#circulations of difference

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Notebook 5

I honestly have not enjoyed a class as much as this one. Professor Yang is hands down, the most inspirational, truthful, engaging speaker I’ve ever had the privilege to learn from. Before I came to UCSD, I honestly thought that I was socially aware, that I was woke. Wayne changed that very, very quickly. The level of depth and perception that he brings to discussion and discourse about inequalities and injustices across the world and across history was exceedingly unprecedented and thoroughly impressive. I think that in that way, I wanted to apply his principles of analysis and consideration to tensions and contradictions that I have felt in my life (primarily my heritage and race). Growing up in a mostly caucasian-dominated area, I often rejected my roots in order to “assimilate” (which, of course, is impossible with what nation-building we have seen the U.S. take). And now, so many years later, I have come to truly love and appreciate the intersection of my identity, the multiple and variegated variables that have come together to make me truly and uniquely me. Because I have taken this course I not only have gained the ability to critically understand the struggles of others, but also relieve my own struggles that I experience because of the oppressive undercurrents that are abound in this world, in this country, and on this very campus. My resistance will continue to be living as I am, unchanging in the face of assimilation, my renewed love for my roots, and my support for those oppressed differently, but oppressed all the same.   

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preview.gif!

@circ

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I saw the extreme horror, and I wondered what kind of regime this was, that had no other method than to repress and annihilate its people. It took them to 'people’s courts' and shot them on the scene without a fair trial and even without any evidence. The land reform campaign was a crime of genocide like that of Pol Pot.

North Vietnamese dissident Tran Manh Hao

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Notebook 4: Preview!

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Notebook 3

1. Continuing off of my discussion about the juxtaposition of my parent’s identity in both Vietnam and the United States, and then how their two genders are added and intersected, I will narrow my focus to the identity of the Asian American, especially that of the “model minority”. I feel as if this is the natural continuation of discussion regarding my object, (my father’s refugee ID), as it is the chronological result of such object. I’ve talked to many of my relatives, my older cousins (especially those who lived their childhood in Vietnam), and my friends who grew up in Vietnam to try to get perspective on how constructions of whiteness and “asian-ness” affected/affects their lives. 

2. The identity of the Asian immigrant into the United States has seen its roots as far back as the Gold Rush and Transcontinental Railroad, when scores of Chinese immigrants (mostly men), helped transform the nation into interconnected, technologically advanced economy, and California into a robust, multifaceted economy. The latter was done with the many contributions the Chinese made in the service sector (laundromats) to agriculture to manufacturing. An image of the emasculated Asian (compared to white men) has always existed, from physiological differences (due to different cuisines) to “feminine” occupations (said laundromats). This has persisted throughout the evolution of the idea of the Asian immigrant, to the Asian refugee (the result of proxy wars in the mid/late 20th century), to the current “model minority”, the result of first-generation immigrants and their children, second generation Asian-Americans of several nationalities and descent.

Racial Formation ^(Asian + American)  + Xenophobia = Model Minority

Even though my object pertains to Vietnamese Immigrants, and therefore evolves into Vietnamese-Americans, I’d like to this is relevant to many other asian nationalities as well. The racialization of Asians in America, and Asian-Americans is quite simple to understand. Asian Americans are a minority, but they’re viewed differently from most other minorities in the United States (namely, Mexican Americans and Black Americans). Unlike the two other major minorities (an ironic phrasing), Asian Americans are stereotyped and expected to be high-performing (education and career-wise), efficient, family-oriented, apolitical, and non-aggressive. Asian Americans are less likely than other racial counterparts to receive promotions and raises in the average workspace because of their “submissive” nature. The supposed “apolitical-ness” was once used as political tool of conservatives in the 80s and 90s to discourage movements for social welfare and assistance, citing that because Asian Americans could achieve the “American Dream” through hard work, so could other minorities. Ironically, the American Dream is often unachievable for many Asians. Socially, Asians can be perceived as successful as the white population, or even more so, but it can never be perceived as “white” themselves. Aesthetic differences and cultural differences all contribute to this. For one reason or another, residual xenophobia often leads to asian culture to be regarded with fascination or with aversion, instead of simple acceptance (think: the lone asian child among caucasian children at lunch, viewed as strange for their different lunch). I don’t try to speak for all nationalities when I say this, but Vietnamese culture does tend to employ their own form of reverse xenophobia as well: we settle in cultural hotspot, we’re encouraged to retain our heritage language and appreciation for our culture, we’re expected to marry within the same race, etc. For the most part, the caucasian ideal of “whiteness” is rejected and our own racial projects remain and keep us from complete assimilation. Phở and cà phê đá have and still continue to persist despite the national favorites of chicken noodle soup and macchiatos. Relationally, Asian Americans live in a niche where they are expected to succeed, but not succeed too much, are encouraged to assimilate, but are not truly able to assimilate into whiteness.

3.

4. 

Sources:

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/asianamericans-graphics/

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/asian-americans-feel-held-back-at-work-by-stereotypes/458874/

https://phys.org/news/2011-02-asian-americans-viewed-ideal-leaders.html

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Out of all of his brothers, my grandfather (on my mother’s side), was the only one to immigrate to the United States from Vietnam. He is marked with the red, white, and blue splatters, while his brothers are marked with a singular red line. The red splatters on my grandfather represent both the addition of American culture but also the death of his identity in Vietnam. 

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Notebook 2

I plan to narrow my focus down to how my mother and father were viewed in two separate contexts: as citizens in Vietnam and then as Vietnamese refugees in the United States. I believe the juxtaposition between the two is important and relevant in highlighting the unique experiences of their journey, as well as millions of other journeys done by similar refugees.

(ongoing)

In Vietnam, the subject of colonialism has always been sensitive. China famously conquered Vietnam around 100 AD and continued its reign until Vietnamese rebellions overthrew and ejected the Chinese during the mid-1400s. This trend continued with the colonization done by the French in the 19th century, which left behind its influence in both Vietnamese cuisine, music, and language. Just as with the recurring themes of Western colonization discussed in class, both the Chinese and French colonization were done at the expense of emasculation of Vietnamese men and the fetishization of Vietnamese women. To this day, there are many lineages and families that are intermixed with Chinese and French blood. My parents have always had an ingrained consternation when it came to anything Chinese, or Tàu in Vietnamese. From their efforts to not buy Chinese-manufactured products, to their of discomfort of China’s strengthening political and economic might, there has always existed a bias in their minds, hegemonically established from their lives back in Vietnam. In America the issue of whiteness was one that my parents, as well as many other Vietnamese refugees and their children, have struggled with. From the beginning of this country, it is hard to deny that the idea of whiteness has always been exclusive, and elusive, to any immigrant group following the British pilgrims. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a prime example of this, and was made even more disconcerting that it was applied towards all Asians, not just the implied Chinese. This assisted in the creation of an “Asian race” that encompassed all asian nationalities into one, accompanied by rough (and untrue) generalizations and assumptions. This resulted in the continuing attitude that Asian-Americans are Asian first, and American second (if American at all). Whiteness not only requires the achievability of the “American-dream” and cultural assimilation, but also the physical aesthetic ideal and identical linguistic skill, which is often unachievable. My parents instead turned to job opportunities that didn’t require a perfect grasp of English and valued their other skills; engineering and mathematics, among others. They chose to settle in Orange County, where there are thriving communities of Asian Americans, especially the Vietnamese communities seen in Garden Grove and Westminster. This was often a comforting and nostalgic throwback to their lives in Vietnam, living in a small enclave as cultural equals rather than racial anomalies. 

Historically, Western caucasian perception has always painted the asian man as emasculated and more feminine, due to several factors. Since most asian cuisines exclude dairy because of the lack of dairy-producing animals, physicalities of asians are typically shorter and slimmer than caucasians. Coupled with generalized notions that asians are more “demure” and “gentle”, this coincides to racialize asian men as physically weaker, emotionally more fragile, and more effeminate than white men. Indeed, asian men as a whole are more likely to be perceived as a sexual orientation other than heterosexual because of western ideals of masculinity. Interestingly enough, in Vietnamese culture, men are encouraged to be hyper-masculine as well, resorting to sports and competition to prove their strength to domineering their wives, who are expected to be secondary and submissive. Wives were to upkeep the entire household and raise the children while men were expected simply to hold their job and are given leeway outside of household duties. Indeed, this stagnant and ancient view of gender roles has persisted, and developed into toxic trends. About a third of Vietnamese women have suffered from domestic abuse, while nearly half of all Vietnamese women have suffered from emotional abuse, says a 2014 study on Vietnamese Culture and Sexuality. Comparatively, in the western world, Vietnamese women are seen as exotic and often fetishized as such. There are many instances in which my mother remembers being target of unwanted advances coupled with careless cultural appropriation, as does my older sister. This is a clear difference to how Vietnamese men are perceived, and it relates back to Professor Yang’s lecture on colonization. It is clearly illustrated how the combination and intersection of being Vietnamese + Male, or Vietnamese + Female, creates wildly different experiences.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_domination_of_Vietnam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:History_of_Vietnam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Vietnam#Women_in_contemporary_society

+ My parents

- Andrew Nguyen A07