gbm: Asians/Exclusiveness

Topic: Asians & Exclusiveness

Why do people feel threatened when they see a huge group of minority students?

How many people have sat at an all-Asian table at ACDC? How many people haven’t?

We’re minorities so it’s easier to pick out. A huge group of Asians seems out of place. For white people it seems normal to sit together—it’s the norm.

Asian cultures are a little more collectivist while American culture is more individualist.

The white people who complain about Asian tables are the white people who sit with all sorts of groups. Only white guy in table of Asians—he felt that there was ALWAYS an Asian table that you could choose to go to or not to go to. Only sometimes there are black / white tables. Usually there’s mixture.

Table of Caucasians isn’t viewed as threatening because there’s no particular factor of exclusiveness coming from a very strong cultural background which has unfamiliar values. Shared values among white table.

It’s about the vibe you get from the table. You can sit as an Asian at an all white table and not feel anything… but if a white person sat down and all the Asians were talking in Chinese, you’d feel excluded. If everyone has something in common, then it’s okay.

People think you should assimilate into American culture. Not Asian culture.

Fellow Asians will assume you have a strong cultural heritage tied to Asia. To have to be from somewhere else beyond where you are now is offensive.

Isn’t college a place where you’re supposed to be meeting all sorts of different people, meeting people you normally wouldn’t have met if you stayed in your safety zone?
---there are certain types of people who click well, and they stick together.

Do you feel sometimes that when you’re sitting with all Asians that you’re being exclusive? Or do you feel that other Asians are being exclusive?
---trying to sit at the rugby table might be even more intimidating than sitting at a latino table, for example.
---we talk in Chinese, we make inside jokes
---it’s fine to talk about that stuff, but if someone came and sat with you, you might want to switch topics and be inclusive.
---most groups of friends have their own in-jokes.
---the problem with feeling excluded from the Asian table is that even before you penetrate the barrier, you already feel excluded
---when you’re with friends, you don’t see differences from the outside that set you apart. Ethnicity sets you apart—when you see an Asian table, you can SEE the difference even if you don’t know anything about it.
---isn’t that like sports teams? You can tell they’re all on the same team.
---media; everything you see on tv is kung fu, image is constructed. That’s also a factor.
---minorities are clustered together in the city; it’s more comfortable that way.
---it’s kind of a vicious cycle; Asians might not feel included in the American culture so they group together, and then everyone else sees them as being exclusive
---since the day we’re born, we see people who look like us. Regional origin makes a difference.

Who here feels uncomfortable in a huge group of Asians?
---feel self-conscious, feel like I’m propagating a stereotype
---racial identity; mixed heritage; no strong singular cultural mix; closer to people who have multiple ethnicities
---big sib lil sib program fosters Asian grouping
---being half makes you feel not Asian enough; feel like you look out of place. Culturally you understand, but you don’t look the part—“what are you, specifically?” is an awkward question.
---is the big sib lil sib program exclusive? Aggressive and intrusive. ASA would assume that you would want to identify/connect with Asian community. If it had been voluntary, it would have been okay. Felt labeled. // ASA has always stressed that they’re open to the whole campus; only Asians show up; but if we start in the beginning of only contacting Asian freshmen, it counters the entire idea that we’re open to the whole campus. // although we do contact Asian freshmen, it’s absolutely your choice to participate.

Should we have a campus wide big sib lil sib program?
---maybe an ALANA center joint big sib lil sib program would be better?

People group together on common interest, like food.

It’s about sharing a common ground. In some instances it might be language, or food.

Last remarks:
Is there a solution?
---we should actively pursue to learn more about other cultures. We have to step out and strive to assimilate.
---it’s a choice of whether you’re comfortable or not; it’s not an obligation of stepping "in" or "out."