Op-Ed: Stanford Asians: What’s it all about?

By Op Ed March 29, 2011

Considering the immense controversy that UCLA student Alexandra Wallace’s diatribe about Asian people has elicited, I think it is necessary and appropriate to address the role and the current standing of the Asian American community at Stanford.

The term “Asian American” was coined in the late 60s, during the Civil Rights Movement, as an alternative to the racial slur “Oriental.” The Asian American community arose as a product of the movement on the basis of social and political representation in American society.

Due to similar physical appearances, society classifies all Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipinos, etc. as “Asians” and projects their stereotypes on us as a whole. The Asian American community was founded because society looks at us a certain way, that is all.

The Asian American community’s biggest problem at Stanford and in America is general apathy. For one, unlike ethnic communities such as the Latino community, the Asian American community doesn’t have a common cultural or historical heritage at its core. The Latino community has cultural commonality in language, religion and immigration history, while the Asian American community is rooted only in social and political justice.

The role of the Asian American community is to bring together the Asians on campus and to be a resource for us to explore our Asian American identity. In the bigger picture, it should also present our beliefs to the greater community and empower us to combat the big issues such as the “exotification” of Asian women or the perception of Asians as the model minority. Since the community was founded in social and political justice, the top priorities should be to educate society about the issues and foster an environment that addresses these issues. If education and justice are not the focus, there is nothing that actually binds our community together, making it essentially a glorified social club where people look the same. I am not saying that Asians should not be friends with other Asians, but if an organization promotes Asian American community building, but does not have the same focus on the identity of the community, the development of the community is stunted due to the ignorance of its members.

The Asian American Student Association (AASA) represents a wide array of culture and arts groups, which in turn represent individual ethnicities. I think that these groups are great: they provide a tangible contribution to the Asian American community.

Conversely, I have a problem with the Asian American “Big Sib” program and the Asian American fraternity and sororities. These groups are not only the most socially visible groups on campus, but their focus is technically just being Asian American.

Last quarter, I attended the Asian Pacific Islander Leaders Retreat where leaders from the groups sponsored by AASA attended to discuss issues that affect the Asian American community. There seemed to be a general lack of insight in issues regarding identity and community significance, even though the Big Sib and the Greek leaders were in attendance. I see them repping their Asian American organizations with flat billed hats and letterman’s jackets, but yet they have little idea of what being Asian American is about and why it is important, which really disappoints me. Many students do not know what it means to be Asian American. They know what it means to be Japanese American, Filipino American and Korean American, but not Asian American

To me, being Asian American is being comfortable in my own skin. It is appreciating my Japanese American culture and also valuing other Asian cultures. It is empathizing and caring about the struggles and celebrating the successes of other Asian Americans. It also has to do with our battle with stereotypes and false perception. I take pride in being Asian American, and it is important to me that people understand that.

This is the attitude that the Asian American community at Stanford should exude. The community needs to educate itself and educate the campus, and I think that it starts with the Greeks and the Big Sibs.

Why do I care? I don’t want to be judged based on the color of my skin, and if the UCLA student offended you, then this is your fight, too.

 

Blair Matsuura, ‘11

 

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  • Sue Z

    The underlying fact is that there is no such thing as an “Asian American community”. A Filipino has as much in common with a Korean as they do with a Hungarian.

  • April

    What kind of BS is this?

  • Brad ’12

    @Sue Z

    But there is such a thing as an Asian American community. If you ask me it’s very apparent. Yes there are problems in the pan-Asianism, but because of that, people of all types of Asian American backgrounds share a common struggle. We share the same stereotypes simply because society has projected them onto us. Many people assume our cultures are the same if not similar. These are the problems many of us face. Within the Asian American community– we face more specific problems and have different cultures but it is because of societal perceptions that we face them. Please don’t discount the Asian American community because of the many very different cultures–It does exist. I for one identify more as Asian American than Vietnamese because I have lived in California my whole life and because I shared a common struggle as my Asian American friends and because I am so often grouped into to the Asian American community regardless of if I want it or not.

  • Jackie

    – AASA core has strong Asian Greek representation, and both past and present co-chairs have served as presidents of the same Greek organizations you attack.
    – To state that Asian Greeks “have little idea of what being Asian American is about and why it is important, which really disappoints me” is insulting. Everyone has his/her own definition of cultural identity, and I’m certain that no one has asked for your approval of their perspective.
    – Greek organizations do actually hold numerous events throughout the year to “educate themselves and the campus” about Asian cultures and issues — you simply may not have attended any of the movie screenings, panels, AADP typing drives, or charity events to have noticed.
    – It’s arguable that you learn more about other cultures from your friend group than you do by attending any panel or conference.

    I find it hugely ironic that your piece about community unity seems to only call out and alienate members of the same community. Good work.

  • David Ngo

    Dear Blair,

    I am writing a response to your article because I believe you are mistaken in some of your arguments. I also believe you are subject to the same stereotypes and false perception that you mentioned we should all battle against.

    I agree that AASA and similar groups are great because “they provide a tangible contribution to the Asian American Community.” These individuals who make up these groups do represent “individual ethnicities,” eliciting a “wide array of culture and arts groups.”

    However, I do not agree with your assertions about the AASIB (“Big Sib”) program and the Asian American fraternity and sororities: I believe you are mistaken in your premises. You say that you “have a problem with the Asian American “Big Sib” program and the Asian American fraternity and sororities.” In other words, you have a problem with AANSOC Big Sib/Little Sib Program, Lambda Phi Epsilon Fraternity, alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, and Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority because we “have little idea of what being Asian American is about and why it is important, which really disappoints [you].”

    To make it clear, to be Asian American, according to your definition [I’m sure that it is not limited to only the following]:
    - “Being comfortable in [our] own skin.”
    - “Appreciating our [Insert Asian ethnicity here] American culture.”
    - “Valuing other Asian cultures.”
    - “Emphasizing and caring about the struggles and celebrating the successes of other Asian Americans.”
    - “Battl[ing] with stereotypes and false perception.
    - “Taking pride in being Asian American, and it is important to [us] that people understand that.”

    According to you, “this is the attitude that the Asian American community at Stanford should exude. The community needs to educate itself and educate the campus, and I think that it starts with the Greeks and the Big Sibs.”

    Please, correct me if I am wrong.

    I will only comment on your stereotypes and false perceptions of the AASIB program and Lambda Phi Epsilon, Inc Fraternity because I believe my personal membership in both will have the most merit. Firstly, all Big Sibs and Little Sibs are comfortable in their own skin because they are willing to come together outside of formal events to bond—to include one another as a part of not only the Asian American Community, but also to include each other as a part of the Stanford Community. Secondly, each family is probably composed of many Asian ethnicities. Two of my little sibs are highly involved in SUN, a Japanese-American organization. Together as a Big Sibs and Little Sibs, we value each other. We value each other’s Asian Culture. Thirdly, we also emphasize the struggles and successes of other Asian Americans. My entire sib family came out to support Lambda Phi Epsilon’s Bi-Annual Bone Marrow Typing Drive because minorities, especially Asians, are misrepresented. This debunks your third claim. Fourthly, battling stereotypes and false perceptions is also done throughout the entire AASIB program. We see each others as not only Asians, but also as people. Families do not discriminate against white, black, or certain Asian ethnicities. AASIB program is open to all races, though it does have an Asian-American focus. Lastly, if we did not take pride in being Asian American, why would we join an AASIB family? We do public events in which all families come together, in which we would be seen by other people. We are proud. And because of that, we are writing against your seemingly contradictory claims, false perceptions, and your own stereotyping.

    Allow me to now talk about Lambda Phi Epsilon, a Greek organization that “ha[s] little idea of what being Asian American is about.” I have class soon and I have to eat lunch, so I will simply list out my arguments.
    - We are comfortable in our own skin. We are so comfortable that we wear “flat billed hats and letterman’s jackets.”
    - Brothers of Lambda Phi Epsilon past/present have been involved in KSA, SVSA, UCCA, AIM, AASIB, AAWP (Asian American Wellness Program—this is new, have you heard about it?), Alliance,
    - We emphasize and care about the struggles and success of other Asian Americans by supporting the other Asian American organizations that our members partake in. Also, we host our Bi-Annual Bone Marrow Typing Drive to increase minorities, especially Asian Americans, in the registry because we care about the lives of others, not limited to Asian Americans.
    - We are currently all battling against your false perception and stereotypes of us.
    - We are taking pride of who we are. We joined an *Asian American Interest* fraternity. And it is important—it is important that you understand that.

    I believe this further debunks your false claims about Lambda Phi Epsilon—the only Asian American Interest fraternity on campus.

    Concluding with a quote from your article: “These [AASIB, Asian American Greek Fraternity and Sororities] groups are not only the most socially visible groups on campus, but their focus is technically just being Asian American.” But, [we] do not know what it means to be Asian American. [We] know what it means to be Japanese American, Filipino American and Korean American, but not Asian American.” So our focus is “technically just being Asian American”, but we do not know what it means to be Asian American? Also, it seems that your only evidence of AASIB, Lambda Phi Epsilon, alpha Kappa Delta Phi, and Sigma Psi Zeta is based on our participation of last quarter’s Asian Pacific Islander Leaders Retreat. Perhaps some of us were in a very low part of our lives and did not feel like contributing as much as you, or others?
    My name is David Ngo, a 2nd year, a Big Sib, a mentor of Asian American Wellness Program, and a Brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon Fraternity (Asian-American Interest Fraternity). And like you, I take pride of being Asian American. Also like you, the UCLA girl offended me, and so did you. Oh, and also I do not want to be judged based on the color of my skin, neither my “fitted” hats, nor my type of jacket.

    Thank you for reading.

  • S. Lam

    In your critique of Stanford’s Asian American community you state that

    “To me, being Asian American is being comfortable in my own skin. It is appreciating my Japanese American culture and also valuing other Asian cultures. It is empathizing and caring about the struggles and celebrating the successes of other Asian Americans. It also has to do with our battle with stereotypes and false perception. I take pride in being Asian American, and it is important to me that people understand that.”

    I’m not sure about you but I have seen and witnessed all of that more than just once in my short time here. I’m unsure of how you can go through 4 years at Stanford and come to a conclusion that what you list doesn’t happen on campus. Your definition of being an Asian American seems to not point out anything other than just combating social injustices and just being comfortable, which can apply to any cultural group, not just Asian Americans. Your op-ed piece leaves much to be desired in defining what being an Asian American is, which makes your points to be shallow to me.

    And when it comes to clothing, its an individual expression that speaks of the person not of the group.

  • Vang

    Blair,

    There are so many things wrong with this letter that I do not have time to address at this time. But let me ask you just one question.

    Have you held yourself to that standard of education and justice that you speak of?

    Sure you are “comfortable” in your own skin, “appreciate” your Japanese American culture, “value” other Asian cultures, “empathize” and “care” about the struggles and “celebrate” the successes of other Asian Americans and “take pride” in being Asian American. But that doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t actually DONE something. All I see from you are “intangibles” and yet you have the audacity to accuse others of apathy, inaction, and ignorance?

  • Sam W.

    It seems to me that this is more an emotional piece based on your own feelings rather than an actual argument because the logic is extremely flawed. Your argument tries to be something like this:

    P1. The Asian American community does not embody what it means to be truly “Asian American” (especially in regards to certain segments of the population, such as Asian Greek Organizations)
    P2. These are my attitudes for what being an Asian American is.
    P3. I am an Asian American
    P4. I believe my attitudes for being Asian American are right.
    Therefore: I believe the Asian American community would do better if they followed my attitudes and values.

    Not even evaluating the validity of your premises and conclusion, I would say that this piece came across as extremely pretentious and judgmental.

  • Kevin Xu

    Interesting piece Blair, I think I felt something similar to what you’re trying to get at but my views have definitely changed. I am currently studying abroad in Beijing and am more proud than ever of my Asian-American culture. And it’s distinctively “Asian-American”.

    It is a race in and of itself, not purely American nor Asian. I found I never fit in in either one group but felt the most comfortable being with other Asian-Americans because of the fact that we grew up with many similar interests.

    I applaud the work of sites like TheOtherAsians http://theotherasians.com/ for telling the world, “hey, we’re just people too” and I feel will be pushing for a more equal future.

  • Tommy

    It’s actually quite funny that you decided to address the current standing of the Asian American community based off of the events of Alexandria Wallace. That video was an illustration of how ignorant (and I think we can all agree on she wasn’t intentionally being offensive) people can be when they don’t view and understand perspectives from both sides. Ironically, you are doing the exact same by making such ignorant statements about the Big Sib/Asian Greek community when it’s clear you haven’t taken the time to understand what they have done to promote and benefit the Asian American community at Stanford.

    It does not make sense to emphasize “our” battle with stereotypes and false perception when you clearly make a judgmental and biased comment yourself on the Big Sib and the Greek leaders (and in turn, the entire Asian Greek community) by arguing these guys “with [their] flat billed hats and letterman’s jackets” have no idea what it means to be an Asian American — based off of one retreat.

  • Jessica

    The Latino community would probably not say it has more commonality in religion, language, and immigrant history than the Asian community. They are just as diverse as the Asian community. They all come from different countries, backgrounds, languages, traditions, and history. While Blair is entitled to his opinion, the assumptions and generalizations this article makes are seriously flawed.

  • Aaron

    People are mad because he called out certain groups, but in actuality he is speaking on behalf of what it means to be Asian American. It may be his own experience or experience of others he has spoken with, but the fact of the matter is he is identifying a major issue that can only be changed by the youth (Stanford Students).

    On the other hand, what do the Stanford Asian Americans do? I personally have no idea, but if it leans towards fundraising for issues (not parties), community organizing and education, than I have no problem with these organizations. Is that the case?

    Also, if each ethnic group identifies with there native origin such as Filipino, Japanese, or Chinese American, instead of Asian American, why do universities create clubs or organizations based around Asian Americans?

    Finally, I would like to say that Blair showed backbone for producing this piece and should be considered as a booster to the organizations at Stanford, instead of a attack. Shouldn’t these organizations be going into Asian American communities, tackling Asian American issues, and producing Asian American counter hegemony? I think so.

    No History No Self. Know History Know Self.

  • Grad Student

    Coming from a different APA environment, I will support Blair’s comments. While yes, these things all excite on the Stanford campus, the APA community doesn’t live and breathe on the concept of identity. While he has been incorrect to call out the Greek communities since they perhaps understand the importance of being Asian American, the rest of the organizations don’t tackle the underlying questions that lie in the face of Asian American every day.

    He is absolutely correct that the API community cannot be driven entirely by AZN Pride alone. I too have been to the API leader retreats and Blair’s description has been kind. The APA community should consider a deep reevaluation of what it is suppose to represent.

  • Response to Aaron

    “On the other hand, what do the Stanford Asian Americans do? I personally have no idea, but if it leans towards fundraising for issues (not parties), community organizing and education, than I have no problem with these organizations. Is that the case?”

    To answer your question, Stanford Asian Americans have had a long history of activism with a number of issues, including the campaigns against racist Abercrombie & Fitch clothing and overseas sweatshops, to the protests against unfair lay-offs and firings of workers, education on domestic violence and depression, promotion of bone marrow registration etc., etc. Every winter, AASA (Asian American Students’ Association) holds the annual “Listen to the Silence” conference, which addresses a wide variety of different issues facing the Asian American community. There are hundreds of attendees from all across the nation who come together to find ways to address these important issues including immigration, poverty, educational disparities, etc., etc. So yes, Stanford Asian Americans have a long, long history of education and activism.

    “Also, if each ethnic group identifies with there native origin such as Filipino, Japanese, or Chinese American, instead of Asian American, why do universities create clubs or organizations based around Asian Americans?”

    As Brad noted above, some students do feel more strongly connected to an Asian American identity, as opposed to Filipino, Japanese identity, etc. Once there’s a large enough mass with a good enough purpose (the university will decide this), a group can form. It’s as simple as that. Note however that these identities are not mutually exclusive. Students are constantly exploring multiple identities. Many members of AASA are also members of AASA’s sub-groups, which consists of all the specific ethnic groups.

    “Finally, I would like to say that Blair showed backbone for producing this piece and should be considered as a booster to the organizations at Stanford, instead of a attack.”

    No, I think it’s more of an INSULT than a “booster” for Blair to tell students what he thinks they should be doing — and that they’re somehow wrong if they aren’t. Of course every group on campus needs improvement in one way or another, but they should be allowed to decide for themselves what their purpose is, not what Blair thinks it should be.

    That brings me to my last point. What has Blair done to benefit the Asian American community? Answer that well and his opinion may have more weight, or else that’s all it is, an opinion.

  • Masaru

    Here’s something to think about. AASA is the umbrella organization, but I think few of the members of its constituent groups also consider themselves AASA members. Most of us just see ourselves as members of our own one or more ethnic clubs and AASA remains this group that we all know exists but don’t really know what it does nor care to get involved with. That’s obviously a generalization and I know a lot of the more involved people in individual groups are also heavily involved with AASA, but my point is that the less committed members of SUN, for example, often have nothing to do with AASA, which it could be argued may be the place to push the Asian-American over [your own group]-American issues.

  • Phoenix

    http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/03/30/letter-to-the-editor-113/

    If you’re interested in hearing another perspective on this issue, this letter responds to many of the points Blair brought up.

  • Response Op-Ed
  • Kiyoshi

    I think the aim of Blair’s op-ed was to open discussion for what it really means to be Asian American. I hope that once people can get over the possibly unfounded accusations and inflammatory language, a real discussion can be had about the issue of where the Asian American Community came from, where it’s going and the state of Asian American identity at Stanford.

    I’ll start :)

    I too am concerned that the purpose of the “Asian American Community” created in the 1960s and 70s has seemed to have been forgotten in the Asian American Community here at Stanford. The “Asian American Community” is completely a construct of the 1960s and 70s, invented by largely 3rd generation Asian Americans on college campuses, and that is fact (see http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/aa_intro.htm for a brief intro if you are unfamiliar with this). Prior to this, not only was there no Asian American Community, the different groups often downright hated each other. They were not united, fighting the same fight. A good example of this is when the Japanese were sent to internment camps, the Chinese and Filipinos wore buttons saying “I am Chinese” and “I am Filipino” and stood by watching as 2nd generation Asian American Citizens were stripped of their constitutional rights. Why? Because there was no Asian America. It was not their fight. Whether your family was here for that time or not, as Asian Americans we owe the Asian American movement for creating a cohesive community and for that they are worth remembering and knowing about. If you want evidence that this is still relevant, or if you are saying to yourself “I’m Asian American because I’m Asian, and American,” think about why AASA (which was formed, not coincidentally, at the same time as the Asian American Movement) does not have a significant Iranian and Pakistani constituent, or why AASA isn’t called ESSAASA (East, Southeast, and South Asian American Student’s Association). It’s because the original coalition of the Asian American Movement was between the Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino communities of the time (and later expanded to include Southeast and South Asians).

    The link above gives a nice list of issues the “Asian American Community” was formed to fight against: “racist hiring practices, biased school curricula, demeaning media stereotypes, residential discrimination, and the gentrification of historically Asian American neighborhoods”. It’s worth taking a moment to compare those to the current issues of the Asian American Community and appreciating how far we’ve come.

    What is the common struggle today? I scratched my head when I saw the under-representation of minorities in Bone Marrow registries as an example of an important Asian American issue today. If that is our “common struggle”, it seems a bit insulting to those that came before us, and what they fought for. The list “Response to Aaron” posted is also very nice, but most of those are not necessarily Asian American issues, or are not presented to the community (including in this list) as an Asian American issue. Take Domestic Violence for example. Asian Americans actually have the lowest rate of (reported) domestic violence among all ethnic groups. This is a very Asian American issue because this is likely due to gross under-reporting of incidences by Asian Americans, but without going to the events all I see is support for a general issue not specific to Asian Americans.

    I think an issue here is that compared to what the Asian American Community set out to do originally, recent activities seem to be of smaller scale, with less noticeable results, and at times less unique to the Asian American experience. This is not necessarily a problem, but I do think it is important to be acknowledged and discussed. Are there still problems of the same gravity today?

    I think Listen to the Silence is a great example of something the Asian American Community at Stanford is doing to promote awareness of Asian American issues. As an Asian American on campus though, I agree with Blair that the Asian American fraternities and sororities are the most socially visible “Asian American” presence on campus, and it would be great if they used their presence to bring more campus awareness to issues along the same vein as those addressed at LTS more often. I would venture to say that the gap between the issues presented at LTS, and the campus awareness of actions taken during the rest of the year is fairly large. Hopefully in the future this gap can be narrowed.

    I think another issue that Blair did not raise, is the involvement of the diverse members of the Asian American Community, particularly 4th gen vs. 1st/2nd gen. I think this in itself is an Asian American Issue worth discussing. The experience of 4th gen Japanese/Chinese Americans (who tend to be descendants of poor, uneducated laborers) is very different, from that of 1st/2nd gen Chinese/Japanese/Korean Americans (who tend to be the children of educated professionals), which is very different from that of 1st/2nd gen Southeast Asians (who tend to be the children of uneducated laborers). What is the makeup of the active “Asian American Community” here at Stanford in terms of those three groups? What is the makeup of the ethnically Asian population at Stanford? If there is a difference (which I think there is), why is that so?

    I hope the Asian American Community thinks about and discusses these things freely, and I hope that those who feel wronged by Blair’s article can at least accept that he cares about the issues of being Asian American and can productively discuss any differences in opinion.

    P.S. If you say you celebrate the struggles of other Asian Americans, but you can’t tell me what Executive Order 9066 was, or what a Paper Son/Daughter is, I’m not convinced you do.

  • Phoenix

    Looking through your list Kiyoshi, you bring up great points to discuss. There are tons of valid Asian American issues that could be promoted, and you rightly point out that the ones being pursued today, at Stanford campus, are different than the ones pursued in the past by our predecessors and the ones pursued by people at other places. I agree with you that the changes of issues shows how much as a community we have progressed.

    The thing is, discussion is not going to happen if people feel judged or unfairly discriminated against. Or if it does, that discussion is going to by stymied by the desire for those who feel discriminated against to argue and defend their positions. Your post, which calls for discussion and positive communication, ironically judges other people’s positions and causes, albeit less directly and obviously than Blair’s article.

    While you might not find the Lambda Phi Epsilon, the AADP, or the Cammy Lee Leukemia Foundation’s shared mission of increasing the Asian American representation in the National Bone Marrow Registry to be important enough to warrant it being an “Asian American issue,” I and many others disagree. It’s a serious problem when being Asian ethnically was once a virtual death sentence if you happened to get leukemia, whereas the majority of Caucasians survived. Because of the thousands of hours of work put in by thousands of people over the years, that issue has become less of a problem–but there are still large misconceptions about bone marrow donation in the Asian American and Asian communities, and people of Asian descent are still much more likely to die due to lack of donors on the registry than Caucasians. A matter of life or death qualifies in my book as an Asian American issue, especially one so solvable.

    You think LTS is something great that helps bring issues pertinent to the Asian American community to the forefront. I agree–it’s a worthwhile conference that brings up issues which are largely unknown to a majority of people. Unfortunately, it’s not a very well attended conference, at least in my opinion. I think that if the Asian Greeks at Stanford helped publicize the conference and attended it themselves, the conference would reach more people. Now whether the onus is on the LTS staff to invite Asian Greek participation, or if the Asian Greeks should proactively offer to help is a pretty pointless argument. The fact is that it doesn’t get as much support as it could (and possibly should) from the Asian Greeks here. It’d be nice to make that happen. This article and finger pointing won’t make that happen.

    At the end of the day, there are tons of different issues that could be pursued that would help out our community. There is only a limited amount of time in each of our days’ and a limited amount of energy we are all willing to expend. You seem to prioritize certain things over others, and that’s your opinion. I have my own opinion. What’s important to realize here is that the energy expended by all people in our community, whether Asian American student, teacher, staff, Greek, or simply person, is being put into something they are passionate about. It’ll all help. And if someone thinks their cause is important but someone else does not, that is nowhere near a justifiable reason to attack their contributions in that area and lack of contributions in another area as evidence showing a lack of Asian American awareness or care.

    I think you’re onto the right point about discussion. Now if only we can all discuss openly and without pointless judgmental behavior.

    -A Brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon

    P.S. We don’t all know everything. Shall I claim you don’t celebrate the struggles of other Asian Americans if you don’t know about every issue that has plagued the Vietnamese Americans since they first arrived in the US? A person’s desire to learn about important struggles counts much more with me than if they just happen to be a walking encyclopedia of Asian American issues / past struggles but don’t truly care.

  • Kiyoshi

    I apologize for my judgement of positions and causes, that is indeed a personal opinion, and likely the reason I remained an apathetic Asian during my time at Stanford, avoiding the Asian American Community here.
    I wish some of the other comments had taken the time to be as well thought out as yours, Phoenix. I agree with everything you said, including the P.S.
    Ignorance of ignorance is what I saw in some of the comments above, and I hope some of that is now dispelled.

  • Ay-K

    Phoenix you bring up great points, and I also agree that discussion is required on a non-judgemental basis. The fact of the matter is, every one here has brought up great points and opinions to the discussion on what it means to be Asian American and what they believe are the most important matters to them.

    And no one is wrong. In the end of the day, when I look in the dictionary to find the meaning of Asian American, I see no list of what someone must be to qualify as an Asian American. It is a simple label (of no harm) to classify the ethnic make up of the peoples within that group. I am a Korean (born in Korea, actually) but consider myself Asian American because I have grown up and live with other asians, in america. It’s as simple as that. Specific ethnic history and culture is also relevant is not necessary to know very well (of course I’m not opposed to being aware of one’s history, that is only beneficial) to be an Asian American in my opinion, and here’s why:

    In my opinion, which I would like to discuss, being Asian American has nothing to do with similar upbringings, socio-economic status, family values, or whatever other stereotypical value you can think of. As much as the “asian” part is there, there is an “american” part. We are just as much American, and just as diverse as any group of americans as any other. And we are asian because of our history, where we originally come from, and possibly household we live in. My story is one that starts from the ghettos of Baltimore City, predominantly black and poor, yet this does not make me any less asian. I am semi-fluent in Korean, and know my history fairly well, along with coming from a very culturally conservative background. And just because of these things, I am no less american nor any more asian. I believe there is such a wide arrange of stories and composites of the Asian Americans here and any where else, that it is somewhat ignorant to expect us to all have the same ideals or same goals. What Phoenix says is true and one thing that is important to a person can be completely different than anothers most important issue. If Blair’s issue is wanting raise awareness and effort amongst all asian americans than that is fine. My issue was with his thinking that suddenly someone is less of an asian american because they do not work for the same things.

    I’ll be honest, in no way do I make strides towards issues that Blair or Kiyoshi have stated. Not in the precise ways that they suggested. Something that is extremely important to me is integration. I would like to graduate Stanford saying, oh yea I had many friends in lots of organizations, I learned a lot about this persons specific ethnicity through interactions with them, and I as an Asian American am more aware of the diversity that is the community of Asians in America. I also don’t think that Koreans should just mingle with Koreans, or Japanese with Japanese, or Vietnamese with just Vietnamese, and Filipinos with Filipinos. And one way that I can proudly say I have worked towards my belief is by taking part, in any way, of being part of many of these groups. Whether through performing for culture shows, attending meetings of various groups, going out to events held by certain cultural organizations, or even simply eating at a table with predominantly one organizations members, I believe I am working hard towards meeting and being a part of the Asian community.

    As a member of a greek organization, I felt personally attacked with Blair’s Op-Ed albeit my efforts to be involved in the Asian American community at Stanford in what I believed was most important to me. Especially since one of the main reasons I have been able to fulfill my desires as an Asian American was due to the Greek organization, Lambda Phi Epsilon, that I am a part of.

    Although I do agree that there are many things for the Asian American community to work on (No organization is perfect, there is always room for growing and improving), it is key to remember that we are all INDIVIDUALS of a group. Working for the group’s best interests are important, but so is looking out for ourselves and what each of us wants to get out of a community. That is what being Asian American or being part of any group of people strives on: the individuality of its members and the many different contributions each member can bring to make the whole better.

    If anything, I hope that the individual voices on this thread will go to show that indeed many Asians Americans here at Stanford are unified. We will individually feel attacked when the community and especially when certain groups are specifically pointed out without much awareness on someone’s end. That is the real reason why Miss Wallace was met with such disgruntlement. Because she knew nothing about the language differences, about the family dedication to come visit their children, about the emotional suffering and unity that resulted in the Japanese earthquake/tsunami… yet she decided to call us out on these specific things.

    For future reference, I do advise not to call the Asian American Community out, or Greek organizations out if you (anyone out there) knows not the specifics about them or the individuals that comprise them. People should be wary of the individuals that they may be attacking with their words. Especially since I’m one of those letterman jacket owning, fitted hat collecting individuals.

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