#aas218wilsons

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Blog#13 let’s get it poppin

We’ve been building up just for this day. Given exposure to the knowledge that defined our culture, we were to produce something in our passions that involved an asian american theme. Our group went with am immigration theme at first but it changed as our group changed. Sara had come out to her family, being an impactful part of her life , we decided to incorporate it into ours. Our theme then became about immigration,interracial dating and love. We developed a music video involving the story of a girl abandoned by her family after coming out as bisexual. She would then find herself in San Francisco and coincidently find her love. It was this, that we would put our efforts into directing and creating for our POP event.

Many different aspects of asian culture were shared. A very uncommon feeling came over me as I realized this did not happen often enough .Interesting things like, spoken word, dance, skits, and music filled the room with people of color behind the faces. Representation. It’s often felt that in mainstream culture that a lot of misrepresentation of the people of color had been mostly inauthentic. I had look forward to seeing the dance performances and it turned out great! A class like this brought on new perspectives of how classes should really be structured  or in our case not “structured”. Learning from our experiences first hand through each of our own personal living histories. This would help further develop our empathic skills for others, basically making us all better humans at the end of the day

A joyous event that brought people together through their passions of love art and music.  Oh, and our project turned out better than expected :) our group , a bunch of non singers besides our music expert Sara, had to learn some basic singing in order to deliver at the standard we wanted. Essentially, through this journey we learned not only about people of other cultures, but mostly about ourselves. We all had the capabilities to do something for someone else. Learning to rely on the strengths and expertise of others in order to grow together, we basically learned the true meaning of family. Ohana. Means family in Hawaiian, good ol Lilo & Stitch taught us that. Ha! Peace :D

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Blog #12 Expectations

When you’re an asian american, most of the time you end up being the token for your white friends. Most of them rely on you for cultural expertise and even test out their racist jokes on you. It’s really up to you to help them know your place and your peoples place in their world. Or is it.... Why were we stuck with this job as a representative and ambassador of our “home country” when most of the time we know next to nothing about that place, having been born in America, having gone through the American education system, they still believe we should know. Immigrants from your “home land” also expect you to know all aspects of the culture and to act as if you’re the better ones as you may make all “our people” look bad. 

(photo from “ Get Out” film where there is one token asian guy)

Maybe it’s something that just happens in America. Most other countries are relatively very homogenous. We become these spokesman for our people because they don’t get to interact with “one of us” very often. We’re the bridge between their world and “our” world. Meaning that in their mind, they’ve already set up that dichotomy, which is almost proof of their inherent racism. Good thing for capitalism, a culture can become synonymous with american minds due to its ability to be judged solely on demand. People in america are generally familiar with words like “arigato” or “ni hao” mostly because of food, film or pop culture. It gives us a bit of hope, that maybe if we excel and succeed enough we can establish our presence in this country. It sets forth almost a goal that shouldn’t have been required from the start.

I get that most people want to have a sense of belonging , however, I would just like to be known as an individual. Sure, it takes more time for some to know know you, but at least I’m not just a figment of your list of stereotypes you go through in order to decipher who I am. The human mind is programmed for simplicity, but the effort we make goes a long way. Historically, humans have been able to get away with little to no effort in their contributions to human society but nowadays, each and everyone of us are given the comfortability and affordability to pursue activism. The age of information really help set forth the revolution that crumbled all forms of hate backed with little to no evidence. Ha! peace :D

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Blog #11 You’re not speaking english

Lady came into work today, I was speaking english to my chinese coworker but she assumed it wasn’t. Did not help that she was a huge Trump advocate and that she’s a regular who comes in only to propagate politicians and hate on all races besides her own white self. To be honest, I didn’t think this kind of racism existed outside of the internet or in a diverse city such as San Francisco. It’s a huge eye opener to be reminded of the hate that people still have, despite all the progress humanity as already made in its race relations. 

Why is it that she was so offended that we were possibly not speaking english? Perhaps she felt that she was being undermined or even insulted as no one would ever do it to her face. She had obviously come in slightly inebriated with her words and overall actions reminiscent of a drug abuser. For some reason, she felt the need to voice her anger and hate to make sure that we would know she was “on to us”. Most countries outside of the US have an average capability of speaking at least 2-3 languages, yet she felt the need to attack us for our clear pursuit of knowledge. The idea of hegemony, in which she assumes her english speaking culture should be put at priority before ours, is quite distasteful. 

Times have changed, America really has become quite a blend. No one should have to speak english in order to do anything really. However, there are obvious complications made easier but it should not be expected. People should spend less time judging and more time helping. Everyone in this country puts their piece in and should be able to take chunk of this prospering pie. Racism seems to stem from a fear of not knowing something or refusal to change with the times. What she could’ve done was mind her dammmmm business (or invest time in educating herself in the many cultures that live here) . Ha! Peace :D

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Blog 10# The Way of WATAAA!

Asian Americans have barely graced the great screens of hollywood. Having said so, our most memorable contributions to the film industry in america is mostly due to our actions films. Most iconic names include, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Long before, during the introduction of chinese immigrants, many americans were faced with what they deemed as passive and shy asians. However, this inaccurate viewpoint stems from the fact that immigrants are the most bravest and strongest for what it took them to survive in a country turned against them and entirely different from their own. 

Thankfully, these great action stars helped redefine the stereotypical view of the asian man. For the purpose of now of granting all asian men with mystique, the  possible whipping out of kung fu moves if you mess with them. Bruce Lee and asian american actor is one of those examples , he’s the leading man, where he demonstrates that the american public is willing to accept asians in the lead role. Bruce brought about a lot of masculinity and intelligence when he combined both philosophy and martial arts together on the big screen. By the same token, Jackie Chan brought together families with his comedic choreographic fights and hero attributes. Each one one, utilizing the american interest and awe in kung fu to redefine the conception that these guys were also human and relatable to their usual hollywood stars. It showed them that we’re the same. 

When I was young, I was often called Bruce Lee, I never found it racist. If anything, it was a compliment. Most of the times, we find ourselves trying to escape the stereotypes that follow us, but what we should sometimes do is appeal to others through our strengths and culture. We shouldn’t have to assimilate to their values for them to value us. Bruce Lee famously said,” water can flow or it can crash, so be water my friend.” This saying, means to me that people have the ability to change and to be versatile in the way they interact with the environment. Therefore, we should plan an attack with the bombardment of our culture! We should celebrate our rituals in their faces until they accept us for who we are. We should not have to switch from chopsticks to forks (forks are totally better tho) or you can go with the flow for now until you’re ready.  

Ha! Peace

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Blog #9 Fish Market

Not only do people see us as outsiders, but we also happen to eat like it apparently too. American culture has distanced itself so far from the real perception as to how our food gets to the table. As a young boy, I was taken to the grocery store where live produce would have it’s own section. The smell of the sea, the aquarium-esque tanks filled with all sorts of seafood amazed me. When i’d ask my other friends (white kids) about it , they’d act all confused and strange as to why you’d kill your own food. I even remember the time we’d buy live chickens from the store and grandma outback would butcher it up. 

If anything, it’s a bit hegemonic like that the non-asian kids would assume that I was going about the wrong way to eating food. They probably saw it as very tribal and lower class, which in turn made me feel quite bad. Cooking your own food is relatively cheaper and should not be frowned upon, if anything the culinary world has changed this outview. For me personally, it brings about an interconnectedness to nature when you learn how to butcher and cook your own food. Having descaled my own fish, I’ve embraced a humbleness and given respect to where my food comes from, compared to that of those who consume without the understanding of how it got there. 

Luckily, there seems to be surge in the trend of eating raw fish. For many of us asians, it’s a great feeling to see other people so enamoured with it, as they slowly begin to understand our culture. The very same way, a cheese burger was probably my introduction and adoption of american culture. Foods like sushi, ramen, “chinese food” , pho, lumpia and even pad thai seem to be enticing the new found adventurous american palate. In great hopes, the future looks bright and the strange foods they see will one day be the norm. The very same way, they see us as strangers, we will become the norm. Ha! Peace

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Blog #8 The way we sea dating

I am no stranger to the way asian parents, specifically chinese parents traditionally interact within the relationships of their kin. Chinese daughters are expected to have been married way before they’re 30. Otherwise, they end up being “leftover women” a common term used to describe women who are in desperate need of husbands. A lot of it stems from the old age thinking of Confucianism.The philosophy is, you’re derived of your parents and your obligation is to supply children for them as your body is not your own but owned by the parents. It is expected filial duty for one to grant your parents children as it is a form of gratitude for them giving birth to you.  

Society has itself establish a societal norm that if you’re 0f age, you should probably start a family by having a kid. That was of course before the information age and how it affected relative satisfaction and our perceptions of our roles in society. Asian parents expect you , when dating, to choose viable partners , not to enjoy the thrill of an experience or to have “fun”. If there is no monetary or substantial benefit to binding of marriage , it is better off not having started.  All of this can also be rooted back to an age of war, the more offspring you had the more likely your lineage would survive, as well as increasing the countries battle power in numbers. Having said that, it is not only common in asian culture but even in Abrahamic religions. Referring to the biblical story Onan had intercourse with Tamar but spilled his seed on the floor and God slew him for that. Therefore, it can be said that old cultures have long thought about the meaning of dating/intercourse and have tried to steer humanity away from selfishness. 

(humorous recreation of that biblical story of Onan and Tamar)

Not only do Asians regularly expect dating to have an outcome of marriage, but also to be within the same race. Whenever I’ve mentioned to my parents that I was seeing a girl, they’d always asked what race they were first before anything like if they’re good people. It has always dawned upon me that I am stuck, I am not able to choose my spouse other than the chinese ones i’m allowed to have. A very depressing thought, it has made me rearrange my entirety and my values in order to make sure my parents are happy. Provided that, each one of us has this ingrained value to make sure we honor our parents and to do what must be done. Whereas, I personally believe those who are given the opportunity should make sense of the world as it is not have it defined by those who came before us. Ha! Peace

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Blog # 7  I-Hotel & Vincent Chin

I-Hotel & Vincent Chin are both very monumental pieces of history in the asian american community. Each one , facing the systematic oppression that would soon make headlines , illustrating the struggle of asian americans in america. The fall of I-Hotel took place because elitist wanted to displace a wave of immigrant activity, as the I-Hotel was home to many ethnic backgrounds , predominantly elderly Filipinos and Chinese. While Vincent Chin’s murder was snuffed and undermined by the system which oppressed those who were of color. Vincent Chin deserved and had the right to live just like everyone else, but many believe he was killed solely based on the color of his skin. 

(photo of the I-Hotel protest) 

The anti-eviction struggle was real. People all around, of all walks of life, united together to keep a community of people from being pushed from their homes. The city tried to gentrify the place by removing all people they posed as counterparts to their movement. Social justice had occurred as people would not stand around to watch this family destroying event happen. Armed forces on horses surrounded the place, many people were beat with batons and even dragged out of the building onto the floor. Watching the footage or poor elderly folk being dragged on the floor and pried from the railings really makes you sick and sad to the core. You could tell that this was a battleground between people of color vs white america. 

(Vincent Chin’s Mother giving speeches to rally a movement for justice)

Vincent Chin deserved justice and his mother begged America to come to terms and understand why the  loss of Vincent mattered. It also illuminated the ill practices of the judicial system, in which was not properly implemented. If Vincent was not Chinese, many believe he would have lived that day. This invoked many flames of passion in investigative journalism. For many, this illustrated the systematic oppression against colored people. 

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Blog # 6 Growin up

(young Will smiling so brightly)

Being a child of immigrant parents, sometimes the most difficult thing is not fitting into society but explaining to your parents how they don’t fit in. I was raised in San Francisco, a predominately chinese and white city with lots of diversity, so experiencing racism is not necessarily a real threat. There weren’t any laws that I found that were particularly racist against me but there were definitely reasons as to why they limited the participation of my community. See, being bilingual is one thing but when your parents haven’t “americanized” they have yet to really understand their role in american society is. They blow it off as unimportant and that you should therefore focus your time on your studies. Good thing for me, I always found a reason to smile.

(my preschool which was predominantly chinese)

I remember a time in preschool when there was an old chinese lady who’d always help me, but my chinese was bad and my english was even worse.Events that offered help, came in english with no translations to chinese, this made it quite hard for my parents to understand what was going on. If they needed help, they had no one to go to except maybe relatives or “experts” in Chinatown. Things as basic as field trip slips, I had to fill them out myself including the signatures. You could not expect your parents to do these mundane tasks, as their role was that of a provider. Hegemony plays a huge role into deciding how my parents valued me. If I did not do like the other white kids then I was not doing it right. Afterall, we were expected to study hard to become doctors or lawyers like the ones who made all the money. They believed if I made enough money and had enough sucess that respect would be given to me despite being chinese. 

(my father and i ) 

Thinking back, I would tell myself not to be so hard on my parents. Considering, they didn’t understand society as much as I did, having grown up in it. They would always refer to what they had learned and experienced in China, which was vastly different from how it was in America. I also couldn’t blame them for struggling in a society that was institutionally set up against their favor, which is why it’s very important for us today to build reform our society. TODAY, we finally have a well balanced American & Chinese household, keeping a majority of what makes us who we are and leaving out the bits that don’t work. Thankfully, racial tensions had lessened due to the ongoing fights and struggles shared. This ongoing fight will be a lot easier in future generations as we all learn more about each other through our stories. Ha! Peace :D