http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/8/asian-americans-racecomplicitymodelminority.html
My dear friend posted the above article to Facebook, and I sorely disagree with it. I am glad he posted it because it inspires me to address a topic I have been meaning to address for awhile: racism towards Asian-Americans in the United States. It is titled "The Complicity Cost of Racial Inclusion" and I think the following excerpt is a nice summary of his thesis: "By passively accepting the privileges of whiteness, Asian-Americans become complicit in America’s present system of hierarchy, a system in which the nation’s institutions inflict ongoing injustices on a racial underclass."
Now, this article is a bit silly. There are many flaws with the argument, and I don't think it's worth fuming about how this is a bluntly racist, rubbish piece of writing. However, I do think some of these points are worth noting because, although you don't normally hear people say that Asians should reject white inclusion (whatever that means), there is a substantial amount of Asian racism in the United States and this article is the tipping point for me- How outrageous is it that someone feels confident enough to publicly shame Asian-Americans for being successful in the tech industry and say that it is their fault for being "folded into whiteness" and being "afforded aspects of white privilege"? I couldn't imagine Al-Jazeera publishing an article that says "How Blacks are Complicit in Defacing the Education System" because it is just plain racist and not true. This article results from the tolerance of such racist stereotypes as, "Asians typically have it well off compared to other minorities" and "racism against Asians is not nearly the kind of strife that other races have faced."
I think it will prove useful to address some quotes from the article:
My Thoughts:
There are two glaring flaws with the implications of the first passage. First, the author, Ms. Wong, analyzes one particular job industry. What about the fact that Asians are underrepresented in such areas as the government or the film industry? Second, the root of the problem is not that Asians are hired more frequently in tech-related jobs. The root of the problem is education. I'm wondering what the author specifically means when she says that Asian-Americans should choose to reject white inclusion (3rd bullet). Are they, along with whites and other privileged people that gets job-offers, supposed to stand aside and say, "Well thank you very much for the job offer, but no thanks. I think handing the job to a less-qualified individual who has different colored skin will solve all of the racial strife in our country." If you want to help close the gap between economic classes and mend racial division, then we must find a solution that enables these people to acquire the same education as the more privileged. That, by the way, is not a comment that favors affirmative action, which arguably hurts the students it seeks to help. But that is an entirely different matter.
Perhaps it is true that Asian-Americans, compared to other minorities, have been more successful at school and in acquiring higher-paying jobs. There could be many causes for this and I do not have the resources to tell you why exactly this is the case. I will say, though, that culture has a lot to do with it. Asians immigrated to the States every bit as poor as Europeans, Mexicans, and other immigrants. They faced oppression and outright racism. Japanese-Americans, for instance, were forced into internment camps during the second World War simply for being Japanese. Asian-Americans have endured strife, but many people like Ms. Wong seem to forget about this when they say that "Asians are smart" or "Asians are the successful, privileged minority."
Cultural values come into play here. Sure, every household is different. My Japanese mother, for instance, was not one to constantly berate me for not being good enough in school, a common stereotype for Asian parents. However, she did emphasize the importance of working hard and pursuing activities I enjoy doing. Then again, so did my American, white father. I cannot speak for all of Asia, as there is such a huge array of countries and cultures (ranging from Afghanistan, Thailand, India, the Koreas, and Japan to name a few). I can say, based on my experiences in Japan, that this country has a strong emphasis on discipline and a strong work ethic. You can see it everywhere from the mantras on calendars in the classroom to the long work hours of the average Japanese salary man to the notorious workout regimen of Japanese high school baseball teams. My Chinese and Korean friends seem to feel that their respective countries have similar values. I do not think the United States has the same glorification of discipline that a lot of Asian countries do and as such, this contributes to the successes of Asian-Americans over other American minorities.
I am not saying that Asian culture is superior to others. I am saying that success in the classroom or in getting a job starts with education. It starts at home. We must encourage education, discipline, and a strong work ethic from the home, to the school, in the media, and in the work place. Households that value education, whether they be white, black, latino, or bi-racial are simply more likely to raise children that can win these Google, Silicon-Valley jobs that Ms. Wong woefully accuses of being racially selective. Just as importantly, universal education that is comparable in caliber across the country will close the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged. For this to happen, every locality needs the educational resources, such as high-quality teachers and appropriate facilities. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all schools. Until this utopia of an education system can be achieved or a revolutionary shift in cultural values takes place, it seems as though people such as Ms. Wong will continue looking for a scapegoat.
My dear friend posted the above article to Facebook, and I sorely disagree with it. I am glad he posted it because it inspires me to address a topic I have been meaning to address for awhile: racism towards Asian-Americans in the United States. It is titled "The Complicity Cost of Racial Inclusion" and I think the following excerpt is a nice summary of his thesis: "By passively accepting the privileges of whiteness, Asian-Americans become complicit in America’s present system of hierarchy, a system in which the nation’s institutions inflict ongoing injustices on a racial underclass."
Now, this article is a bit silly. There are many flaws with the argument, and I don't think it's worth fuming about how this is a bluntly racist, rubbish piece of writing. However, I do think some of these points are worth noting because, although you don't normally hear people say that Asians should reject white inclusion (whatever that means), there is a substantial amount of Asian racism in the United States and this article is the tipping point for me- How outrageous is it that someone feels confident enough to publicly shame Asian-Americans for being successful in the tech industry and say that it is their fault for being "folded into whiteness" and being "afforded aspects of white privilege"? I couldn't imagine Al-Jazeera publishing an article that says "How Blacks are Complicit in Defacing the Education System" because it is just plain racist and not true. This article results from the tolerance of such racist stereotypes as, "Asians typically have it well off compared to other minorities" and "racism against Asians is not nearly the kind of strife that other races have faced."
I think it will prove useful to address some quotes from the article:
- "A recent example of how Asians may be functionally folded into whiteness came on May 29, when Google revealed for the first time the demographic makeup of its employees. In addition to being overwhelmingly male, Google’s workforce is 61 percent white and 30 percent Asian. Just 3 percent of Google’s workers are Latino, and 2 percent are black. The rest are two or more race or ethnicities or identified as “other.” If you look at only the tech jobs at Google, Asians make up an even higher percentage: 34 percent."
- "For the past 50 years, Asian-Americans have been the so-called model minority — the minority group held up by politicians and the media to demonstrate the potential for success for people who aren’t white."
- "The choice to reject white inclusion in favor of the less defined alternative is a gamble on an uncertain national community to be. But considering the racist origins of today’s social structure — and the possibility of a more just future one — it’s a leap worth taking."
My Thoughts:
There are two glaring flaws with the implications of the first passage. First, the author, Ms. Wong, analyzes one particular job industry. What about the fact that Asians are underrepresented in such areas as the government or the film industry? Second, the root of the problem is not that Asians are hired more frequently in tech-related jobs. The root of the problem is education. I'm wondering what the author specifically means when she says that Asian-Americans should choose to reject white inclusion (3rd bullet). Are they, along with whites and other privileged people that gets job-offers, supposed to stand aside and say, "Well thank you very much for the job offer, but no thanks. I think handing the job to a less-qualified individual who has different colored skin will solve all of the racial strife in our country." If you want to help close the gap between economic classes and mend racial division, then we must find a solution that enables these people to acquire the same education as the more privileged. That, by the way, is not a comment that favors affirmative action, which arguably hurts the students it seeks to help. But that is an entirely different matter.
Perhaps it is true that Asian-Americans, compared to other minorities, have been more successful at school and in acquiring higher-paying jobs. There could be many causes for this and I do not have the resources to tell you why exactly this is the case. I will say, though, that culture has a lot to do with it. Asians immigrated to the States every bit as poor as Europeans, Mexicans, and other immigrants. They faced oppression and outright racism. Japanese-Americans, for instance, were forced into internment camps during the second World War simply for being Japanese. Asian-Americans have endured strife, but many people like Ms. Wong seem to forget about this when they say that "Asians are smart" or "Asians are the successful, privileged minority."
Cultural values come into play here. Sure, every household is different. My Japanese mother, for instance, was not one to constantly berate me for not being good enough in school, a common stereotype for Asian parents. However, she did emphasize the importance of working hard and pursuing activities I enjoy doing. Then again, so did my American, white father. I cannot speak for all of Asia, as there is such a huge array of countries and cultures (ranging from Afghanistan, Thailand, India, the Koreas, and Japan to name a few). I can say, based on my experiences in Japan, that this country has a strong emphasis on discipline and a strong work ethic. You can see it everywhere from the mantras on calendars in the classroom to the long work hours of the average Japanese salary man to the notorious workout regimen of Japanese high school baseball teams. My Chinese and Korean friends seem to feel that their respective countries have similar values. I do not think the United States has the same glorification of discipline that a lot of Asian countries do and as such, this contributes to the successes of Asian-Americans over other American minorities.
I am not saying that Asian culture is superior to others. I am saying that success in the classroom or in getting a job starts with education. It starts at home. We must encourage education, discipline, and a strong work ethic from the home, to the school, in the media, and in the work place. Households that value education, whether they be white, black, latino, or bi-racial are simply more likely to raise children that can win these Google, Silicon-Valley jobs that Ms. Wong woefully accuses of being racially selective. Just as importantly, universal education that is comparable in caliber across the country will close the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged. For this to happen, every locality needs the educational resources, such as high-quality teachers and appropriate facilities. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all schools. Until this utopia of an education system can be achieved or a revolutionary shift in cultural values takes place, it seems as though people such as Ms. Wong will continue looking for a scapegoat.