Comments on: Back to Black

By: Kuroyama

Kuroyama — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:21:40 +0000

Ive never given thought to African American as being an exclusive label. Ive always used the term Black because its what people see me as despite any political noms du jour. As far as negative associations with that word… those were largely created by people who call themselves white despite the fact that they are in fact pinkish, and no more white, than I am Black.

I choose to find strength and power in the term.

As far as being Asian American… It may not be for me to decry it as divisive.

But if a Chinese, Japanese, or Vietnamese guy decides tomorrow to move to the US… does he then become an Asian American? Is it after his naturalization? When events are organized, do you decide who qualifies and who doesnt?

Im trying to say that the term “Asian” might be mo bettah. Strength from inclusion? As a Black guy Im good with that. But how do North American men and women of Asian national descent feel about that?

By: jaehwan

jaehwan — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:06:43 +0000

Franklin,

Thanks for your thoughts! I think I might agree with you, though I often flip flop on this issue…

By: The Fighting 44s» Blog Archive » Scholar Studies Ethnic Identity and Well-Being in Teens and Young Adults

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:20:02 +0000

[...] recent entries Back to Black - February 27th, 2008So what do your parents think about the White Guy? - February 13th, 2008The [...]

By: franklin

franklin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:49:13 +0000

I completely agree with this article. I’ve been using the term Blacks for awhile now since many of my friends were actually offended at African Americans and consider themselves either as Jamaican or Barbadian, etc.

For Asians though, I think others have brought up good points. However I believe both the terms Asians and Asian Americans have a good context and time for use. Asian American, I think, is essential for identifying to the unique experience Asians face in America, be they a citizen of the US or not. If you travel to other countries of the world, and I could be wrong depending on what I saw and experienced compared to others, the Asian American experience (and history) is very unique and one-of-a-kind. Asians in America are treated and viewed very differently than Asians in England or France. Therefore Asian American is a term that signifies the experience and unifying perspective found in America. It doesn’t matter if you are from China or a 4th generation Asian American, society views you very similarly. The term is meant to unify an experience and I fail to really see who it isolates. Asian is more encompassing of course, but its use to me would be less political and more cultural about the diverse heritage of peoples that cannot be captured in one word across the beautiful history and life of Asians.

One could argue though that some day, we will face the same problem as noted for Blacks in this article. However I feel our political voice and nature is still behind the times when compared to some minorities. Until then, I believe we are and will be Asian Americans.

By: jaehwan

jaehwan — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:51:36 +0000

What about just “Asian?” I think it gets complicated because you have “South Asian” and “East Asian,” but I think most people mean either “Southeast Asian” or “East Asian” when they say “Asian.”

By: nskripchun

nskripchun — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:55:44 +0000

I’ve heard a similar argument for the preference of the term “Black” over “African American” in the book “Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria” by Beverly Tatum. She also was interested in using a term that could be applied to the entire diaspora of Black people.

As for the term, “Asian American”, I’d be willing to consider other alternatives, but right now, nothing seems viable… what are we going to switch to? “Yellow folks”? Back to “Orientals”? I guess when you’re trying to hunt for a single term to describe a huge diversity of people and cultures, it’s not going to happen easily…