#perpetualforeigner

[asianamericanrep-blog]

Accidental Racism video by WongFu Productions

 ”Where are you from from?”

This video, based off the Perpetual Foreigner concept, accentuates the need for us to be culturally aware, competent, and sensitive in order to avoid awkward situations/accidental racism. =)

(Rachel) Shim

[amrajlally]

RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS SERIES: This video is about how non-white natives are labelled as eternally foreign.

[aapimh]

What Kind of Asian Are You?

(comedy skit)

The perpetual foreigner stereotype refers to the assumption that any person who is racially assigned as Asian (i.e. other people assume is Asian based on their physical appearance and/or other stereotypical descriptions) is not American.

Who, then, is considered to be American?

This comedy skit highlights the absurdity of the perpetual foreigner stereotype; if we consider all immigrants to be un-American, then the only people who have legitimate claim to being American are Native Americans. However, throughout the history of Western European imperialism and colonization of lands around the globe, the face of the white man has become a symbol of U.S. citizenship and unquestioned belonging in this particular industrialized nation. Asian Americans have been present in the Americans since the 1600s, but why is it that people continue to think of Asian Americans as being foreign and un-American when white Americans are never questioned in the same way?

This perceived displacement (i.e. that Asian Americans are not Americans and are foreigners in their country of residence) runs deeper than just microaggressions that Asian Americans may face everyday. These microaggressions are indicators of a larger system at work. According to Beverly D. Tatum, racism cannot be described as just interpersonal interactions based on prejudice (which everyone has, not just people who the media calls "racist"). Racism is

"a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies (think immigration, incarceration, education, economy, etc.) and practices as well as the beliefs and actions of individuals. In the context of the United States, this system clearly operates to the advantage of Whites and to the disadvantage of people of color. Another related definition of racism, commonly used by antiracist educators and consultants, is "prejudice plus power." Racial prejudice when combined with social power-access to social, cultural, and economic resources and decision-making-leads to the institutionalization of racist policies and practices." (p. 26 from Tatum's "Defining Racism: Can We Talk?"Read this article; it sheds light onto what racism is and how it influences our everyday lives, regardless of how one identifies.)

Now, let's bring all of this information into the context of mental health for Asian Americans. It is a proven fact that one's environment and living situations significantly impact one's health and well-being. Huynh, Devos, and Smalarz (2011) conducted a study (referenced at the beginning of this post) on the perpetual foreigner stereotype and its effect on identity formation and psychological adjustment for individuals of ethnic minorities. They concluded that

"repeated experiences of marginalization [i.e. microaggressions and other ways of discriminating against people and telling them that they do not belong/are inferior to others based on characteristics like one's race, gender, etc.], although subtle, are linked to important psychological outcomes for the targets. Specifically, the most important contribution of the present studies is the identification of the potential impact of the awareness of the perpetual foreigner stereotype on one’s identity and psychological adjustment." (p. 26)

Though Tatum's definition of racism takes into account much more than the interpersonal forms of racism, the psychological effect that microaggressions can have on individuals from marginalized identities cannot be denied. Coupled with microaggressions, the everyday stress of living in a society that is institutionally and structurally racist can be overwhelming for individuals, families, and communities, and can manifest into mental illness and clinically diagnosed psychological trauma. 

Advocating for Asian American mental health and empowerment involves educating ourselves about not only the various types of mental illnesses, but also the societal contexts in which these mental illnesses may arise and be exacerbated. Mental health does not make sense if we continue to isolate it from real-world life and allow stigma to continue defining what we think mental illness is. Mental illness is not a marker of personal weakness or failure; everybody has their own struggles to deal with. Instead of avoiding discussions about mental health and mental illness, we need to start breaking these silences through the following:

educating ourselves about mental illnesses and what biological, psychological, social, cultural, and political contexts affect their etiology and symptomology,

creating safe spaces where people can share and express their experiences honestly without fear of being judged or criticized,

finding resources and professional help to support one another in our commitment to promote mental health in our families and communities,

and much, much more. There are infinite possibilities of what we can do to raise awareness about mental health and the need to do antiracist social justice work to address the racism and other systems of oppression at work in this society. 

[amytheblog-blog]

Perpetual Foreigner

Asian-Americans are often viewed as "perpetual foreigners" in the US, meaning that no matter how long they or their families have been in the US, they are still not seen as real Americans. What does it mean to be American anyways?

I am often bombarded with questions like "Where are you from?", "Where were you born?", and so on.

I don't think being American undermines my Chinese heritage in any way. In fact, it's one of the things that makes America great, as there isn't a single culture or background that identifies this country as it is probably the most multicultural country in the world. I can go get authentic Italian pizza in a city like NYC and drive 10 minutes before I'm eating some authentic Shanghai Xiao Long Bao. I like eating Chinese food, singing old Jay Chou songs at KTV, and watching dramas from Taiwan to improve my Chinese language skills.I eat zong zi and mooncake on the appropriate holidays. I don't have to defend me being Chinese, so why am I constantly defending myself as being American?

In smaller, more homogenous cities in America, I get complimented on my English (Gee thanks, you speak English pretty well too?). Overseas, people usually say something like "Oh, so you study in America." Well yes, I study in America because I am American and have not yet decided to go overseas for school (though that might change someday). People often want to see me as a Chinese person who just happens to live or study in America, not as an American who just happens to be of Chinese descent.

In a mid-sized city in China, I was out shopping and my Chinese cousin. The store employee noticed that my Chinese was not entirely proficient, so she asked me where I was from and I said "America", smiled awkwardly, and then went back to looking around the store. The employee immediately ran up to my cousin looking at me as if I was out of my mind and asked if I was "zhong guo ren" (well, technically I'm not because the implies that I'm a national of PRC but in most cases I think people are just wondering about your ethnic background) so my cousin said "yes". The employee then said "Oh, I see. She said she was from America but I was thinking to myself that she doesn't look American!" Occurrences make me realize that most of the world still associates being American as being white. But really, how does a person look American? That would require looking Native American.

Then there are some Chinese adults, in their 40's or up, that think I'm trying to be superior or snobby when I say I'm American when I have no such intentions. I am just stating what I am. Perhaps that this has more to do with the fact that SOME people in Asia still see a Western education or life as being "better". I don't know why this still is in the 21st century. I haven't gone to many places in Asia, but from what I know and have seen, it's a region with a vibrant and busy life, not to mention home to some of the tallest buildings in the world.

European/White-Americans can just call themselves American because people can clearly see that they are white. I think it's fine for me to call myself just American too because I'm pretty sure that people can tell that I'm Asian. From there, I don't think it's too difficult to conclude that I am Asian-American... and proud of it.