作者名称 国旗国籍

Len

EN

JP

2020.03.15 16:17

I focus on Asian American topics. It might seem irrelevant to

people from Asian countries, but the truth is that people from Asia are like the lifeblood of Asian America. I think more than half of all Asian Americans are foreign-born. So Asian America is likely to always be in some weird cultural limbo that I wish it could break out of.

So I hope that people who move here understand that once you give up your old country’s passport, you’re no longer a Nihonjin*, or a Hanguk-salam, or a Zhongguoren. You’re now an American. In fact, you instantly become part of Asian America the moment you move here. You’re now absorbed in America’s racial dynamics in which the details of where you’re from don’t really matter. So you end up having a role in helping define whatever Asian America is.

* A Japanese national, a Korean national, a Chinese national respectively
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Comments

  • Mess 2020.03.15 16:21

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    EN

    melodious reading! is it a direction for those who want to migrate?
  • Erin에린 2020.03.15 16:22

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    EN

  • kyong 2020.03.15 16:31

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    CN

    I don't know man, well i'm Korean. But whether if i was born in America as Korean-American or i migrate to America, i ain't gonna just cut the connection of where i coming from. I would still think of the country where my blood came from seriously rather than just change myself into an American who got nothing to do with Korea. I mean thats kinda same as Mexican-American or Jamaican-American still consider themselves as Mexican or Jamaican.
  • Len 2020.03.15 17:22

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    @Mess Those who emigrate should know of the dynamics of the community they expect to live in, mainly for the sake of their children who would be born and raised there.
  • Len 2020.03.15 17:24

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    @kyong And that’s why Asian America is in that cultural limbo. This is a common theme between immigrants and their American-born children. The immigrants still think of themselves as part of their old country, and their children would likely end up facing a cultural identity crisis because they’re faced with just two options: their ancestral country’s identity vs an assimilated American identity. In reality, those Asians born and raised in America have an entirely new identity that should be acknowledged and cultivated. I don’t consider myself as a <재 조국>인 (a person from my ancestral country) for the same reasons Michael Jordan wouldn’t call himself an African. Americans are free to remember and celebrate their roots, but it’s important to focus on the present and build something new from those roots. Unlike White and Black Americans, Asian Americans don’t have a strong unique culture here and I think that’s likely because a lot of us define ourselves in terms of a foreign culture.
  • kyong 2020.03.15 17:38

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    @Len i get what's u re saying here. Yeah i feel the same way. Black people and Mexican people and White people seems like they adjust well as part of American with identity of America which is multi-ethnic country. However, Asian still feel like foreigner to American and also themselves as well.
  • kyong 2020.03.15 17:41

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    CN

    My point was Immigrant people don't need to cut the root of where their blood came from in order to adjust to society. But i understand u, American don't think Irish-American or African-American or Mexican as foreigner but Asian-American as foreigner or outsider.
  • kyong 2020.03.15 17:44

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    CN

    I think there are two reason. 1. Population of Immigrant asian in America is not enough to organize certain color or culture as part of America. 2. Asian looks too different compare to rest of the American(black white mexican etc). Not the color but the form of face, appearance itself is too different from the rest of American.
  • Jenny 2020.03.17 12:17

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    EN

    @kyong I agree with you
  • 帅d一b 2020.03.25 14:12

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    CN

    I’ve always been fascinated by Asian (fill in nationality) people who are of Asian decent but live in Western countries. I’ve lived in Asia for 4 years now and ABCs and the like are completely different to motherland Asians for me but also different to Caucasians as well. Like as if they are their own group altogether. I guess that’s what you are getting at, right?
  • Len 2020.03.25 23:07

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    @帅d一b Mainly instilling the idea that people who emigrate to another country now become part of a diaspora. A common theme among 2nd-generation Asian Americans is that they grow up in two different cultures which can lead to identity issues. Having 1st generation Asian immigrants or people in Asian countries understand these perspectives is important as Asian culture has since spread to other countries.
  • Owl 2020.04.04 04:34

    CN
    KR

    @ it is not so important. Wish you a nice weekend.
  • alice 2020.04.10 15:07

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    EN

    我表示完全看不懂
  • ゆず 2020.04.10 16:47

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    JP

    😪所以可别对美籍华人会爱中国抱有幻想,既然换成美国国籍了,人家就只会爱美国了。😪而且完全有可能为了更爱美国变成伤害中国的利刃。
  • Lauren 2020.04.24 12:39

    KR
    EN

    한국사람
  • Ricky Zhao 2020.05.01 16:04

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    EN

    有深度,有温度。sth deep inside,sth considerable.
  • Nina 2020.05.29 05:37

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    JP

    Just to add something to the conversation that I’ve thought about a lot while studying Japanese... I was born and raised in America, and so were my parents and grandparents. By all factors, I look and seem like a totally white American girl. However, my great-grandparents were immigrants from Armenia (Eurasian country) and my grandparents speak mostly Armenian. My parents raised me culturally somewhere between American and Armenian— more of a strong focus on family and education, which came from the Armenian values. Growing up, I didn’t totally relate to the cultural identity of being “American” in its classic sense. But to everyone I meet, and for all intensive purposes, I’m an American. For my great grandparents who did not speak English, being viewed as an “immigrant” and not as a true American affected their whole lives. They couldn’t get good jobs because of it. I agree with you, Len, in the sense that we need to view all immigrants as American.
  • Nina 2020.05.29 05:40

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    However, valuing our original culture and heritage is important as well. This country has to learn to do both for its residents, without having one override the other. Thanks for bringing this up. It’s a really interesting and important conversation, I think— especially on the HelloTalk platform.
  • Len 2020.05.30 02:50

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    @Nina It’s up to every American to make sense of their own identity. I think there’s always some sort of relationship between a diaspora and a cultural homeland that people cherish. It’s good that you carry a part of Armenian culture with you. I’m not sure if most Americans are even familiar with Armenians outside of System of a Down and the Kardashians, but you likely have your own unique perspectives to share as an American of Armenian heritage.
  • Nina 2020.05.30 03:26

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    JP

    @Len Haha, SOAD is probably the lesser known of the two, but yeah 😂 In school I got a lot of “Armenia? Did you mean to say America?”, genuine corrections, lol. Culture is fun. Americans should feel lucky they get to share their home with people from all over the world. It’s a rare opportunity. There is a small population that live in America as Native Americans, otherwise we’re all immigrants from somewhere. 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • Mike 2020.06.01 08:16

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    EN

    I think real native Americans are very few, most of Americans are from immigration . Native people always like to identify different races ,skin colors and cultures as if we are from different world. They don’t like get along and understand together. Just dont like disturb each other . Evey race has its comfortable area. So native Americans feel chilled with foreigners even if you born in America. That’s why Asian Americans maybe can’t join or be integrated into the local community.
  • Len 2020.06.01 16:43

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    @Mike Native Americans were nearly wiped out on this continent because of Western settlers. I’ve met very few people of mainly Native American heritage. But many Asian Americans like me are fully integrated into this society. We’re not seen as equal but that’s always been the norm in America.

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