I wanted to discuss this, in these trying and revolutionary times. I think it's a fair question, given our rather unique and largely (in modern times) unmolested integration into US society. The idea came after a Zoom call with a few of my other first-generation Asian friends.
I don't know if this deserved its own thread. I know my voice isn't the kind that needs to be heard right now. But I knew it was going to be long, so I didn't want to potentially derail some other ongoing discussions about, well, all of the turbulence in our country right now - and how it all seems to be affecting Black Americans more than anyone else.
To start, I think we should first point out some obvious aspects of the typical Asian experience in the US and how it contrasts starkly to that of black families who have been here for far, far longer:
I don't know if this deserved its own thread. I know my voice isn't the kind that needs to be heard right now. But I knew it was going to be long, so I didn't want to potentially derail some other ongoing discussions about, well, all of the turbulence in our country right now - and how it all seems to be affecting Black Americans more than anyone else.
To start, I think we should first point out some obvious aspects of the typical Asian experience in the US and how it contrasts starkly to that of black families who have been here for far, far longer:
- Let's address the Model Minority stereotype, not hide from it. There's a reason that stereotype exists. Speaking from experience and those of my over 20 other Asian friends whose origins lay all over the globe, from Korea to Hawaii to Pakistan to Cambodia, many of us had parents and/or grandparents who simply wanted to keep their heads down, integrate, suffer silently with the casual racism in media – and yet thrive despite it. I don't blame them. The US is a viciously racist country and I can't fault an Asian immigrant, still learning the language and appearing absolutely foreign to common US sensibilities, for just wanting to be left alone and live their lives.
It's why so many of us, even first generation, even bilingual or trilingual, have white people accents (for lack of a better phrase). Many of us straight up sound, dress, and present "preppy", in point of fact.
This is a true, and I think rather funny, apropos anecdote: not long ago I was joining a group for some PS4 game with a bunch of other ResetERA members. Upon joining the group I greeted everyone with a "Yo, what's up going on guys?". A man with a UK accent started laughing and said "I just heard the most American-sounding guy ever". And everyone else chuckled.
My mother is from Ireland, my father was fresh off the boat from Manilla - arriving to join the Navy for a better life back in 1975. And here I am, their first-generation son on this soil, and I am "the most American-sounding" person this guy had ever heard. Casual observations like this speaks to, I think, how rapidly we Asians were able to integrate into and thrive in this society because we were unshackled by the systemic chains that have kept generations upon generations of Black people left behind.
- Asian households in the US enjoy, by far, the highest median household income of any racial group. We possess a frightening amount of wealth considering that many of our parents or grandparents only arrived here thirty or forty years ago. That figure is over twice that of black households. So let's not forget that stark figure when someone calls us a chink, or mistakes us for a Latino (has happened to me many times) and tells us to go back to Mexico. Such small affronts pale in comparison to what Blacks face daily, while we are free to smugly laugh it off, knowing we're probably better educated and far wealthier than that redneck who just slighted us. Most Blacks in the US don't have that privilege. Sometimes the people slighting them are cops, or potential employers, or politicians. We simply cannot relate to that.
- Within society and culturally at large, Blacks have always had our backs. Ignoring the few localized incidents of static in the past (always our fault, by the way – looking at you Korean lady who murdered a black teenage girl in cold blood in the 90's), they pretty much welcomed us with open arms into their neighborhoods to open businesses and invited us into their culture - be it the hip hop scene of Brooklyn or the laid-back lifestyle and proclivities of Creole Louisiana. You Filipinos like to ball? Hell yea we do brotha. We have summer leagues where our neighborhoods go up against each other, talk shit and insult each other's families, but when it's all over we all eat lumpia and pancit together afterwards. Sound familiar? Despite having stark differences, we have shared experiences that crosses race and culture – I think unique, at least in my part of the US, between Blacks and Asians.
White people didn't embrace us like that. They called us ching chongs, made mockeries of us in major blockbuster media like Breakfast at Tiffany's or Mad TV, hired us to play savage depictions of Native Americans, etc. But when it comes time to hire an engineer, computer programmer, math teacher, doctor or nurse, dentist, scientist, well stand back – here comes the welcoming arms of corporate America and the often feigned embrace of white America towards us when we can do something they need done to either earn more money or improve their health. JK Rowling named her only Asian character fucking Cho Chang. But I digress.
- Now that that's out of the way, how Blacks have historically embraced us while no one else did, I think it's fair to discuss our place in this US society and how quiet many of us have been.
An Indian friend put it well: she said we Asians in the US kind of feel like window dressing. Extras in some grand long running TV show. Background characters, observing all of the terrible shit happening to Blacks and Latinos while we just watch – almost ignored. Look pretty. Be smart. But shut the fuck up.
Meanwhile we do hold more power to help Blacks than I think many realize. We can comfortably donate to bail funds, Black Lives Matter, the ACLU, et al. We can speak up when the lone Black woman or man in the corporate boardroom meeting has their input ignored. White people, including most importantly the police brass and politicians, listen to us. They take us seriously. We're "one of the good ones" to many of them. Hell, it was a Vietnamese cop that helped to slowly and heartlessly murder George Floyd. Tulsi Gabbard is a fucking Democrat. What?
So, in fear of ambling off into rambling territory, I just wanted to ask of the Black and Asian US communities here on Era: what more can we do? How better can we help? Because it kind of feels like we're in a unique position to really tip the scales.
