GB 03.25.09

Start: 8:07
Stop: 9:05

ANNOUNCEMENTS!

ASU dinner – March 28th
ALANA Fest is on April 4th
BSU is having an off campus party – get in with college IDs, but you'll have to provide your own transportation to get there - April 17th
Focus weekend/40th anniversary of Africana Studies Department – April 18TH – SASA Fest
Elections are coming up - April 29th


Inner Discrimination within the Asian American Community

Is it worse to be labeled a FOB or an ABA?
Depends on the context. In America it’s worse to be labeled a FOB. In Asia it's more being an ABA. Sometimes ABA are viewed as not really Asian or not as much

Within the Vassar community, how would you characterize Asians?
There are those who don’t identify with their Asian identity. “Nerdy” Asians. Asians separated by nationality.

Maybe part of the reason there isn't a good deal of unity is that Asians are a more recent group to come to America. They still identify more with home that they left. Focus on that rather than building a new community here.

The Ugly Chinese – novel that suggests Chinese tend to work individually – driven by own benefit and interests

Asian communities are very family based; does this affect the fractured qualities of the Asian community? More focused on the immediate family than larger community?

What effect might society have on this?
Younger generations grapple with balancing retaining our roots but also integrating this new community. Depending on the context in which you grow up in, Asians will tend to band together in places of scarce diversity – “white majority” – who you interact/what you have to deal with with influences your outlook. Community building also has a lot to do with culture. You celebrate the same holidays. Similar cultured people seek out similar, but dangerous to make it an overly deterministic quality.

Is the historical past still at play here? Are we carrying negative feelings that have been passed down through the generations?
Perhaps abstractly, but often not when dealing with specific people. Alright as long as you don’t bring it up? Feelings are also influenced by the government (if you live in Asia). It is still embedded within the society/environment. Overly national pride promotes this? There is often this superior feeling to other cultures.

Is this a problem prevalent in other communities as well?
Of course, we tend to identify with those who are most similar to us. We break off into our own smaller and exclusive groups. When we are threatened we instinctively look for those who are similar to us? Yes we have these groups, but what happens to those who don’t fall neatly into one or another category. Boundaries are not solid. Outside community can impose things upon you when you’re a visually apparent group.

Break down the walls between those within the Asian community!
There is sometimes a backlash to maintaining our heritage. It divides us from being Americans. We stereotype people. We like to “figure out” others, try to read them. This is human nature. It exists within any community. Asians immigrants like to think they’re still Asians first, not Americans. Don’t “feel” American. Problem is that physical appearance will often lead others to categorize someone as Asian, not American. Struggle between two identities.

Vegetable/fruit phenomenon – we disagree with what a category should be (EX. Tomato is a fruit). What should American be? Everything is relative. We should cast off categories especially those that are imposed and given to us.

What can we do to change things?
It's good that we have different SOC groups. It allows us to learn more about our own cultures. Explore other SOC group meetings. Take action! Goal is to integrate together. Recognize our ethnic identity as an asset.