God's New Whiz Kids? by Rebecca Y. Kim

Author:Rebecca Y. Kim [Kim, Rebecca Y.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion, Christianity, History, Counseling, Christian Ministry, Evangelism, Social Science, Sociology of Religion, Ethnic Studies, American, Asian American Studies
ISBN: 9780814747902
Google: RiMuJ_cyq5IC
Publisher: NYU Press
Published: 2006-12-15T05:23:41+00:00

Korean Americans (Asian Americans) and Whites

When speaking about how Asian Americans are similar to one another, SGKAs speak in terms of how they are alike relative to whites. Whites are the major comparison group; African Americans and other ethnic minority groups are rarely mentioned. Relatedly, when SGKAs are asked to compare themselves to whites, they often do so by grouping themselves as Asian Americans.

Points of Convergence

CULTURAL FAMILIAL BACKGROUND

However defined, people across ethnic and racial lines grow up in families. Within families, there are fights between generations, tensions between spouses, conflicts among brothers and sisters, and divisions among relatives; but there are also bonds of love and affection whatever the ethnic and racial makeup of the family. There are happy and sad times, successes and failures, births and deaths, as everyone tries to figure out how to eat, drink, play, work, and die. Beyond these basic social human experiences, talking about how SGKAs and other Asian Americans are connected to whites invariably lead to discussions on what is “American” and the various cultural traits, tastes, and preferences that bind Americans together.

For many SGKAs, an “American” is a U.S. citizen who values the ideals of democracy, freedom, and individualism. An SGKA describes what he views as American: “When I think ‘American,’ I think of having the opportunities to pursue one’s goals in a democratic free society. . . . It might not always play itself out like that, but the ideal is there. The American part also means that you have more individual freedom, less pressure to conform.” Another SGKA explains how Americans value individualism relative to collectivism by taking note of differences in how Koreans versus Americans refer to themselves: “Americans say and write their own name followed by their family name, [whereas] the opposite is true for Koreans.” In other words, someone who is called “Joe Park” in America will be referred to as “Park Joe” in Korea. Like the Koreans, the Chinese and the Japanese place their family name ahead of their own name.

In addition to enjoying democracy, freedom, and individuality, being American means one is part of a broader capitalist consumer culture, as an SGKA puts it: “We are all going to know about Britney Spears and Michael Jordan; . . . we all grew up watching the same [Saturday morning] cartoons.” Another SGKA talks about sports: “How do I relate with whites? You can always rely on sports; . . . you can always talk about how [the Yankees] are doing and get a conversation going, you can’t do that with an FOB.” Immersed in the larger popular consumer culture, most young Americans know what singers are “cool,” what styles are “in” and what places are “happening”; most grow up watching similar television shows, listening to the same top-twenty hits, and watching the same sports games. Even if Asian Americans may have additional pop subcultures in which they can traverse, they are connected to the larger popular culture through the radio, television, internet, videos, movies, news, and magazines that unite all Americans.

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