"Whitewashed"
A friend was telling me a story about how his Southern Californian Asian cousin moved to Pittsburgh and hated it. His given reason was "East Coast Asians are too whitewashed."
"Whitewashed". What exactly does this mean? It means slightly different things to different people, but it usually has the connotation of "acting the same way as the majority". This can include anything from speaking and spelling proper English to simply associating with the majority group. I absolutely hate, detest, and loathe this word. This person defined it as "rejecting their own culture".
He is from Southern California. I know exactly how Californian Asian culture is. Let's examine this assertion, shall we?
In California, it is cool and trendy to be super Asian. You will note that I say "super Asian", not "Asian" alone. Californian Asian culture is no more authentic than East Coast Asian culture. In many, many ways, I find it to be far less authentic. People seem to think that you need to be outwardly different somehow to still be Asian. Thus, you have to wRYtE lYkE DiS to be Asian. You have to drive a souped-up Honda to be Asian. You have to loudly and proudly proclaim how you love using chopsticks to be Asian. You have to laugh at your non-Asian friends (if you have any) for not being as Asian as you to be Asian. You have to go around proclaiming "Azn pryde!" to be Asian.
Is any of this getting to the heart of what it means to be truly Asian? Let me see what I think Asian culture is. Asian culture is not trying to "dress" Asian or "talk" Asian. Asian culture, like any culture, is defined by its values. I will take Chinese culture as an example. It is being respectful of your parents and other people. It is being committed to one's education. It is achieving success and a stable family life. Are these more fundamental to Asianness? In my opinion, yes, they are. Can these coexist peacefully with the values of speaking proper English, associating with all racial groups without fearing that it would somehow "lessen" one's race, and integrating fully and properly into mainstream society? Yes, yes, and yes. I recall being accused of whitewashing once when I chose forks over chopsticks at a meal. If that is all it takes, I will don a dirndl and turn Austrian. Ihr Scheissköpfe!
I was born in China (which is more than 50% of these azn-pryde Californians) and I speak accentless Mandarin (which is more than 75% of these azn-pryde Californians). And yet I have friends who are my friends for their wit and personalities, not for their race. And yet I enjoy eating bratwursts as much as I enjoy eating rice. I recognize the fact that a person is defined more by where they grew up than where their ancestors were born. Most of you were born here or came here as babies. Many of you have parents and grandparents who were also born here. And yet, you think with your souped-up Honda and your chopstick obsession, you can sneer at others for not being as Asian as you? I hate to break it to you, but you are more defined by California than you will ever be by China, Korea, or Japan.
This contrived Californian Azn culture makes me sick. It is racially separatist, shallow, pointless, and backwards. This person (and others like him I've encountered in my unfortunate years here) says he hates the East Coast and wants to move back to California, where he can feel happy and safe among his Azn-only friends. Good riddance.
"Whitewashed". What exactly does this mean? It means slightly different things to different people, but it usually has the connotation of "acting the same way as the majority". This can include anything from speaking and spelling proper English to simply associating with the majority group. I absolutely hate, detest, and loathe this word. This person defined it as "rejecting their own culture".
He is from Southern California. I know exactly how Californian Asian culture is. Let's examine this assertion, shall we?
In California, it is cool and trendy to be super Asian. You will note that I say "super Asian", not "Asian" alone. Californian Asian culture is no more authentic than East Coast Asian culture. In many, many ways, I find it to be far less authentic. People seem to think that you need to be outwardly different somehow to still be Asian. Thus, you have to wRYtE lYkE DiS to be Asian. You have to drive a souped-up Honda to be Asian. You have to loudly and proudly proclaim how you love using chopsticks to be Asian. You have to laugh at your non-Asian friends (if you have any) for not being as Asian as you to be Asian. You have to go around proclaiming "Azn pryde!" to be Asian.
Is any of this getting to the heart of what it means to be truly Asian? Let me see what I think Asian culture is. Asian culture is not trying to "dress" Asian or "talk" Asian. Asian culture, like any culture, is defined by its values. I will take Chinese culture as an example. It is being respectful of your parents and other people. It is being committed to one's education. It is achieving success and a stable family life. Are these more fundamental to Asianness? In my opinion, yes, they are. Can these coexist peacefully with the values of speaking proper English, associating with all racial groups without fearing that it would somehow "lessen" one's race, and integrating fully and properly into mainstream society? Yes, yes, and yes. I recall being accused of whitewashing once when I chose forks over chopsticks at a meal. If that is all it takes, I will don a dirndl and turn Austrian. Ihr Scheissköpfe!
I was born in China (which is more than 50% of these azn-pryde Californians) and I speak accentless Mandarin (which is more than 75% of these azn-pryde Californians). And yet I have friends who are my friends for their wit and personalities, not for their race. And yet I enjoy eating bratwursts as much as I enjoy eating rice. I recognize the fact that a person is defined more by where they grew up than where their ancestors were born. Most of you were born here or came here as babies. Many of you have parents and grandparents who were also born here. And yet, you think with your souped-up Honda and your chopstick obsession, you can sneer at others for not being as Asian as you? I hate to break it to you, but you are more defined by California than you will ever be by China, Korea, or Japan.
This contrived Californian Azn culture makes me sick. It is racially separatist, shallow, pointless, and backwards. This person (and others like him I've encountered in my unfortunate years here) says he hates the East Coast and wants to move back to California, where he can feel happy and safe among his Azn-only friends. Good riddance.