The Heritage of Asian-Americans
The Heritage of Asian-Americans
The audiences I will be sharing this website to is first of all, my friends- namely the ones I've made online. As to why them in particular, it's because I know some of them have their own Chinatowns and don't live in Chicago, and I believe it's helpful to see how they themselves may percieve their own Chinatown compared to how I do and the differences between theirs and my own.
How has our class influenced and complicated my perspective on what it means to be an “American?”
This class has influenced and complicated my perspective on what it means to be an "American" through the fact that I never truly thought about what made an "American" on a much deeper level than simply living in America. While I knew I was American, I always considered myself Asian first and foremost, unable to truly "grasp" what being "American" truly meant when my whole life was spent rooted in Vietnamese culture and tradition. Through texts like The Great Gatsby, which remind me how my family have fought tooth and nail to "earn" their place in society but are tied down to the middle class because of their origin, unable to socially climb and can only do so much as dream of becoming one of the upper class, and Say It With Noodles, which truly does resonant with me through the fact that while I am Asian-American, I feel a disconnect from both sides- I don't feel completely "American" due to my Asian heritage, but at the same time, I don't truly feel "Asian" when I can't so much as understand my grandparents when they speak to me in Vietnamese and try to teach me how to cook the meals that they used to feed me as a child.
What does being an “American” mean to me?
Being an "American" to me means to live here as an American, free- though that's not necessarily very accurate now taking into account the state of things here- without fear of oppression under the same regime that my grandparents and parents fled to come here. America is not friendly to immigrants, today's society both politically and socially with some "bad apples" to say the least being the biggest culprits of this, but at the same time, America was built upon the foundation given to them by the immigrants that came here. Railroads built by Chinese and Irish immigrants allowing the world to expand even further than it already was, bringing diverse culture and traditions to this new land and shaping America's culture, and some immigrants even taking up positions and influencial roles in U.S. politics. I am a child of Vietnamese parents, one an owner of her own nail salon, of Vietnamese grandparents who run a food stand out of their home, and I live with the knowledge that my people can still make an impact.
To what extent am I consider myself “American?” What aspects/characteristics do I embrace? What aspects/characteristics do I reject?
As for what aspects of being "American" that I embrace, it's the diversity and flexibility that I try my best to embrace with my whole being. Sometimes, somethings change, and that's going to have to be something we accept and welcome with open arms, because that's how the state of this country is, ever-changing. Regarding diversity, it's everywhere in America from the people to the restaurants to the traditions and the culture. As someone who is both Vietnamese and LGTBQ+, I believe that it's important to accept that not all of us will be the same, and that's fine. Maybe I won't agree with some people's views or opinions, but that's what makes us all unique. As for what aspects of being "American" I reject, it's the bigotry and the stubbornness to accept when something is different. Even as a child, I've been victim to harrassment and being outcasted just because I was "different" compared to those who were also American just like me, and I don't believe in that- if they're considered American, then why am I not? Even despite the differences in say, skin tone or maybe our beliefs regarding our culture, I am still a citizen of America, an American.
What questions do I still have about being an American?
Sometimes, I wonder what values define an "American" today. Is it about individualism? Finding a path for yourself and carving out your own future in pursuance of the American Dream, or is it perhaps about community? Building a family for and bettering both yourself and your neighborhood, creating a second family in the people you consider your neighbours? Is the American Dream that was once sought out by those living in America even relevant anymore with the current state of the country, or is it still the driving motivator for people? What even is the American Dream now, if it's so hard to get out of the middle class and rise up in financial status? Is it still the drive to become rich and part of the upper class, or is it something new- something personalized to the person in search of their own "American Dream"?
What elements of my American identity am I still unsure of?
What I'm still unsure of in regards to my identity is if I can really be proud of being American when the people who are meant to represent us- the politicians, those who make the laws and the ones in power- seem not even to care about the well-being of their people anymore, and paint themselves as fools to both fellow Americans and those outside of America. With this more recent treatment towards immigrants, and with me being the child of an immigrant, I'm left to wonder if I truly am American anymore, or if my own country will continue to treat us Asian-Americans and other such immigrants as if we're pests and as if we're the problem that is plaguing America as of current.