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Politics of a Model Minority
Looking at her somewhat divided, somewhat undecided family,
the writers weighs immigrant-generation
aspirations and interest as
"outsiders" against more
outward-looking concerns of a new generation
that feels it belongs
By Peggy Hong, IMDiversity Special
Contributor
MILWAUKEE - September 25,
2004 - My many cousins and I are the beneficiaries of American
capitalism. Our parents came to the states, earned higher degrees,
worked hard, and gave us access to predominantly White public schools
and comfort in subdivisions you could never find in Korea. They bought
into the success ethic and made sure we got into good universities.
My cousins and I are all adults now, and mostly professionals of one
sort or another. We have a few physicians, a couple of lawyers, and a
slew of consultants. My cousins have nice homes, take cool vacations,
drive SUVs.
The American dream.
I’m the weird one, the artist. My brother, a doctor, supported Bush in
2000, eager to protect the assets he’d worked so hard building in the
‘90s. He says he’s going to vote for Bush again, even after losing money
in the ailing economy.
It strikes me that my generation of Asian Americans, those of us who’ve
grown up in the States, are still not quite “inside.” Despite our
material comfort, we’re on a parallel course with the mainstream but
separate from it. Why do I say this? Because if we really took ownership
of this country, if we really felt a stake here, if we felt that U.S.
history included us and that we were truly participating in the making
of America, we’d take responsibility for something other than our own
comfort.
Mainstream America praises us and throws money at us and we are so happy
to take it, congratulate ourselves, and go shopping. We’re great
shoppers. When we have family gatherings, one cousin brings a suitcase
of old clothes to give to me, the hand-me-down queen. J. Crew, Gap,
Banana Republic. We spend one day at the wedding/funeral and the next
day shopping. In our 4-wheel-drive vehicles, we feel empowered. We claim
we don’t experience racism. Maybe we’ve even transcended race.
We’re immigrant stock, and immigrants leave their homes to make better
homes elsewhere. Immigrants come for opportunity. But now that we’ve
established ourselves here, we can begin to look beyond our homes, our
own families.
If we really felt at home in this country, any minor tax benefit we got
would be overshadowed by the 500 billion dollar deficit we face. After
all, we’re spending more on health insurance, unemployment continues to
rise, and 1 out of 6 children live in poverty. If my cousins and I
really had cultural capital, we’d oppose a system in which 60% of our
corporations pay no income tax, and too few are enriched by the work of
too many. One hand feeds us, the other robs us.
My cousins and I remain mostly content, and many of us are frankly
undecided about the presidential race. But our votes are too important
and we can’t stay in our parallel universe. Let’s take a look around,
and see if our elected officials really represent our concerns. Let’s
jump into the fray and make this a nation that is really ours.
Other Readings of Interest
Peggy Hong is a Korean-American poet, activist,
yoga teacher, college instructor, and mother of three teens living in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is author of three poetry collections, and her
new book, THREE TRUTHS AND A LIE
(Water Press
and Media) will be released this fall.
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