Blog Post Week 2: Assimilation by Lisa Park

Posted on August 13, 2018 by by | 1 Comment
  1. In the article “Assimilation” by Lisa Sun-Hee Park, the idea of what exactly the word assimilation means comes in to question. Definition as stated by the dictionary is: “take in (information, ideas, or culture) and understanding fully” (pg.14). Park’s unease towards this definition along with other critiques like Du Bois is due to the lack of history the word omits. One key aspect the article articulates very well is within a specific time frame in history where assimilation towards whiteness diminishes the minority groups like Blacks, Latinos, and as accentuated, the Asians. Park’s argument is that assimilation is a problem and does deeper into how big of a problem it is.
  2. In Park’s article the repetitive question “assimilation into what?” suggest the growing problem that minority groups are in a way being forced to assimilate or begin being just like the whites of America. (pg.16) And although others like Robert E. Park view “assimilation as a solution” (pg.14), Lisa quickly rebuttals that claim. She quickly proves that the behaviors of minority groups give great insight to the downsides of assimilation. For example, the statistic that “37% of all recent Asian-American brides who wed a non-Asian groom” (pg.16) shows the Asian minority trying to assimilate with the whites whether it is in be part of a “white” relationship, get a high education, or be part of a white society/community/neighborhood. Although these benefits for Asian-Americans are good the problem continues as Park suggests these qualities later hurt minorities in the sense of what is called ‘model minority’. Park argues that “model minority does not imply full citizenship rights but, rather, a secondary set of rights reserved for particular minorities who ’behave’ appropriately”. (pg.17) And this is true as Asian-Americans are put into a high pedestal, being praising for their intellect, work ethic, and financial progress up the pyramid of life gained through the assimilation with the whites although this qualities can only be applied to part and not the entire Asian-American population.
  3. As the article’s title suggests the word assimilation is one key word. The curiosity of what it is serves as the basis to further dig up how this word affects minority people in the different areas of life. The introduction of this words also serves as a path way to bring up the concept of “model minority.” Model minority is the concept that minority groups who satisfy the white-standard requirements of success is a representation of an entire minority group despite it being only applicable to a curtain portion of the minority group.
  4. In the article “Moving The Image: Asian American Independent filmmaking 1970-1990)” by Renee Tajim, the author mainly portrayed how Asian Americans in the filmmaking industry made a name for themselves through the creation of documentaries and over the course self-improvements in filming techniques. The starting point of the industry for Asians was limited. They faced a small consumer audience and had very different ideas on filmmaking with the mainstream white media. The point here isn’t much about how Asians assimilated with the white customs of filmmaking but much rather how, by not doing so, Asians’ self-charge of the situation lead to a great deal of success. The Asians’ success was due to one the frame works of Asian American cinema: “created by a people bound by 1) race; 2) interlocking cultural and historical relations; 3) a common experience of western domination.” (pg.12) This one key framework Tajim states complements Park’s argument. It shows that through the integration of races not only do filmmakers succeed as the Asian American filmmakers found out, but the idea rises of the possibility that if Asian filmmakers were to assimilate to the mainstream of white filmmaking what struggles would they end up facing?                Another quick connection to Tajim’s work is the statement that Asian American filmmakers, though on the rise in the filmmaking industry, struggled to get grants, network access, or even jobs. This reinforces the model minority concept. During the 1980’s some (not most) Asian filmmakers were highly successful and due to this, a high expectation was state to Asian filmmakers, a trait applied to all Asian filmmakers through the use of “model minority.” Asians in a way set the example now but as previously stated Asian filmmaker struggled to get help being treated as secondary class people while whites were easily met with opportunities.
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