the International Hotel hits home. This is not simply because there is an immediate connection, distanced only by a time span of 50 years, but rather, it is a terrible reminder that the progressive Bay Area region hasn’t always been the inclusive place it is today. The development of Daly City, adjacently bordering San Francisco, hasn’t always had its concentrated Asian-American demographics; More specifically, it hadn’t always had a high population of Filipinos in North Daly City. This video calls to memory the background, to my knowledge, of the development of Daly City following the Second World War. After the infamous earthquake and fire of SF in 1906, people left San Francisco and populated Daly City, but only after World War II did the architect, Henry Doelger, develop the suburbs that compose the Westlake area of Daly City. This accommodated the tastes of the nuclear family- the exceedingly white nuclear family. By the standards of the time, the 1950s and 60s, the architecture was affordable, stylish, and modern. Up until the mid to late 90s, the demographics were majorly white, before a notable influx of Asian Americans, Filipinos especially.

The documentary highlights Manila Town, the 11-block stretch that preceded 21st century Daly City, now sometimes referred to as Little Manila for its demographics. The economics that cast out the inhabitants of Manila Town, and therefore the International Hotel, was an unfortunate inevitability that was poorly handled by the management of San Francisco. Naturally, the inference can be made that such poor handling may be attributed to racist sentiments, which is undeniably a legitimate possibility. This inevitability, of course, is the rapid development of an increasingly high-value city, with the cost of living and property invariably rising with it. Today, we see this juggernaut of an issue reemerging, more and more prominently with each voting season. Housing costs are rising too quickly, rent control is deteriorating the quality of housing, and gentrification sweeps much of the rest. Many people of lower-income have left, are struggling to stay, or are planning to leave in the future. This is already vividly evident in the population of Oakland, and the increasing homeless population in both SF and Oakland.

Effective solutions are in the works by the Bay Areas leaders, but I expect the high costs to keep on rising. In time, I foresee the demographics of SF to be overwhelmingly affluent by modern standards, and for the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area to expand further inland, beyond the bay. History tends to repeat itself and the patterns that resulted in the development of modern Daly City may occur once again, with another city just beyond its borders.