"Whitewashed"

[venaja]

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

Comments

To add to more confusion...

[ex_jdub]

Well adding further confusion to the discussion of the irritating nature of "California Asians" is their hypocracy.

Well the 'white coast Asians' are too white. They abandon their Asian heritage, because they date white girls/guys. What they enjoy hamburgers more than rice and kimchi?

"Well these same individuals also believe they are better than FOBs of the West Coast as well. They recognize there are people who are "fresh off the boat" and those people are way too fobby. They don't speak English well and wear fobby clothes. They only listen to Asian music.
The "Californian Asian" may say to you yes he/she is white washed, but that other guy is a FOB.

So you are too Asian or too White. So what's a "California Asian"?

Ahh its maddening.

Re: To add to more confusion...

[venaja]

A Californian Asian is someone who was usually born here or is completely immersed in Californian culture, who subscribes to all the incidental features of "Aznness", and who has absolutely no idea what "being Asian" or "being white" entails. However, I've known people who have nominally rejected the Azn culture who still buy into some features of it. They think it's cool to play up their ethnicity and laugh at other people for not being as Asian as them, for example. It's all fucked up.

Its pretty ridiculous to come to think of it.

[ex_jdub]

I understand the need for ethnic and cultural pride. I think that is great, but for some reason it seems to get to the point in California where its just taken to a point of extreme

Re: Its pretty ridiculous to come to think of it.

[venaja]

sHiIiiT, MaN, YoO iZ ToO WHyTe 4 mE.

[goulo]

You often write interestingly and insightfully on racial and cultural issues. I recently came upon the following sites; if you have thoughts on the subject (of white families adopting children from Asian countries, and some of the infrequently-discussed problems with it), I'd be interested to read them:
http://www.eurasiannation.com/generic196.html
http://www.transracialabductees.org/
I found them rather fascinating (I hadn't really pondered the issues raised until I read these sites) and I'm not sure what I think about the issues raised. I do think they overstate their case, but they raise what seem to be some valid points which are not very often discussed (which may be why they are so strident in places - from frustration).

Identity Crisis

[ex_jdub]

I think really what it all comes down to it.
Is not being comfortable in your identity.
We gripe when we're uncomfortable in knowing that we don't fit anything! Someone must be to blame.

I grew up around some Caucasion-asian adoptees, and they seemed to have some things easier. #1 Their parents looked the same as everyone elses parents #2 They were often treated "better/different" because of their situation. Yes, it makes for a different experience growing up, but I think it bothers them because its not a "normal childhood."

[venaja]

I used to volunteer with a girl named Marieke. She was a Chinese-Korean girl adopted by Caucasian parents. There was one incident that burned itself into my memory. An old couple came by the aviary, where we were working, and asked her, "what's your heritage?" For some reason, people were always curious about her, even though I don't think she looked that different from any other Asian girl. She replied quite confidently, "Irish, Polish, Dutch", because that's what her parents were and - given the name - I think they were quite proud of their Irish/Polish/Dutch heritage. The old man just smiled and said, "she's Polish, too!" and pointed to his wife. I was in high school in Pittsburgh at the time. When I watched that, I was just proud of all of them. She never tried to deny the fact that she was adopted. Her parents encouraged her very much in finding out more about her biological family's culture, but she embraced her parents' culture as well. The old couple didn't hesitate for a moment when she replied and just accepted what she told

[goulo]

That anecdote raises a tangential linguistic issue about the murkiness of words like "heritage" (e.g. cultural heritage vs genetic heritage

[manoman]

I enjoyed reading this post and learned from it.

I've had a few friends online from places like Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong. They have all impressed me with their respect for older people (I am called Grandpa by some) and how hard they work for their education.

[venaja]

My parents pointed out that in Asian/Eastern cultures in general, the older you are, the more revered you are, whereas the opposite is true in most Western cultures. They feel elderly people are treated with condescension rather than respected for their wisdom in the West.

[ablysstic]

I have a friend, one of my dearest friends actually, from Orange County, Ca, both her parents are from Vietnam, and she refuses to wear anything that makes her look too Asian. Have you ever met anyone that feels this way? She shares some of the same feelings you do about her culture; ......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. I was just wondering if you had ever heard of that before.

[venaja]

Well, someone above mentioned how in California, there's a fine line you walk between "too white" and "too fobby". I never pay attention to anything like this. It seems to be a California phenomenon.