Asian Contribution to American Culture | Asian American Poll

ASIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICA
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:19:54 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Which of the following is the most important Asian contribution to the building of America?
Building the western half of the transcontinental railroad | 32%
Turning the western deserts into fertile farmlands | 12%
Reviving crumbling urban areas into vibrant commercial centers | 23%
Providing hi-tech talent for Silicon Valley & other technology centers | 33%

Which of the following is the most important Asian contribution to American culture?
Asian restaurants | 34%
Design aesthetics | 9%
Spiritual philosophy | 10%
Martial arts | 22%
Educational emphasis | 25%

Which of the following is the most important Asian contribution to the American economy?
Motivated students for the educational system | 41%
Talent & ideas for the digital revolution | 34%
Energetic, aggressive entrepreneurs | 8%
High-quality, low-cost imports | 17%

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WHAT YOU SAY

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I think the contributions they have made to America are enormous. That's what makes America the great nation that it is because of the contributions of all ethnic groups.

Earlene Jenkins ajenkins115@comcast.net Friday, April 05, 2002 at 00:16:16 (PST)

Not really sure if anyone cares, but the lead singer in a band, hoobastank, is half japanese. Hoobastank is a rock band with the hit single "Crawling in the Dark." They sound sort of like Incubus.
Banana_steve Monday, March 25, 2002 at 19:43:37 (PST)

Sahsalaf,
Thank you for pointing that out.
lilli98 lilli98@collegeclub.com Saturday, March 23, 2002 at 16:09:14 (PST)

Sahsalaf,

That's nice black people have been the back bone of modern music in America. Asian claim to musical fame is Ma Yo Yo and his cello. Who else can be the force of nature that has been creating more modern pieces for the cello than Mr. Ma.

It is only a matter of time before Brittany and Jo-lo start sampling his musical masterpieces and the rest of USA catches on.

As inventions, Asian have invented the art of openning businesses in high risk area. If it wasn't for the Chinese-take outs and Korean grocery in ghetto USA, all the other minorities would have starved to death by now.
AC Dropout Wednesday, February 20, 2002 at 16:07:43 (PST)

Music is not the only thing Blacks have contributed to America,they have made great Inventions too. Frederick Mckinley jones made the Air Conditioning Unit in July 12,1949. Jones was a leader in the field,and was the first Black member of the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers.In 1977,he was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame.The first know refrigerator was invented in 1834,but true to its nickname,it was really an ''icebox''.It relied on chunks of ice and insulation to keep things cool.In July of 1891,a perfect time for this kind of invention,john Stanard patented the First refrigerator that used compressed air and the gas ether as a coolant.The combination of the gas and pressure of the air were forced into a box and kept the space cool.IT took a while for Stanard's idea to catch on and to be made practical for mass production,however.Throughout the 1920s,most homes still relied on a block of ice in box to cool their food.Nonetheless,the refrigerator in your kitchen today uses many of the same principles that were first patented more than a century ago.I could go on foever talking about Black Inventors,and their times and the Differences they made. I'm an Asian American that took the time to learn about African American Culture,why can't you take the time to learn?
Sahsalaf Sim-mol-en@.com Wednesday, February 13, 2002 at 10:43:50 (PST)

A thing to remember regarding the question of "which group has contributed the most" to the U.S. is that historically, nearly every immigrant group has contributed greatly to the nation, particularly in the immediate vicinity of its settling.

For instance, nearly all of the old businesses from the 19th century in the Midwestern cities were started by German immigrants. Irish immigrants built many of the cities during the Industrial Revolution. Scandinavians nearly entirely built Minnesota's economy in the late 19th century.

Jews indeed contributed greatly after WWII, particularly in the Northeast. Today, Asians (both East Asian and Indian) and Hispanics are the largest immigrant groups, both making tremendous contributions to this nation. And in the future, there will be new immigrant groups who will be the most apparent and obvious contributors to society.

African-Americans are an interesting and unique group (along with perhaps Native Americans), since they weren't really immigrants but have really been here longer than most Caucasians and all other immigrant groups. Though I think it's safe to say that American music has most definitely been shaped the most by African-Americans, starting with jazz and going all the way to rock and roll, R&B, rap, dance music, and hip hop today. And the American music industry is a HUGE business, as a quick trip around the radio dial in any part of the world can quickly reveal.
An American Monday, February 04, 2002 at 07:32:35 (PST)

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