Japanese American Identity & Self-Image | Asian American Poll

JAPANESE AMERICAN IDENTITY & SELF-IMAGE
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:13:57 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

In relating with other Asian American groups, Japanese Americans most exhibit which of the following attitudes?
More Americanized than thou | 51%
More rooted in ancestral heritage | 0%
More anxious to be low key | 49%
More embracing of other AA | 0%

Which of the following has the most impact on the Japanese American identity?
Smallest percentage of recent immigrants | 36%
World War II internment | 51%
Japan's economic success | 6%
Smaller population than other AA groups | 7%

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

CONTACT US | ADVERTISING INFO

© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.

WHAT YOU SAY

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

LAKA

what can I say bro?

You right on the money.

FYI: I will be willing to stand by your side and defend the KA.
SOG Sunday, September 29, 2002 at 19:40:41 (PDT) [216.239.163.212]

Seaman,

I'll summarize what "I Still Remember" is talking about during the LA riots. The LA Times ran an article stating that one of the main reasons why African-American rioters targeted Korean-American owned businesses and not African-American owned businesses is because KA storeowners were rude to their customers who were primarily African-Americans. In reality, the LA Times should have lambasted the rioters/criminals instead of the KA storeowners who saw their livelihoods destroyed. Many KA storeowners became bankrupt upon their sole means of income going up in smoke. The LA Times basically sided with the African-American community since the KA community out here was not politically strong. At the time, most KAs were immigrants saving up their hard-earned money working low-end manual labor jobs. Hence, political activism was ignored at the time. Many of the KA storeowner's children have taken up political activism as a direct result of the KA storeowners plight. The businesses they opened was the fruit of their hard labor. However, KAs ended up opening stores in the bad parts of town since those areas were all they could afford. Koreans are some of the hardest workers and yet, they were unfairly targeted/picked on by the media because the latter did not want to ruffle the feathers of the African-American community. In essence, the KAs were villified and the children of the KA storeowners were picked on at school similiarly to the Muslim-American kids. KA businesses were constantly harassed, yet the city would do nothing.

This is where the JA issue comes into play. The JA community is a much more politically assimilated group in the U.S. with much stronger political clout. So instead of watching out for their fellow Asian-Americans, they actually tried to distance themselves from the KAs. At a time when the KA community needed some type of support, they were left to totally fend for themselves. Instead of fighting the media which was portraying the KA storeowners as rude, gun-toting greedy merchants, the JA community stated they are not like the KA community since the latter are not recent immigrants. When a JA man was dragged out of his car and beaten by rioters, the JA community was basically saying that JA should not be attacked/harassed for what the KA community's actions. Or in other words, "it's the KAs you're supposed to be attacking, not us, not the JAs."

The incident can kinda be compared to that of an Asian kid who recently came to the US, and all the American kids were picking on him. There also happened to be an American-born Asian kid who just stood there letting the kid get picked on.

In a nutshell, this is basically what "I Still Remember" was talking about. For me, this was a very painful time, but something I won't ever forget. Hopefully, something like this will never happen again to anyone.
LAKA Friday, September 27, 2002 at 16:26:33 (PDT) [63.206.24.50]

Seaman,

You are eloquent and well-spoken. You have just become my personal online hero. I liked your post a great deal.
NE Asian Man Thursday, September 26, 2002 at 22:20:25 (PDT) [128.253.186.46]

Long Time Poster,

Forgive the lateness of my reply but I have had certain aspects of my life turned upside down due to a career change I recently embarked on. Since the events of last year, I can say that I have been quite lucky so far and have not experienced any major confrontations. While I have experienced an increase in dirty looks, unidentified curses eminating from moving cars and generaly piss poor service in restaurants; I haven't suffered any violence or overt discrimination. But I think it will be quite some time before I patron a Shoney's when I get a hankering for hickory smoked meats.

Consultant,

I care. I think this particular forum, like other ethnic rivalries blotting GoldSea, seems to generate a lot of flack and resentment. While I don't think I drew any historic comparisons between WW2 and our "war" on terrorism (in my opinion being impossible due to context); I think there is clearly some analogy between ethnic marginalization in relation to militart conflicts. Clearly the Japanese carried the heaviest yoke of this phenomenon and in doing so gained empathic concern for those who suffer from it now. I think it is important for me to give credit where credit is due. There is much more I could say in praise of the actions of compassionate Japanese Americans then I did.

I still remember,

I am not familiar with the cross cultural behavior between Japanese and Koreans during the L.A riots and I won't debate your personal experience. I will say this though and this applies to all minorities in this nation. We lead precarious lives sometimes. We are often irrationally feared or dispised. We are regularly judged as a whole by the actions of a few. We are knowingly ommitted from certain circles of influence, and at one time or another we have been the butt of a tasteless joke. All this coupled with our own issues of identity that can often play out as a jangled noise of competing voices in our heads. Through out all of this turmoil we still manage to prosper and thrive in this greatest of nations. Please believe that my criticisms of our country are a sign of love and not hate. Think how much more we would prosper if we watched out for each others collective welfare. I realize that many cases could be made by every minority of "where were you when the proverbial shit hit the fan!!" But perhaps our capacity to empathize with anothers pain and difficulty is directly linked to our own personal struggles and experience with similar issues. Just as the Japanese may have a real problem with a fifth column philosophy being applied to Muslim Americans so to do I have anger for, Hollywood stereotypes, spying conspiracies and all general mistreatments of East Asians.
Seaman Monday, September 23, 2002 at 11:38:18 (PDT) [68.101.69.58]

Consultant is wrong. Sure it is not against a country but against terrorism. But the VICTIMS of racial prejudice (Arab Americans) do not know or care about the differentiation when it comes to being victims of assault or other hate crimes just because they "look like" terrorists.
San Diegan Sunday, September 08, 2002 at 12:56:46 (PDT)

That's good to hear that Seaman. But, where and what did the other Asians do when Koreans were being shot down and looted for days during the 1992 L.A. Riots? Many Chinese and Japanese actually tried to even distance themselves from the Koreans.
I still remember Sunday, August 25, 2002 at 18:14:55 (PDT)

Seaman,

Who cares?? It's like comparing apples to oranges. This isn't a war against a country like Japan who attacked us.
consultant Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 10:54:16 (PDT)

Hey Seaman!

We missed ya, buddy! How have ya been? I hope you have been handling the negative backlash you speak of the best you can.
Longtime Poster Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 03:02:11 (PDT)

I have one comment to say about the Japanese American community. Since Sept. 11 no Asian American group has done more to safegaurd the rights and liberties of minority groups that suffer harassment from law enforcement agnecies and the federal government. I'm talking about the discrimination, detention, deportment and financial muggings that are essentially unchecked due to federal secrecy. The Japanese Americans know all to well the hysteria born of war time propaganda and have mobilized money and legal help for families of South Asian and Middle Eastern decent. This has come in the form of cash, government lobbying, pro bono legal defense and relocation assistance. My thanks to the many hard working and compassionate Japanese Americans out there. Your help will never be forgotten.
Seaman Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at 08:36:13 (PDT)

Here's a very good article about Japanese self-image. It details the evolution of the Japanese inferiority complex, especially in regards to America and the West. After reading this, pls share your thoughts on the article.

http://www.stanford.edu/~lpchao/japan_ad.htm
Japanese Identity Sunday, August 11, 2002 at 22:54:29 (PDT)

[This page is devoted to J-A self image, not Japanese self image. Your post might be more appropriate in the Japan's Contribution to Asian Image. --Ed.]

NEWEST COMMENTS | EARLIER COMMENTS