Whitewashed Asians
August 1, 2005 by randomguru
I just had to respond to a topic on the Rice Bowl Journals discussion board, about asians being whitewashed.
And my last response on that particular thread is below:
. . . .
i think this whole thing about being “whitewashed” is a very negative way of looking at people who were brought up in a culture different from their family’s national, ethnic and cultural origins.
in today’s world, i think we are ALL becoming more and more multi-cultured, in that, because of our access to mass media, satellite tv, the internet, etc., we are influenced by more and more things around the world than ever before.
we are a global melting pot in more ways than one. and whenever something happens on the other side of the world, whether good or bad, we somehow feel its affects, either directly or in more subtler ways.
if someone were to say i’m “whitewashed” today, i would reply… well, heck, i’m “asia-fied” too… and i’ve also been “indian-ized” because i love east indian culture, indian food and bhollywood movies… i’ve also been “corea-nized” because i luv K-pop music…. and i’ve also been “soul-a-fied” because i luv black music… and “i’m turning japanese” because i love J-rock and Anime movies!!!!
does everyone feel that maybe we are all moving toward a cultural future where we’ll just experience a fusion of different cultures. where everyone looks kinda Hapa, and it’ll all just be accepted as the norm?
i could see that happening right now. so, the whole “whitewashed” thing is just feeling a bit passé to me… it’s time to move on to better things… :)
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8 Responses to “Whitewashed Asians”
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i totally agree. it is absolutely passe. because it works both ways between us asians and ‘them’. look at gwen, she rocked j-pop, the whole harajuku craze. there’s so much of asian influence in the western countries, especially these days.
but what i really feel is, this is not even an issue.
have to agreed with you carlos. even in korea, it’s so western and yes true, we are heavily influenced by so many things. i consider myself to be korean-japanese-chinese-american with a splash of italian and german. although my blood is korean, i’ve been influenced by moving around so much and by the friends i’ve made wherever i’ve lived. we are in american and you’re right, it’s the melting pot and it’s great that we are being influenced not only from our own culture, but from many different ones. how else will we learn to be able to understand someone else’s culture if we don’t experience it and grasp hold of it! :)
sorry i haven’t been reading lately cuz i’ve been in DR. but i’m back and reading to read! how are ya carlos?
kevin: yes, it really isn’t an issue nowadays… and it shouldn’t be. :)
annie: that is cool, you are so very multi-cultured. and i dig your photos from DR and how you have them displayed in little thumbnails. ;)
thanks carlos! you know i did the photos through picasa from google. it’s fun you should try it!
Well said, Carlos.
annie: yeah, that is really nice. will have to go back to your site and give it a better looks at your wonderful vacation photos in DR. :)
annalise: thanks. :)
the “whitewashed” seems like a victimization term… a reaction to a colonnial mentality of sorts. for americans (as well as europeans) new and old, once you lived here, the term is applicable to all.
Ambien….
Ambien….