Author: Liz Danielle Singson

Framework:

“Racism that Bridges” by Kim Tran described the many Asian immigrants who migrated to America in search of new life, opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness. These Asian immigrants were ostracized and marginalized by the white American society. Asian immigrants were physically and verbally degraded and alienated by American society. Asian immigrant groups were discriminated against heavily and would be singled out by their skin and distinctive eyes. I gravitated to this framework because as an Asian immigrant, I can relate to the struggle.

Stories

For Stories, I felt most intrigued of “Tired” by Alice Tsui. She details on how  the pandemic intensified negative feelings towards Asians. Asians are severely targeted and seen as walking diseases due to the Coronavirus. Tsui talks about how she grows tiresome of the polite indifference shown to her constantly. She explains how tired she is of defending herself against the unfair discrimination she is forced to experience. This excerpt stood out to me because I heavily related to it. I experienced this treatment as well when the pandemic started. I had people tell me I didn’t know how to speak English, as well as experienced being verbally attacked and I’ve seen people look at me in distaste and disgust.

Comic

The comic “Protect Yourself, Family & Friends From Getting Sick” by Malakais Ghairib was a fun, lighthearted collaboration of drawings and explanations of the different safety precautions taken for COVID-19. I think that this comic was easy to read and understand. I also feel like it was very informative and educational. In today’s climate it is important to spread awareness in a positive way.

“Model Minority” was created in the 1960’s. It was used to stereotype and categorize Asian Americans as more intelligent and more likely to succeed compared to other minority groups. At this time, the U.S. preferred immigrants who were proficient in fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to improve the country and is general economy. The model minority ideal was used to identify “elite” immigrants while also undermining other minority groups like Hispanics and the Black community who were stereotyped as criminals and thugs. This trope furthered anti black rhetoric. It is evident that both opposite sides of the stereotype has dealt with different discriminations, it is without a doubt that this system is unjust, unfair and created to ultimately exploit people of color and benefit the white government per usual.

Affirmative Action moves tp create an equal opportunity platform fro minorities who are in pursuit of higher education. However, although affirmative action hold a great ideology, it has been poorly executed. Asians are commonly categorized as proficient in STEM fields. This expectation creates pressure to fit into what society feels you should be as an Asian American. This in return shuns people who fail to fit into the role that society has assigned. The rebirth of the model minority trope served politically fueled agendas that aimed to protect and serve the white system.

After reading and watching these pieces it was obvious that the criteria for citizenship was created by a biased white system that was built to solely benefit European white men and women. “White” being the standard and even ideal citizen. Personally, this information did not come as surprising but only solidified y thoughts on immigration and citizenship. The Loyalty questionnaire stands as a great example of the bias within the government in terms of citizenship.

Citizenship today is still as difficult and lengthy as ever. Especially under Trump’s administration, many good people fear for their livelihoods. In my opinion, there has to be a bias within the immigration system. Citizenship should be granted and rewarded to true, hard working people regardless of race and origin.

Hi everyone! Firstly, I hope everyone is doing well both mentally and physically. So far, this class for me has answered so many questions I didn’t even know I had. Professor Munshi has made this class both enlightening and smooth sailing. Which personally, I am in favor for. The workload is not overwhelming but it is effective in drawing out questions that this class never fails to answer. The only thing I would really change is the class interaction although I am aware that some people are introverted and shy, I’d love to get to know my cohorts better. Also, I think placing announcements and grades on Blackboard would serve the students well in terms of seeing grade progression. Overall, this class is amazing, fun, light hearted and surprisingly quite educational. I like how we dig into more than just solid history but into human ideology and social constructions over time as well. As an Asian immigrant from the Philippines, it has been an awakening experience to learn all these things I had no idea off. It gives me different perspectives of the Social communities we are a part of and allows me to gain insight on my historic identity.

A song I think would work well for this class would be Tokyo Drift by Teriyaki Boyz. The song is upbeat, iconic and energetic. Or songs by either Don Toliver or Snoh Alegra. 🙂

Race is a power of illusion created by europeans to differentiate themselves as superior. This was an economically beneficial move on their part to categorize other races and create a social construct that is race. Race has become a huge defining aspect in humanity over the years. In a written piece by Dhingra and Rodriguez, they mentioned, “Race is such a significant  way of organizing and categorizing people in American society that we are often confounded when we encounter a person whose race we cannot immediately make sense of”. Which made me realize just how much race affects people daily in micro transactions. The ideology of “race” is acknowledged all the way back to colonial times to create an easier way to distinguish the colonized from the colonizers thus creating this veil of superiority. Years later, many studies were made creating a scientific reasoning towards other races deeming “white” as supreme all the while justifying the enslavement of black men and women. Of course now, modern research shows that these studies are false but at that times this misinformation was strongly believed in which only fed into the socially constructed verdict that races other than white were inferior. From the reading, “Asian America: Sociological Interdisciplinary Perspectives”, It explains to its readers how racial classifications alter through time which overall showcases the general idea that race is not just a political construct but a social and economic one as well that has nothing to do with human anatomy nor science. It is institutionalized to actively separate and differentiate different people based on European standards and it is clear that their goal was to create and instill the idea that they are the dominant, superior race.

Reading and watching multiple pieces focused on race and its roots has been a huge realization for me. In the Philippines and I’m sure many other countries, people glorify the white man. The Philippines adores light skin and straight hair while also encouraging their daughters to marry men specifically white to uplift their image. It is a sad fact that this happens in many parts of the world. Till today we still fight for representation within the media and challenge western beauty standards.

A common reason why people choose to migrate to the United States is opportunity. People come to the United States in search for a better life for themselves and their families.  Education and the general standards of living in the United States are far more attainable than other countries. When my family migrated to the United States, my parents often talked about all the grand opportunities that will greet me when we land and all the hopes of attaining the “American Dream”. Compared to the Philippines, the U.S. has free schools and different socialist programs that help support low income families. The food is cheaper, the air cleaner and money if you work hard enough will fall right onto your lap. The idea of the United States in the perspective of people living in a developing country like the Philippines is a gold land filled with money and happiness for everyone.

Yang’s theory of the Push and pull factor in my opinion is more true than not. In most cases, families need to weigh both push and pull factors before deciding to leave their country and start anew in a foreign land with foreign people. Some other pull factors would be the LGBTQ culture in America. It is a right that not many people outside the U.S. get to experience. Another factor could be religion. China for example treat their muslim citizens with little regard for their betterment and no respect for their beliefs.