Chinese Amercian Presentation (WEEK 5 THOUGHTS)

Friday presentation:

Gabriel, Karlie, Alyssa

I walked in a little late so there are a few things that I missed but I walked into talking about the Vietnman War, and the entire time I was under the impression that the presentation was about Vietnamese Americans all the way up till some problematic things about Chinese Americans were being said.

Besides the first part of the presentation that was super problematic, I really enjoyed the conversation about the lack of presentation of Chinese American and Asian bodies in the media and in Sports! Truly enjoyed that!

Then the question was posed Gabriel’s part of the presentation of “would you prefer to have representation or not?” and that rubbed me the completely wrong way. Why? simple. It’s wrong and fucked up to ask POC to allow the appropriation of their culture in exchange for a half ass show that is incorrect and problematic, and its WRONG because also asks POC to be okay with, by diluting their own identity in exchange for a half ass shit. So to pose a question like so is completely utterly messed up and inherently problematic.

On the topic of problematic, the conversation of generational living within Chinese families came up and Gabriel called this cultural responsibility of family relations “trendy” because it’s becoming more common in the states that people are living with their families more. However, I totally disagree with this rhetoric because, for one, America is a country and society that focuses on individuality and the individual. In my culture and probably in many other cultures, family responsibility is something that we are told and it’s embedded into our thinking and existence and if we don’t take care of our family we are looked down upon by everyone else because our cultural societies revolve around others with ourselves, and not ourselves without others. So, I think that even if the economy was great, people from different cultures and societies will still feel family responsibility to take care of their mothers and grandmothers, etc. it isn’t a trend, its a cultural aspect that western society–America in specific has never had, and to call it “trendy” now because it’s happening in America due to capitalism which is causing unaffordable housing it isn’t even correct to call it trendy because people can’t afford to live and its in no way related to culture; besides the point, irrelevant.

In retrospect, the presentation made a lot of people uncomfortable and it should not have been this way. It is our duty as people of this program to truly open our minds and look past our own perceptions that we might have and unlearn those because sometimes, well… most of the time they might be problematic.

I wish this would’ve gone a different route, but sadly it didn’t.