Leading Bi-Cultural Lives | Asian American Poll

LEADING BI-CULTURAL LIVES
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:24:30 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%

This poll is closed to new input.
Comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

rare stuff

"...If I'm interested in Asian religion I could only reach the state cults which are too nationalistic or the messiah cults which are too stupid for a modern AM"

Then create your own religion and follow it with glee, and pretty soon, you'll have a bunch of sheep following you around, pleading for you to take them as your followers. I think you'd make a dazzling cult leader!

I complain about flatness? Au contraire! I am trying to look flat because I don't want to seem too deep. Hip cute chics aren't supposed to be into philosophy and physics and things like that. That's what ugly book worm chics read for fun.

OK, OK, I will grudgingly admit my bizarre taste for egghead topics like these, but let's just keep it between the two of us, and contain it on this board. I don't want to lose my reputation as a blonde bimbo.

MLK Wednesday, July 17, 2002 at 00:33:08 (PDT)

curious girl

I'm scratching my blonde airhead trying to figure out a way to spread what is the basics of Buddhism on a table top so you can see the clear picture.

OK, let's start with Karma.

First I'll tell you what it's NOT. Karma is NOT "doing good things...so it will come back to me". It's not that simple, and yet, it is at once, very simple. Don't think of Karma in terms of "If I do good, I get good, but if I do bad, Karma will get me." Actually, Karma is not a self-conscious entity that can think and dole out rewards and punishments. Karma is not good or evil, it's beyond that. (Geez, I'm starting to sound like AC's favorite author!)

Simply put, Karma is the movements and actions of a dynamically interconnected universe.

Have you ever heard of that ancient Chinese saying, when a butterfly flutters its wings in China, the feather fluff of wind turns into a hurricane on the other side of the world? OK, it's actually a poem that sounds much better than my poor translation, but it serves the purpose of explaining what Karma is and what it does. When you do something, give an action, in essence, you've affected the interconnected universe (which contains people, potted plants, cosmic dust, black holes, etc.) around you, and dynamically, you've changed yourself as well as the universe. Since we are all interconnected to each other, and we are also interconnected to the universe (I will explain why later if you are interested) in effect, what you do will not only affect others around you plus that big universe out there, it will also affect you yourself. Get it? :)

Reincarnation.

This is something that can be easily explained using quantum physics. Are you a science buff? If you are, it's relatively simple for me to explain it to you. If you're not...hmmm I'll just use some layman's terms. Basically, you can't destroy matter, you can only change it to energy, and you can't destroy energy, you can only change it to matter.

Now, let's start off with matter. We are our brain. Our brain is matter. Matter cannot be destroyed, only changed to energy and then back again to matter. Our brain is comprised of matter that's been hanging around for roughly 18 billion years (I think that's about how old the universe is, give or take a billion years or so). Now, this matter that makes up your brain is so old that not only has it been floating around in interstellar space as well as hung out with cosmic dust, it's been in other life forms' brain cavities as well. A LOT of other life forms' brain cavities! So, in essence, you've reincarnated at least a few hundred thousand times, if only atom-wise.

We haven't even begun to touch the energy part of it, which is where reincarnation gets really interesting. But again, I don't want to write out a loooooong post that you may find to be completely boring to read. Let me know when I've put you to sleep.

Not only that, I'm really starting to hurt my image of the blonde airhead dipstick that I've been carefully cultivating all this time on Goldsea. Now, I can't even show my face on the dating board without people thinking I'm a bookworm or a smarty pants or something. :)

MLK Wednesday, July 17, 2002 at 00:23:13 (PDT)

AC

Got the book! Had to go to B & Nobles to get it (and I'm out of $11.95, my lunch money for the day), but it's in my hot little hands!

So far, it's kind of dry reading. He writes as if his English is all stiff and ESL-like. Almost as if he's translating his thoughts (did you say he was German? Was the book originally written in German? That would explain why it reads so stiff and woodenly, because it's been translated).

When I get to a part I completely don't understand, I'll pound on my keyboard looking for you to explain to me. Meanwhile, the first half of the book seems to be ok. I can grasp the concepts (barely, but it's graspable) by myself for now.

MLK Tuesday, July 16, 2002 at 23:41:17 (PDT)

MLK,

When I spin yarn I usually keep it short. If the post is lengthy it usually mean I have something of substance to share.

But those books are real. The guy call Nietzsche is real. My opinions that I posted are generally accepted in the academic community.
AC Dropout Tuesday, July 16, 2002 at 10:31:38 (PDT)

MLK,

Thanks for your response, I don't mind your mental mess. :) I'm curious because if my b/f and I ever do get married and have kids I'm just trying to figure out how we would handle the religion factor, teach them about both sides and let them decide which is best for them? I'm not sure. Neither of us are very religious people at all, but Buddhism is a part of his heritage so I want to at least have a basic understanding of it.

I think that I do believe in karma, and thus try to do good deeds not only so it will come back to me, but also to do good deeds for themselves. However I don't think that I believe in reincarnation, which is a major tenent of Buddhism, correct? It is a powerful idea, but I'm just not sure. Though it does make one ponder what one was in a past life. A cat? squirrel? murderer? saint?

curious girl Monday, July 15, 2002 at 13:21:34 (PDT)

MLK,

a clear identity bases on the concept of nationalism. Though I know that nationalism has lots of anti-social content it is still an aera of nationalism. Remember the US flags which are produced in masses and that after colonialism and Soviet Union there are many nationalists in the third world.If I'm interested in Asian religion I could only reach the state cults which are too nationalistic or the messiah cults which are too stupid for a modern AM. (To take the most horrible example: Hitler was the messiah of his state cult.That's exactly the direction into that the available religions go,consciously or unconsciously).

I wonder why you complain about flatness -when you dislike the extreme paths toward depth. by the same time.

The most annoying daily racism is from the Christian media.That's what I had to learn to abstain from to reduce my white-washing.The temptation to consume that stuff during boring times is very intensive.-At the moment I have no contact to my former mates,perhaps it's better like that for the purpose not to get white-washed by them.

rare stuff Monday, July 15, 2002 at 10:07:32 (PDT)

AC

I'm going to find that Beyond Good and Evil book tomorrow and when I get more ejimacated, I'll discuss this with you. Right now, I just feel stupid, 'cause I haven't a clue if you're telling me the truth or spinning some cool yarn.
MLK Sunday, July 14, 2002 at 23:58:17 (PDT)

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