[Vision2020] Hillary's slur on Indian-Americans
Frank Cheng
ifc_2000@yahoo.com
Thu, 8 Jan 2004 14:45:14 -0800 (PST)
Sunil,
I have had a few experiences like yours. Im
generalizing here but people with that level of
ignorance and lack of wit are losers. Usually they
will not advance socially or economically to a point
where they can any influence in your life other than
sticking their heads out the window of their cars and
yelling some sort of idiocy. My advice to other Asians
and minorities is that you can dwell on the rantings
of an idiot/loser or channel your energies into
activities that will progress your lot in life. It
could be that your ethic background has different
experiences than mine. Ive been mistaken for all
sorts of ethnicities including, Chinese (correct)
Japanese, Vietnamese, Philippino, Korean,
native-American, and Mexican. I dont see why should
phase me its hard for me tell the difference between
German, Russian, and English peoples. When asked about
my ethic background, sometimes I see this as sincere
curiosity so Ill answer but emphasize that I am an
American. My opinion is that race has stop being a
major source of the lack of racial/ethic minority
advancement since at least the 1970s. Ill venture to
guess that you might be a student here, so I would
like to humbly point out to you that the beer-sodden
kook in your driveway wouldnt prevent you from
progressing in your studies. Yes, there is that
occasional idiot whose blood alcohol content matches
his/her IQ but theyre head for petty lives with their
petty thoughts.
Frank Cheng
Sunil
--- Sunil Ramalingam <sunilramalingam@hotmail.com>
wrote:
---------------------------------
Frank,
I guess we've had different experiences, or perhaps we
view the ugly incidents differently. I am forced to
conclude that the young man who called me a 'Sand
Nigger' while traipsing around either high or drunk on
my driveway, suggesting I fellate him, was doing so
based upon my color and/or his mistaken identification
of my ethnicity. I declined his invitation and
suggested he leave, which he did, while repeating his
statements, though I don't think he wished to engage
in sexual acts with me any more than I did with him.
That was the first and only time that slur was used to
my face in Idaho, though I'm not confident it will be
the last, particularly given our current foreign
policies. (When the first Gulf War started, my future
wife was driving from Sonoma to Davis and observed
that the driver of the truck in front of her had
scrawled 'All Ragheads must Die' on a piece of
cardboard and attached it to his bumper. Of course,
he could have been predicting what must inevitably
happen to us all, but I suspect he preferred that the
schedule be bumped up for some people.) It was often
directed my way in California, where I was also
surprised to learn that I was first Iranian, then
Iraqi. I may be Afghani too, I'm not sure. All those
comments were also based upon my appearance and
ignorance, not on any facts.
I would like to consider myself an American, just like
any other citizen. My experience informs me that I
shouldn't count on everyone treating me that way, and
I should be concerned about those who won't. I'm not
running around weeping about it, in case Mr. Schmidt
wishes to call me a 'whiney-assed minority with
nothing better to do but bitch', I'm just learning
from the past.
Sunil
>From: Frank Cheng
>To: vision2020@moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Hillary's slur on
Indian-Americans
>Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2004 14:17:24 -0800 (PST)
>
>While the "model minority" ideal is somewhat of
>innocuous generalization, the idea that
>Asian-Americans find it difficult to blend in is
>another over-simplification with I believe more
>harmful effects. From my experience as an American
>with Asian heritage, American society in general is
>color neutral. I havent experienced the disbelief
>that I am an American, and Ive lived all parts of
>this country, from small towns to large cities. What
>Asian-Americans want and value are simply what any
>American would, no further explanation needed there.
>Being over 40 I find that some of the younger
>Asian-American crowd has been indoctrinated with
>racial-identity ideas. Thus some perceive the bumps
>and barriers anyone would experience in life as some
>sort of racial discrimination episode. Unfortunately
>many who consider themselves a member of minority
>group fall into this trap and it becomes one that
>holds them back.
>
>Frank Cheng
>
>--- Melynda Huskey wrote:
> > Dick writes:
> >
> > "We never hear any complaints out of those from
the
> > Orient. They come here,
> > work and study hard and blend in to our society
and
> > become model citizen
> > Americans. That is the kind of immigrant they all
> > should be."
> >
> > You know, that idea of the Asian "model minority"
is
> > a really pernicious
> > one. Few Asian-Americans experience themselves as
> > fitting in or blending
> > seamlessly with U.S. society: it's pretty common
> > for fifth- and
> > sixth-generation Asian-Americans to be asked,
"Where
> > are you from?" If they
> > respond, "Des Moines, Iowa," they are asked
> > again,"No, where are you
> > *really* from?" The stereotypes of Asians are
> > painfully alive--submissive
> > mail-order bride, math whiz, restaurant owner,
> > inscrutable "Oriental" . . .
> > just think about the implications of generalizing
> > about the cultural and
> > behavioral contexts of people from places as far
> > apart as from Japan to
> > India, from Cambodia to Tibet.
> >
> >
> > Melynda Huskey
> >
> >
>_________________________________________________________________
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