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Did you know? The best source for Asian jokes are Asians.
TakeawaysAsian Americans are majoritively seen as "in and of their own."Most Asian Americans want to branch out with ethnically-diverse friendships.Asian culture can be drastically different to a "westerner" who's never been exposed to it.Growing up as an Asian American is a lot different than being another minority, mostly because being Asian is kind of like the "forgotten minority." The term minority usually illicits thoughts of being African American or of Hispanic origin, because that's what gets the most media representation. African Americans have made great strides in American culture, especially when considering their roots in this country. Hispanic Americans have done the same also, considering all the history their people have with this country's historical origins.
But being Asian American is slightly different. There is no major plight like slavery, or harsh, day-labor fieldwork that comes with our culture. Asian Americans have made significant contributions to American society and growth, but our story here is basically that of immigration in search of a better life.
The most common abuse you go through as an Asian American is when you're a kid. Your peers are relentlessly harsh in general, much less towards a minority figure they know nothing about. The most common ridicule Asian American kids go through, is having other children say random things like "chong ching bong bing" and then turning to you and asking, "what did I say[in your language]?" At least for me it was.
The other "suffrage" Asian American children go through, is exposing Asian heritage and culture to non-Asian friends. I remember when I was younger, having a caucasian school-friend over to my house to play. The first thing he asked upon entering was "what is that smell?" I didn't smell anything, so my response was "what smell?" He explained to me that he smelled something weird and I didn't realize until later in life that the smells of Asian foods are a lot different than American foods, especially if you haven't been exposed to them often.
Other cultural differences that illicit a look of confusion from non-Asian peers are things like home furnishings, room decor, and the typical Asian staple- taking your shoes off when entering a home. I remember when I was younger, a friend and I walked into my house just having the casual conversation of young children. Our conversation ended abruptly upon hearing the screams of my mother. I looked up to hear what she was saying and realized she was freaking out because my non-Asian friend was still wearing his shoes. Taking your shoes off in an Asian American home is a big rule.
Room decor and home furnishings can appear a little "different" to non-Asians, because Asian culture has a lot of frilly art-type things that most families hang on their walls, as well as vases and chinaware depicting either Asian scripture or pictures of traditional Asians. Most families place them in their home to remind and show appreciation for their ethnic ancestry. Family and familial lineage is a big part of Asian culture, right up there with taking your shoes off in the house.
As you get older, you go through a transgression that really isn't fair to Asian American teenagers. At some point in your teenage life, you make a choice- either conscious or not, about whom your peers are going to be. It isn't fair, but those Asian-Americans who choose to "assimilate" and befriend mostly non-Asian peers are usually deemed "sellouts," ostracized by Asian groups as not being true to their skin. I suppose it's the same for all minority groups, but for Asian Americans it can be more stringent, because Asian Americans tend to have a feeling of being forgotten or neglected, as mentioned above, and adopt a mentality of "we should be in this together."
As an Asian American, if you choose not to adopt non-Asian peers, you become what most Asian Americans become: an Asian American who only associates with other Asian Americans. It's easier and comfortable for most Asian Americans to adopt ethnically similar friends, because you don't have to go through the explaining or embarrassment of exposing your culture onto someone who's never seen anything like it or might not understand it. It's a dangerous crossroad for an Asian American to have to make a decision about, because once you start down one of the chosen paths, you are almost doomed to be part of one group or the other for the rest of your life.
For example, it's difficult for an Asian American who has only Asian American friends to develop lasting friendships with other ethnicities. Why? Firstly, because once you have a group of strictly Asian American friends, it can be awkward to introduce someone of a different ethnicity into the group. Not only might the "different" individual feel uncomfortable, it could make the rest of the group uncomfortable to either try and overcompensate to make them feel comfortable, or not make an issue out of it and risk having him or her feel left out when referring to ethnically "inside jokes."
Most Asian Americans I know want to have ethnically diverse friends, but in American society, when a group of Asians are seen hanging out together, they're not typically thought of as approachable. They're usually considered to be "in and of their own" and most people think that's the way they want it. That's not necessarily true. Part of the reason Asian Americans befriend other Asian Americans is, like mentioned earlier, because of the comfort of familiarity. The other part is because we as Asian Americans are forced to because of our alienation from other social groups, whether intentional or not. User-generated content powered by Associated Content | Publish your own Content |
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