A recent editorial I read in The Daily Californian has got me thinking about the dynamics of race-relations in this country. How appropriate that this editorial come on “Day without an immigrant” and May Day. Immigration is a whole other issue I cannot wait to tackle, but lets save that for another day.
The editorial discussed the idea of hyphenated identity in this country; according to the writer, people cling to an alternative identity to augment their American one. Our scope is unfortunately been skewed so that we perceive individuals as African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latino-Americans. We are told that these are the benign effects of multiculturalism, that our society is greater because of it. However, this is quickly discounted by the author, who suggests that one of the best ways to reconcile differences and build a greater nation is to remove these unnecessary identities, thereby creating one uniform American identity. Who cares if you are black, white, red, yellow, or green: Americans all bleed the same red and love this country just the same. The second we lose the former part of hyphenated names is the second we embrace a greater identity and progress as a diverse nation.
I agree with the author in the sense that I believe race is simply a categorical tool used to exacerbate social differences and cause conflict. As an American of Korean descent, I find the main problem with the Korean American, as well as the Asian American community, is their stubborn desire to segregate themselves and maintain their distinguishing characteristics. Koreans in particular are extremely xenophobic, ironically in a foreign country. Part of this has to do with the insecurities a minority group might face in a foreign land, especially one of such stark cultural differences. But culture also has a lot to do with it; pardon me for being blunt, but Koreans are notorious for being stubborn and hard headed. I maintain that we (and when I say we I am referencing my fellow Korean Americans) also simply have not tried hard enough to embrace America.
Rep. Mike Honda recently spoke at Boalt Hall and cited that the Asian American community is the most underrepresented community in Congress. If Asian Americans want to be recognized, they need to have the proper representation from their respective communities. An interesting point, I thought as I counted all the Asian American representatives from both houses on one hand. An interesting pattern appeared: almost all were of Japanese descent. Japanese Americans have accomplished something that most Asian Americans in this country have not done: assimilated into mainstream American culture. Rarely do we see a Japan town in major metropolitan areas, nor Japanese American students with cultural barriers or language difficulty. I cannot fully get into why this phenomenon occurs (partly because of a lack of time and partly because I simply do not know the sociological or anthropological explanations). But when I go to Korea Town in Oakland or China Town in San Francisco, the exotic appeal soon is drowned by the realization Japanese Americans have communal appeal because they choose not to isolate themselves; rather they engage in civic dealings and work for a greater community.
Nobody is going to elect a Korean American from an isolated community with strange character nuances that only fellow Korean Americans (or Koreans) will understand or appreciate. Nobody is going to support a candidate with a stubborn grasp on a past identity when his/her future path is clearly present and inviting. A Korean American will be elected to a higher office when he/she can exude popular appeal among the entire community, not just among Koreans.
Korean Americans complain about misunderstanding and a lack of recognition among their local representatives (see the LA Riots) yet they do very little to alleviate the situation. They complain that their voices are not heard, yet they insist on having instruction in Elementary schools in Los Angeles in Korean. They complain about the insensitive nature of American society, yet they shun the migrant workers who have shared their plight yet are of different skin color.
I cannot stand those Korean American students here at Cal who look down upon the greater student body or ignore classmates because of a pig-headed rationale that they have nothing in common. Its these students who praise Korea and Korean culture and mock American ideals or identity (whatever that might be).
To those students I say this: if Korea is so great go back, nobody is stopping you. A note: there is a reason why your parents left Korea in the first place. Korea is not exactly the land of opportunity or freedom, and yes I am grouping both North and South Korea together. Don’t think that South Korea gets away from my rant because of some political technicality. As I say, democracy is as democracy does.
The irony of racism is that those who are subject to it the most often project the most extreme forms of hatred and judgment. It is indeed cyclical, an unfortunate product of our human nature.
Before I begin to receive hate mail from the Korean American community, allow me to clarify: I support cultural diversity, in fact I relish it. When I saw Mexican American workers dancing in Aztec costumes on Sproul today I felt proud, if anything, because only in America could you find a Korean American student watching a Mexican American festival next to the Indus club, Taiwanese student association, and the African American Association. I felt proud to be an American at that moment, because at that moment, I felt part Mexican, part Indian, part Taiwanese, and part black. The comfort I felt inside came from the fact that I realized that despite our different backgrounds we are, in the end, the same.
Diversity is our greatest strength, but it can also be a weakness if we allow ourselves to limit our view to identity. I believe it is folly and ignorant to be held back by one’s culture, especially in the context of a new pan-American culture.
Perhaps it has to do with time: Korean Americans, as well as Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Americans, have only within the past 50 years come to this country. Our parents generation is not of this land; therefore, it is these strong cultural roots that bring security and comfort to them. But we are not and should not be limited in this way, and it is close minded to remain so. If our parents or people arrived here for opportunity, then we should embrace this nation as a whole for its blessing.
How long will it take before Americans embrace the idea of a multicultural identity? When will we stop looking at each other as Chinese-American or Indian-American, but rather as Americans, neighbors, and friends? While I understand and respect the trials and triumphs of respective cultures I nevertheless believe that history and culture makes you what you were, but your current identity makes you what you will become.
And until Asian-Americans in particular cease to desperately cling to the Asian part of their adopted identity, they will become nothing more but overlooked.
