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Of all minority groups in the United States, Asians have the unenviable distinction of having the least amount of political clout, though we are often viewed as the “model” minority. What this means is that Asians are the ideal minorities; they generally get good grades in school, they work hard and most importantly, they don’t make a large outcry in the face of discrimination. This would explain why Asians are still considered second-class citizens in the United States, the eternal foreigners. The experience shared by almost every American born Asian is being asked, “Hey, you’re pretty good at English, where are you from?” When they explain that they’re from Chicago, LA, Topeka, the questioner inevitably follows up with, “No, I mean, where are you really from?”

When Asians protest against racism in our college campuses (Catch an illegal immigrant day at a prominent Texas university), online (Facebook groups such as, “People Who Hate all asians That Talk With Each Other In There Chingy-chang-chong Shit”), on the radio (New York City’s Hot 97’s infamous “Tsunami Skit”), and even on clothes (Abercrombie and Fitch), in movies (Channing Tatum, a white former model, playing Genghis Khan in yellow face) everybody else just shakes their heads and turns the situation around by accusing us of being too sensitive. Let’s think about it this way, if any of these had been aimed towards the blacks or the Latinos, there would have been a greater outcry. These incidents would be all over the news with Rev. Jesse Jackson in the frontlines demanding justice. More often than not, there would be apologies and restitutions. But what about us? Why do we only get head shakes and smirking glances?

Part of the reasoning behind this is that we are culturally conditioned to look the other way, to avoid unpleasantness. Most of the people of my (2nd) generation grew up with immigrant parents and, if those people lived around here (Chicago), chances are, those parents owned a drycleaners. For people who are self-employed and working in the service industry, it’s important they don’t do anything to antagonize their clientele. Therefore, if a customer makes a fuss, soothe her ruffled feathers. Keep your business, your family, and yourself safe by keeping your head down and ignoring the things that don’t concern you.

Another reason for this imbalance is that Asian Americans are too divided by ethnicity and economic background. Each ethnic group believes they have suffered more than the next so when it comes time for them to unify, they can’t. There is too much baggage in their pasts that can’t be left behind so easily. Unfortunately, there are prejudices that some ethnic groups have against those of another ethnic group. For example, the Chinese and Koreans are generally hostile to and distrustful of the Japanese, while Southeast Asians, as a group are usually looked upon with disfavor by East Asians. Then there is economic prejudice which cuts across racial lines. No matter what race you are, if you are poor, you’ll be looked down upon by the affluent.

To be Asian in America is to walk a fine line between assimilation and rejection. It’s a popular belief that, in order to succeed, minorities must assimilate into the dominant culture. Theoretically, this is a sound move. After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? Unfortunately, assimilation involves ridding oneself of any reminders that one is not white. This may involve any accent, method of dress, cultural practices, food and maybe even religion.

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