Class Film

I thought that the movie we watched in class was very interesting. The woman doing the play was very good at changing who she was but she did get a little annoying at times. The overall subject of the film was very informative about what was happening at this time. I wish I could remember this going on but I was on 6 years old at the time. I didn’t know that tensions got that high, I would never have felt safe in LA at those times.

What the police did to Rodney King was disgusting and something that should never happen to a person. It looked like he had a tazor in him at the time he was getting beat. A tazor shot alone is enough to take someone down and subdue him or her. What we do not see is what happened before the camera started rolling, their could have been a struggle. But under no circumstances should someone be beat like that. NO JUSTICE NO PEACE was what they said and they meant it. I notice that I use the word “They” like it was used in the movie. When the verdict was read I think everyone knew that riots were going to take place. What I do not get is their are attacks on innocent people who have nothing to do with the trial. When the narrator was acting like one of the co-assailants who attacked Reginal Denny, she said something about being compared in the same lights as MLK and Malcom X. I don’t know if he actually said that but I wrote it down in my notes and put in big letters BULL SHIT right next to it. MLK used no violent protests to get his point across. Malcom X may have not been as peaceful but he did not attack innocent people. I’ve seen the video before of Mr.Denny getting hit with the brick and every time I watch the man who threw it dance in street like it was a victory. It shows you how low man kind can be at times.The video definitely shows you how racial tensions can be infuriated with a few incidents.

Gangsters Gooks Geishas and Geeks

I am not sure if I am posting about the right topic but I wanted to blog about the Miss Saigon piece. On Page 130 the section reads: Ultimately, the battle over Miss Saigon, which began over yellowface and painful stereotyped images of Asains, ended as a struggle over jobs, casting and creative expression. You just get a  feeling of an elder Asain American being mad that  their people are speaking up. They feel as if there is an outcry that the rest of the people will suffer. It is like they are blind to what is going on and what their entire population is enduring. It is an argument that can be solved so easily. Asain Americans should play the role of Asain Americans. Your destroying the self esteem of thousands of young Asain Americans by not letting them play the parts of their own people.

Reading Chapter 3

So far in this class we have been building on different concepts to define Asian Americans.  This reading was very similar to what we have been discussing. This chapter discussed grassroots as well as the community activism. Grassroots is such a great word to use when talking about this chapter. When I think of grassroots I think of grass growing which starts at the roots. Asian Americans are trying to define themselves and when they look at their heritage they start at the very beginning. Just like many people in the class the Vincent Chin section r really stood out. I could not believe it took so long to make news. If that was a white person or a black person that would be all over the news. In my opinion children should be taught racial diversity and the importance of accepting everyone. To kill someone because your out of a job is a disgraceful excuse. Asian Americans are known for being hard dedicated workers and that is something we should respect and applaud. This racism against Asian Americans is something that is swept under the rug until something bad happens. After the Vincent Chin incident the Asian American community came together and formed the American Citizens for Justice. This showed the community involvement and how important it is to come together and make change for the better.

Contemporary Asian America “A Multidisciplinary Reader”

The 1980’s was a very important decade for the Asian American Movement. The 1980’s saw the movement of Asian Americans into the suburbs with mostly white families. The 80’s also the largest enrollment of Asian Americans into colleges in the United States. The most important accomplishment of the Asian American’s and their contributions to the political system. Key figures emerged and changes started being made.

I chose to write about the 1980s and Asian Americans. This was the first reading that we were given that talked about the positives of the Asian American Movement. During the 1980s there was the largest enrollment of Asian Americans in colleges in the United States. Asian Americans started moving into the suburbs that was known for white familiies. Also Asian Americans started making progress into the political system for the first time. Asian Americans also started to try and solve problems that were going on in there home lands.

One Quote that really stuck out to me was, “Asian Americans in  contrast to other people  in America- have survived adversity and advanced because of their emphasis on education and family values, their community cohesion and other aspects of their cultural heritage.” I thought this was a brutally honest statement and I feel that the Asian American community should be proud of the progress they have made. They have built their progress on the foundation of family values which then strengthened the community. It is like a positive domino effect that was very important to the Asian American Movement.

Minor Re/visions By Morris Young

Minor Revisions by Morriss Young dealt with the hardships of being an immigrant in the United States. He talks about his experiences in school. Young remembers being pulled out of class to go to special places where he was given special treatment. He claims to have enjoyed this because it really made him feel special. I thought that the part where he talked about his mother keeping all of his working growing up showed the importance of family and relationships between parents and children. I don’t know to many parents who keep all of their children’s work as a collection. Young speaks of Adaptation, Power and State of Grace and how they relate to the narratives about literacy and citizenship. They are the driving forces of a narrative by an immigrant.

One part that really caught my attention was, “Acquiring literacy makes for a good story as our culture values the rags to riches fable of individual achievement through self-education and hard work.” You could relate this to the stereotype that all Asian Americans are  all good students and good at math.  You need to be able to read and write to get anywhere. Once you establish literacy it only takes hard work to make it to a respected citizen in any community. Most Asian Americans are hard workers that provide for their families and are respected within the community.

Notes of A Native Speaker, The Accidental Asian

I have to start off by saying that these were the best readings I have been assigned over this semester and I have been reading a lot lately. I read “The Accidental Asian” first and thought it was very honest and straight forward with the message of race. He was struggling to find out who he really was and society around him did not help. I felt like he felt proud to be who he was when he got into an argument on the news broadcast with another anchor. When I was reading all of this I had a lot running through my head but I kept on thinking about Asian and Korean and Japanese friends that I have had a wondered if they have thought the same way. I grew up with a Korean friend who was adopted when he was a baby. Everything seemed normal with him and he never talked about having any trouble with identifying who he was. I feel with different races and cultures there are reminders about who you are and where you came from. But with Asian Americans there is no holiday or practice that I am aware of that identifies them. African Americans have black history month and the Irish have St. Patrick’s Day. They are like reminders that we have to remember our heritage. Growing up in school we would do different culture celebrations and I can remember doing many countries but we never did anything that related to Asian Americans. I thought that with the other document many of the same problems arose with identifying ones self. What does it mean to be American? This was one of many questions trying to be answered. When I was reading Notes of a Native Speaker I wanted to hit him when he was complaining about his hair. He was having a hard time accepting his own culture and customs and the main reason was because he could not accept what he looked like on the outside. His hair was such a problem and it became a problem when it came to attracting the ladies. I laughed out loud when he shaved his head and he said his mother was crying when she saw him. When I read about him shaving his head I could only think about the VT massacre that happened about a year or two ago. I began to feel what it must have been like for him growing up and not being able to identify with your self and realize who you are and where you have come from. The VT killer wrote letters about how he was treated and how he never liked anyone. As I kept reading I began to think of other groups of people and comparing them. Growing up I have come across many different people and the first thing I notice is how they act. You sometimes hear people say, “Oh he is white but he acts like hes black. person.” Or some people say “Hes black but he acts more like a white person.” I have always wanted to figure out what that means and why they think that. Why can’t someone say, “You know your white not Asian American.” This brings up both their notions of Color and Race.

I thought that these readings were very interesting and really got me thinking about many different things. I now wonder is all Asian Americans feel this way and what we can do to restore some of their history.

Nick Kimmey

A Bubbling Cauldron

The part that I decided to look at was from “The Accidental Asian” and it is on page 71. In the second paragraph near the bottom. It starts off : ” They have thrown the chick and the jap and the good and the flip into the same great bubbling cauldron. Now they await the emergence of a new and superior being, the Asian American.” I thought that this was a very interesting part of the story that made me think of the way my mind thinks. I can not tell the difference between a Japanese person, Chinese person, Korean or a Filipino. It may be disrespectful to say that but I find it very hard. If I meet someone who is Asian American I assume they are Korean. I have been corrected when I have made that mistake. So things in society make it seem okay when it really isn’t. I have seen bits and pieces of Rush Hour and I recall a scene when Chris Tucker says something to Jackie Chan about being Chinese and he tells him hes Japanese and his response is, “yea whatever.” Something like that makes it seem like it is ok to mix up some ones nationality. I also find it hard when dealing with Spanish, Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican. They are people who are very strong about their nationality and if you call them Spanish and they are Puerto Rican you are in for some trouble. Going back to that quote it makes it seem like we have taken all of them and thrown them into one group to share all the same heritages and beliefs when in fact they are a group of people with their own heritage and beliefs. I think it is important to respect all cultures and nationalities of all people. We need to be aware of who is around us and try and learn what we can from them. I work in a Cuban Restaurant and I have learned a lot just by being around a different culture. I use to love American and Italian food but now I love Cuban food and I find myself eating it several times a week.

Hello world!

My Name is Nick Kimmey and I am a senior this year finishing up my AMS concentration. I am a Childhood Education major and plan on graduating in the Spring. This is my first time ever blogging. I always told my friends I would never be a blogger but since I need to for a good grade, I am now a blogger. I am 22 years old and I live on my own with my girlfriend and dog right in heart of Albany. In my spare time I love to play basketball and watch sports. The thing that I love to do the most is just lay on the couch and do nothing. But there are bills to be paid so I work 40 hours a week at a Cuban Cafe. It is called Carmen’s Cafe but another person has taken over so they are changing the name. I have the best job in the world and I never mind going to work. There is no pressure and my boss is not crazy so it all works out. I make $500 a week under the table so it is not bad at. I don’t plan on working there the rest of my life but for now it works. When I graduate I plan on getting my masters and then moving onto the next phase of my life. I will eventually move south with my girlfriend and start something new but we will have to wait for that road to approach.