Blog Post 1: Who Am I?

Posted on August 12, 2018 by by | Leave a comment
  1. In the chapter, “Who Am I?: Creating an Asian American Identity and Culture”, William Wei argues that young Asian-Americans have felt unaccepted by society. As a result, there have been a number of trials and hardships that they have undergone prior to coming together as a group with a strong knowledge and understanding of their identity. Despite being born and raised in America, many Asian-Americans hold the sentiment that they do not belong and aspire to be accepted by others, whilst understanding their roots.
  2. The author includes three major sections in this chapter in order to make his point and introduces his ideas by stating that, “Asian-Americans had to refute societal stereotypes that had degraded them…reclaim their history…and reconstruct a culture that reflected their experiences (Wei 47). This statement ties together most of what is discussed in the chapter and outlines some of the hardships that Asian-Americans underwent in order to reach the point that they are at today.
    1. Throughout the essay, the author utilizes historical examples in order to illustrate the feelings of young Asian-Americans in response to their portrayal in the media. The examples of these problems and the actions taken by the Asian-Americans themselves are the primary way that the author is able to support their claim. For instance, in the section titled “Refuting Stereotypes”, Wei describes “racial stereotypes that have portrayed Asians as a ‘special’ species…but rarely as humans” (Wei 48). Thoughts such as this one had caused misconceptions and rumors to rise about Asian-Americans, which in turn lead to the formation of many insecurities and confusion within the community itself. Asian-Americans were becoming confused about their own identity due to the way they saw themselves in the media, whilst the general American public was formulating a false view of what Asians and Asian-Americans were like. The expectations of this caricatured identity had only worsened over time by being perpetuated in the media, causing Asian-American groups such as the “Asian Americans for a Fair Media (AAFM)”, to form and focus on “coordinating protests against racism in the media” (Wei 51).
  3. One of the main keywords that the author introduces in this chapter is, “stereotypes”, which are “essentially false images that obscure the complexity and diversity that is an inherent feature of Asian-Americans as well as other people” (Wei 50). This concept plays a major role in the chapter as it is the basis for most of the prejudice that Asian-Americans face.
  4. In AsianAm 53, I learned about the concept of racial triangulation, which is the first connection that I can make to this chapter. The theory compares Whites, Blacks and Asian Americans in society and illustrates the differences between them on the scale of being superior/inferior and being a foreigner/insider in the country. The image (found below) shows the root of the feeling of “otherness” that comes from not being fully accepted by society, as Asian-Americans are ultimately viewed as foreigners. This has lead to Asian-Americans having to take charge in order to own their identity and create bonds with one another.
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