So I'll let you guys read this interesting article about the ABC identity crisis and the solution that most of us come up with: American everyday, Chinese sometimes.
When I was reading this article, it brought me back to three days ago (Sunday) when I went to DimSum at the New Orleans Hong Kong Market Plaza's Panda King Buffet. Probably one of the best DimSum restaurants I have ever had outside of Asia, my family went there the first and last Sunday that my sister or me was in town (since we're now out and about outside the house). Excited about the prospect of reading about and getting voraciously hungry over descriptions of the delectable cuisine available at DimSum restaurants, I was surprised to find discussion on cultural identity and the Bamboo Ceiling, something I had only seen referenced when talking about Chinese girls and their prospects of marrying into an economic status.
But I just want to highlight some key points that I think we should all reflect on:
"Yes, I can vote and I have the right to bring suit if I feel someone is infringing on my freedoms, but am I an American in the Jerry Maguire sense? Can a Chinese brother obtain “the kwan”? Furthermore, how do we deal with duality? Are we Americans in the way that other people are?"
What does it really mean to be "American?" I read an article recently about the importance of immigration in America and how it keeps our workforce young and able. For people born in America, we are seen as the potential for opportunity and prosperity that our immigrant parents dreamed about when they fought tooth and nail to reach America. So we are just a part of the American Dream.
But Eddie Huang describes an interesting perspective, that of an Asian mother realist: what use is being American if you can't succeed like people now do back in the motherland? Us Chinese can be some of the richest people in the world (just go to HK and you'll see what I mean). At the same time, the "American Dream" position in America actively and obviously limits us Asian Americans.
“But they are Chinese! They don’t look American. They’ll never be equal here. In Taiwan, their kids can be politicians or CEO! Here, no matter what, they don’t look American!”
How depressing is that? I know that, while going to Asia is always fun for me, I would probably say no to living there. It's just not who I am. Without America, I feel like I'm split in half and missing a piece. I'm American Born Chinese, not just Born Chinese.
Huang's perspective, however, was curious. I cannot say I was fascinated by his response, but I definitely understood it:
"my mother’s question...extremely important to Asian America as it was to Italian and Jewish America before us. I mean, what was the Godfather Trilogy about? There may never be a Senator Corleone or Honorable Eddie Huang, but the world has enough politicians. It could use a few more opera singers and pork buns."
I cannot agree with simply because he sounds to satisfied. He sounds like he has given up hope. The bamboo ceiling can't be broken. Us Asian Americans just can't have certain jobs. But look at New Orleans: home to the first Vietnamese American Congressman. Eddie, even if we haven't shattered the bamboo ceiling, we're picking at it, slowly cutting it down. I understand that it seems like us Asians will always be stuck with the "Alexandra Wallace" perspective of us being foreign and speaking only in ching chong ling long ting tong language, but we are emerging. We dominate youtube and we are present in media (think Glee?).
What's another thing I disagree about? Your reason for why we can't get out:
"This experience is something America has seen the Kennedys, Corleones, and now Huangs face: a social salary cap."
Immigrants as a whole may not be the richest population, but the Chinese American community definitely is not lacking. While I agree money is necessary, in today's world, something is even more necessary than money, personality and skill. The error, I believe, that we possess (if you can even call it an error), is exactly what is demonstrated by the Tiger Mother: we aren't taught the skills necessary to survive in the real world. Why do you think so many of our college graduates become doctors or go into academia? Because our forte isn't our personal relations skills; we possess skills, but we find it hard to communicate them. This definitely isn't applicable to every case. But this isn't something that can be dealt with individually. As a community, we are perceived as unable to communicate, lacking in social skills. Look at the media: we can dance, but can we talk and make jokes? Or, if you put it in another perspective, how often does Harry Shum actually talk in Glee?
No matter what, at least in my lifetime, I will always be the “other” in this country. When I go back to China/Taiwan, I’m different there as well and realize that it’s an immigrant, not American, thing to be this aware of self.
I think that this statement and this statement
we choose to have a country that doesn’t technically belong to one “peoples.” Economically, politically, and in reality, it’s a different story, but at least on paper and in theory, it belongs to all of us.
are important pieces to think about. If you're an ABC, like me, do you accept yourself for who you are? Do you know that you are both American and Chinese? For me, that happened after Hurricane Katrina, when I was introduced to the "Chinese world": I realized that I could never truly just be American, so I embraced my Chinese heritage.
If you're American Born + (anything that fits), who are you? Does it really matter that you speak a different language other than English? We are the changing face of American history.
And if you're an immigrant, pray that the Constitution will not just be an empty promise to your children: a time when we truly become a nation of immigrants, home to all cultures with privileges given to none.
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