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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
WHAT FOBs THINK OF AMERICAN-BORN ASIANS
y FOBs we mean anyone who has ever been called an FOB. -- "fresh-off-the-boat", anyone not born here. In other words, half the AA population. Even the 2 million AA who immigrated as kids and speak English like -- or in some cases, better than -- native-born Americans rarely escape the sting of being dismissed by American-Born Asians (ABAs) based on real or imagined differences.
The stereotype of the hopeless FOB who just doesn't get American culture is all too familiar. But intra-Asian prejudice is a two-way street.
No less insulting are the images held by FOBs. ABAs are the descendants of the lowliest of peasants forced to flee their homelands to become indentured servants, sniff some FOBs. Born and bred to accept second-class status in a white society, sneer others. Slackers who don't know the meaning of ambition and sacrifice -- and who lack the guts to do anything about it in any case.
FOBs run the socio-economic gamut. A significant minority (perhaps a tenth) are highly successful trans-Pacific business families seeking a safe haven for their fortunes. The vast majority are engineers, scientists, physicians and academics braving the uncertainties of new lives for a chance to work hard for more money and better opportunities. A few are refugees and illegals risking their lives to escape hopeless, grinding poverty.
It's safe to say few FOBs feel in any respect disadvantaged relative to American-born Asians. In fact, given a dozen years most do as well or better than ABAs financially, if not socially. They can be excused, then, for harboring some less-than-flattering assessments of ABAs. By the same token, in their struggle to acculturate, FOBs often come to appreciate the trails blazed by the ABS, or at least, by their ancestors.
Assuming you're FOB or straddling the FOB-ABA fence, what's your image of ABAs? Let's hear the good as well as the bad.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
1st Class FOB:
"The ABAs used to rag on me when I was a kid because I had an accent. But these same people are now making a tenth of what I make and living in middle-class ghettoes I don't like to park in. The cream of the crop of the AA population are the families that came during the early 1970s, before all the refugee viets started lowering the Asin immigration standard."
As proven, that most FOB are close minded people. Refugee vietnamese lowering Asian immigration standard? FOB only socialize with FOB! Plan simple. Tell me what was the asian immigration standard?
Huy Diep
Huydiep@hotmail.com
Thursday, November 01, 2001 at 06:11:02 (PST)
1ST Class FOB:
That's an oxymoron for you. What makes you think you are first class, bagging on fellow Asians. Wake up! The joke is on you and your type of self-proclaimed superiority. Eventually, FOB's will have ABA children. Are you bagging on your children too? For an FOB like you to bash ABAs just makes you look insecure. If you were really so secure with your status, you would celebrate the achievements of all Asians, FOB or ABA.
Stop obsessing with what you are, ( degrees, pedigrees, titles, etc.), and spend more time developing WHO you are. I find when someone spends so much time proclaiming his success, and generalizing about others compared to his self-proclaim success, it's usually because of deep seated insecurities.
If you were really so successful, be happy and encourage other Asians positively. Who you are is more important than what you are.
I know my success is not defined by my degrees or my title. My success came because of my people skills, communication skills, and social skills, skills that many FOBs lack not because it's their fault, but because they lack the time and exposure in America to assimulate and acculturate.
Lastly, I do respect my fellow FOB Asians. But I'm not intimidated by FOBs or anyone else for that matter. I'm in the finance and marketing field. All of us have different strengths and weaknesses. I have several FOBs who I manage that are technically superior in product knowledge compared to me and I'm fine with that. I manage them because the ownership recognized that I have better people skills, communication skills, and leadership skills. The mark of a truly successful company is recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of your people, and putting them in positions to succeed.
You've spent alot of time talking about industries you are familiar with and that's okay. Just acknowledge that those are your limited views based on your experiences and it does not represent the strengths and weaknesses of FOBs and ABAs in general.
I'm secure enough within myself to acknowledge there are some FOBs who have some skill sets better than me. And if the FOB is equally secure, they will be able to acknowledge that there are ABAs who have skill sets that are superior to FOBs in general.
Now let's see how First Class you can be with your response?
Proud ABA
Wednesday, October 31, 2001 at 14:52:56 (PST)
Careful Reader and Logical Vulcan (you 're obviously white),
Looks like I've kicked up a cloud of dander on your heads.
Of course my statement about my kids not marrying ABAs is logically inconsistent. It's called irony. We're raising our kids to see themselves as first-class citizens of the world, not second-class citizens of a mostly white nation. I wouldn't mind if they marry ABAs similarly raised. I would give them the cold-shoulder, however, if they married ABAs with warped self-images which, I am sorry to say, the majority of ABAs seem to have, even the ones who go around proclaiming their Asian pride. I never go around procliaming Asian pride because I am secure in who I am. No one I come into contact ever questioins my pride because they see it in everyting I do, the paintings on my walls, the way I speak my native laugnage every chance I get, etc, etc. Too many ABAs wear a veneer of Asian pride but harbor deep insecurities about their place in this world vis-a-vis white Americans. They aspire to be waspish. I know because I have to witness some of their idiocy in business negotiations, trying to butter up whites by trying to be like them. That sickens me. Me? I have the young white kids in my firm trying to be Chinese!
I wear my Asian culture proudly, and even though I speak English better than most ABAs, I never hesitate to speak Fukienese and even my admittedly laughable Mandarin every chance I get, even if it means forcing whites to wait for a translation. I have never seen an ABA come close to possessing that kind of true self-confidence.
As for my background, as I believe I've explained, I am a patent lawyer, a very highly paid one. I did a custom major in molecular bio/computer science in college and got an MBA on the side while getting my JD. By the time I was ready to settle into a permanent job, I had 30 top firms begging me to come for flybacks. I dictated my terms, did my homework, and if I choose to leave, that firm will be hurting. I didn't want to go into details because it would inflame many jealous and envious people but, hey, that's not my problem!
1st Class FOB
Wednesday, October 31, 2001 at 07:24:10 (PST)
1st Class FOB:
Nobody is saying the FOB are not intelligent and capable people. However, like I said, your statements are too broad. There are also FOBs who are struggling. I do note (forgive me, I'm not trying to generalize) but more FOBs define success as earning more money (not saying that there are ABAs who also believe in that).
I know quite a few successful ABAs as engineers, attorneys, accountants, physicians. These are not the exceptions. You make it sound as if most ABAs are blue collar (heck, you can still be successful and blue collar). But, most ABAs are not blue collar.
I'm an ABA and an attorney myself. I'm also in good company.
ABA Not Descendant From Laborers
Tuesday, October 30, 2001 at 12:04:15 (PST)
ABA Not Descendant...
Sure, there were a few academics, adoptees, war brides and professionals who came over in the years between 1952 and 1969, but they were small in number. It wasn't until 1970 that Asian immigrants began coming over in the hundreds of thousands a year rather than just a few hundred or thousand. In fact, by 1978, the new wave had already outnumbered all the ABAs alive at the time.
So while there are a few exceptions, they are very few indeed.
As a patent lawyer, I come into contact with a lot of Asians in the bio-tech, hi-tech fields. Most of the top Asian tech execs and brilliant engineer were born overseas and received their educations here.
1st Class FOB
Monday, October 30, 2001 at 08:12:11 (PST)
1st Class FOB:
You state that ABA ragged on you when
you were a kind, which suggests you
were raised in the US. Are your son
and daugthers ABAs? By your own logic
you would not want them to associate
with people like your ABA son and
daughter. Your statements are illogical.
The logical Vulcan
Monday, October 29, 2001 at 23:32:55 (PST)
Remark on 1st Class FOB's posting.
The comment
"top jobs in biotech, finance,
law and the IT industries,
with which I have much experience
(and success)"
seems too broad to be based in reality.
Are we to assume he or she has a
PhD, MBA, and JD? Boasting to be an expert in 4 different fields does not
give your posting credibility.
A careful reader
Monday, October 29, 2001 at 20:36:55 (PST)
As a FOB, i must say that I love ABAs. they are very polite, courteous, considerate, sensitive, nice and many other good things. if there is one thing i hate about ABAs, its their FOB-hating attitude. But overall, i love the good decent ABAs that are all good.
Love for Asians. Asian for life!
tough to be FOB in America
Monday, October 29, 2001 at 19:17:59 (PST)
1st Class FOB:
"All those laborers that came here at the turn of the century to work in cane fields and shit weren't exactly the cream of Asia's gene pool." That's an overly board generalization. I'm an ABA (born and grew up in America), but my parents immigrated from Taiwan in the late 1960's. They are professionals not laborers. So, I don't know where you get the notion that all ABAs are descendants of laborers. Even that being the case, many do fairly well.
But, I don't know to take your comments seriously or you are writing those comments to purposely provoke some people.
ABA Not Descendant From Laborers
Monday, October 29, 2001 at 14:44:28 (PST)
It's FOP (Fresh off the plane), not FOB. We now come off the plane with Master's & Doctor's and are ready to realize our dreams in this country.
FOP
Monday, October 29, 2001 at 13:21:28 (PST)
Most ABA's are children of FOBs. Isn't that significant? I mean, both ABAs and FOBS have family or will have family on the other side of the coin. So wtf!?
We're all azns in America. Let's stick together...Let love rule...
Thomas
Monday, October 29, 2001 at 12:21:44 (PST)
About time we FOB get a chance to express our true feelings about ABAs!
ABAs are second class not only because they have been brainwashed but because they are of inferior stock in the first place. Think about it. All those laborers that came here at the turn of the century to work in cane fields and shit weren't exactly the cream of Asia's gene pool. And their IQs aren't going to change significantly in a century. Sure, they know American culture, but that doesn't cut much mustard when it comes to the brainpower needed to handle the top jobs in biotech, finance, law and the IT industries, with which I have much experience (and success).
The ABAs used to rag on me when I was a kid because I had an accent. But these same people are now making a tenth of what I make and living in middle-class ghettoes I don't like to park in. The cream of the crop of the AA population are the families that came during the early 1970s, before all the refugee viets started lowering the Asin immigration standard.
Of course I have nothing against ABAs, as long as my son or daughter doesn't marry one!
1st Class FOB
Sunday, October 29, 2001 at 07:31:44 (PST)
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