The biggest theme of this story is about cultural differences; is it always a bad thing or a good thing? Or can it can be both? Throughout history, we have seen or heard about extremely horrible events such as wars, genocides, slavery, etc., which at the heart of these issues are mainly rooted in differences between different people who can't seem to “get along.” In this context of cultural differences, people in different cultures might not be able to get along well and this might lead to racism (Others vs. Asians) or self-haltered (within the Asian communities). Based on this reading, I can resonate with the author’s attitude towards his father, where he is conflicted between loving and hating his father.
When I was 9 years old, it was the worse year of my life because I had to immigrate to California. It was a huge life transition, mainly because the mini me was forced to change, to become someone completely different, different from my parents; this reason had made the teenage me viewed my parents as backward, ignorant, inferior, etc., just like how most white people viewed all Asian Americans. I would like to label this mentality as brainwash or as internalized racism here! In my head, I thought that if I become more Americanized and shame those who are not then I would get some sort of reward or acceptance from “Americans.” (I’m not just talking about whites here since I did not live in a middle-class white neighborhood, but Mexican Americans & Blacks, specifically those who are also brainwashed like me)
When I was 9 years old, it was the worse year of my life because I had to immigrate to California. It was a huge life transition, mainly because the mini me was forced to change, to become someone completely different, different from my parents; this reason had made the teenage me viewed my parents as backward, ignorant, inferior, etc., just like how most white people viewed all Asian Americans. I would like to label this mentality as brainwash or as internalized racism here! In my head, I thought that if I become more Americanized and shame those who are not then I would get some sort of reward or acceptance from “Americans.” (I’m not just talking about whites here since I did not live in a middle-class white neighborhood, but Mexican Americans & Blacks, specifically those who are also brainwashed like me)
Based on the discrimination I have faced as a kid and growing up as one of the very few Asians, I felt really pressured to assimilate, thinking that that was the only solution (the notion of hegemony had just popped up in my head). However, after I got involved with a student-run organization called Californians for Justice back in high school, I got to learn more about the issues within my community and grass-root organization. The knowledge I have obtained from this involvement had really changed my mentality about the solutions for racism, which is not for minorities to completely assimilate into the American culture but to resist it.
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