Leading Bi-Cultural Lives | Asian American Poll

LEADING BI-CULTURAL LIVES
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:24:35 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Is it possible to embrace both American and Asian cultures and find social acceptance with both Americanized and non-Americanized groups of friends?
Yes | 77%
No | 23%

Which of the following factors is most important in facilitating a successful bi-cultural life?
Familitarity with both cultures | 32%
Family upbringing | 28%
Fluency in both languages | 16%
Security in one's identity | 24%

Which of the following factors most discourages bi-cultural lives for U.S.-raised Asian Americans?
Inability to speak Asian languages | 28%
Outmarriage to non-Asians | 14%
Fear of seeming too Asian | 30%
Concern for kids' image with peers | 28%

Which segment of the Asian American population currently has the greatest positive impact on American society?
American-Born | 56%
Foreign-born, American-educated | 44%

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WHAT YOU SAY

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Right now Occidental and Oriental mean the West and East. So, obviously the words in the dictionary would say so too. However, who made up these words? Western people did. So, if you go way back to when these words were first getting established, you would notice that they didn't actually mean West and East. Oriental did mean exotic, which led to the West dubbing it to the East. Thus, the dictionary says so today, and thus, the name sticks.
deltoro Friday, March 29, 2002 at 17:37:02 (PST)

to not a lemon

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. If you call yourself yellow and was proud of that color, then what eventually happens is it becomes a shade that is complementary and not negative in someone's eyes. (Just like the name Sade...on anyone other than Sade, and it's a ridiculous name, but it's gained a glamorous rich shade because an incredibly beautiful woman wears the name with pride. Can you parade around the streets and shout "I am yellow and I am proud!!!" out to the world!?!"
MLK Friday, March 29, 2002 at 15:11:32 (PST)

Happy Clam,

Had a similar experience in Taiwan. Until you can remove the accent in Mandarin speech and change your entire attitude to fit the society, you're a "stranger in a strange land."

I even met some expat ABC & hapa who felt very frustrated because felt like they did not fit in anywhere.

But having one or two cute "Language Exchange Partners" cleared up the cloudy skies pretty quickly.
AC Dropout Friday, March 29, 2002 at 12:03:02 (PST)

I'm currently a junior at Occidental College. Yup, Occidental refers to the West. If I remember correctly, the college was named Occidental in order to set itself apart from the more established colleges in the east coast.
Wouldn't it be funny if there was a Oriental College?

baybee510 Thursday, March 28, 2002 at 23:08:29 (PST)

My American born Chinese husband ( I never know if ABC is a politically correct term..sigh...) went to Taiwan for 4 years where he taught ESL. He said that despite speaking the language and understanding the customs and cultures, when he would go to bars where Americans paid less and therefore were singled out, for example, they always knew he was American at first sight. He said the entire experience of living there was odd..here in the States people consider him Asian which can lead to feelings of disconnection. In Asia, they consider him American and foreign. He said " talk about not knowing where you fit!!" . Just curious to hear your views on this situation..
Happy Clam wschien1@mchsi.com Thursday, March 28, 2002 at 19:13:10 (PST)

MLK,

what's the problem if I call myself "yellow" in contrast to the whites?
Maybe I don't feel like I was as yellow
as a lemon, but that's rather a reason for not calling an Asian "lemon".
not a lemon Thursday, March 28, 2002 at 16:54:28 (PST)

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