| "banana" Food for thought: why is this insulting when it's true? There are many different identies that Asians around the world associate with. Type 1: local Taiwanese and Hong Kong-ers who haven't been out of the country Type 2: Taiwanese and Hong Kong-ers who went to international schools there and are somewhat westernized Type 3: Asian American Chinese "fobs" Type 4: Asian American Chinese who aren't really Chinese at all Type 5: the Asian American Chinese who still have their culture mixed in with a lot of western styles Bear in mind this is going to be a rather hypocritical rant on my part. So no offense meant to anyone.. In my mind, if you are Chinese, no matter where you have been born, where you were raised, Chinese people should at least be able to hold a simple conversation and recognize basic characters in Chinese. This is because no matter WHAT u identify yourself with, on the surface, you look Chinese. People will expect you to know and be Chinese, and because you don't; you won't be able to truly identify with the Chinese culture. However, don't expect to be truly American either - you're yellow dears. You don't look nothing like an American. Ok, I accept the whole "America is a big pot full of people with different ethnicities thrown together and mixed up". But does anyone ever notice the huge Asian American societies that arise from this "mixing"? To tell the truth� it just doesn't happen. Why? Asian Americans are brought up at home within their Asian culture. When they get out of their immediate family, they face the social circle of the world. What do they do? They adjust to fit in. however, they will still carry, no matter how much they mix with the social circle, the Chinese mentality. This asianized mentality eventually leads these Asian American kids with no place in their social circle to start hanging out with other people in the same situation. Thus, "Asian pride" comes along. "Asian pride" - this confuses me a lot. The majority of Asians who say they have Asian pride do not even know how to speak a single word of their ethnic tongue, and they look down upon people born in their native land. The meaning of this word deludes me. How can one have Asian pride when one doesn't even know what it means to be Asian? Asian pride is just a way for these Asian Americans to find a way of acceptance. To be "cool" and fit in, but yet still laughing at the so called "fobs" who come in. in a sense, Asian pride is just another word for "bananas". Ok, so I'm totally bagging on Asian Americans now. What about the so called "fobs"? Why do they stay fobs upon arriving in oh-America-land of the cocky? Because they aren't even given a chance when they first get here. They are ridiculed, made fun of, and excluded from social activities. The fobs that do make it out of the ranks of fob-dom, where do they end up? In the "banana" group. But hell, they're pseudo bananas. In reality, they're just fobs who've worked hard to fit into the apparent "cooler" category. Why do fobs band with other fobs? Because they feel comfortable with each other. Because they have found a group of people with the same mentality and culture as they have. Because they have now found a home. A lot of the time, culture clashes also promote fobs to continue hanging out with each other. Unlike "bananas" who try to fit into white culture when they feel a culture clash with their own; fobs tend to look the clash with disdain and disassociate themselves from it. Don't get me wrong. I love chilling with fobs, they're some of the nicest, most easy going people I know. In fact, to be honest, chillin with fobs make me feel right at home, I feel the most secure there. But you know what? Even though I'm a fob myself, I'm not considered fobby enough. And even though I love chilling with Asian Americans too, this time I'm too fobby, not "banana" enough to fit into the Asian American category. So where does this leave people like me? Hanging in the middle, somewhere in between, balancing their "asianess". However, what is wrong with fobs? Asian Americans don't seem to realize that they have the same blood, the same ancestors, and that when it comes down to it, people will just group all Asians in one huge group regardless of all the sub divisions within it. Yet these "bananas" still make fun of fobs. Why? If only because it is considered "un-cool". Now the people that look Asian, but are so totally white-wash that they don't know what it is like to be Asian. These people have moved out of the ranks of bananas, and have actually joined the ranks of white America where "Asian" isn't even an identity anymore. These are the people I feel most sympathy for. When it comes down to it, there is blatant racism in this world. As long as china and America are allies, it's all good. America will use you to its fullest extent. And u will be happy because u identity yourself as an American. But when the time comes and china and America are fighting on opposite sides of the war, what will you do? Who will u identify yourself with when the going gets tough and America turns its back on you? Are you Chinese? No. are you American? No. ridiculed on both sides, what shall you do? Kick yourself in the arse? If you have Chinese blood, accept. Don't try to deny this fact. Be proud of this fact. Learn more about its culture. And in doing so, learn more about yourself. - 30th Oct 2002 |
 |