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GOLDSEA |
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
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:03:28 PM)
Hoklo & Hakka,
When people think of the Guangdong Province of China, they think of the Cantonese. However, only the western part of it is Cantonese. The Eastern Guangdong area seems like another province altogether. The terrain and the cultures/peoples are distinctively different, and has a separate history from the west. The east consists mostly of hills and coastal areas which are soley inhabited by the Hakkas and Hokkiens. The two important cities that make up the eastern area are Meizhou and Chaozhou. Meizhou is a Hakka city while Chaozhou is inhabitated by the Teocheows, a Hokkien subgroup. Unlike Guangzhou and Taisheng (Cantonese cities) which are strictly commercial, Meizhou and Chaozhou are both commercial and intellectual centers. Most Hakkas and Hokkiens will tell you that their lives are rooted though a path of self inquiry "soul searching". This is the main reason why Hakkas and Hoklos are so "overseas" or adventurous than the Cantonese. I recall my trips to Granada (Southern City in Spain) 3 years ago where I met several Chinese of Hakka and Hoklo descent. Most of them either own Chinese resturants or shops that sell Chinese products. I also remembered encountering a Hoklo Chinese who was a police officer in the city. He would ride a scooter with other members of the Spanish police. Very odd but true! A few of these Chinese also have intermarried with the Spaniards and have very beautiful and exotic looking children.
About your theory that the Hakkas and Hoklos were interchangeable groups, it is convincing, since the Hakkas and Hoklos left the Guangdong province to settle overseas from the same point of exit (Swatow - an area from which the Hakkas and Hokkiens left to settle elsewhere).
As TH Lien has mentioned, HK was not a Cantonese area but originally a Hakka region (it is more situated towards the eastern area than the west), the Hokkien or Hoklos were probably the 2nd group to settle there, and the Cantonese were the last. The fact that Cantonese is the official dialect of HK remains a mystery and requires historical research.
Beyond Fan
Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 20:29:56 (PST)
perhaps you may not have known, but the cantonese fought side by side the african-americans for civil rights. the japanese were involved as well. to depict the fight for civil rights as solely an african-american effort shows that you have no idea what you're talking about.
by the way, my dad's cantonese and he's one of the founding fathers of the asian american studies program at uc berkeley--is that not a contribution? by the way--many of the other founders were cantonese. in addition, he fought side by side blacks for affirmative action on the campus.
penelope
Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 10:38:27 (PST)
Cut the crap!,
I don't know about that. I have a majority of my business being handled by a Chinese owned bank, not HSBC. It's kind of a throw back because everything is so paper oriented still.
That is not to say we don't also have USA based banks handling some of our business. But there a lot of Chinese business owners like myself who make the effort to support Chinese community.
I think you are over exaggerating just a bit on blacks and jews in America. But since you want to make up colorful spins here a couple.
1) Chinese Take out - Without this little invention Blacks and Jews would have starved to death in the USA a long time ago. And there no extra duck sauce or MSG in this statement.
2) PC clones - before copyrighting the "pentium" name no one could copyright the x86 name. This allow cheaper chinese PC clones to permeate the USA market. Without that Microsoft would not dominate and USA successful entry in the service economy would be non-existant. Hence, no .com era or gen X'er etc. There might not even be this forum for you to ran.
Even though no business schools will admit it, there are benefits to soceity with unlicense goods. Such as afforable goods, and no cost market penetration.
3) Textiles - well without Chinese business people importing this stuff, you wouldn't even have underwear.
AC dropout
Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 09:49:21 (PST)
cut the crap
Ever heard of Gary Locke of Washington State. HSBC bank is based out of Hong Kong.
The Rock
Friday, March 29, 2002 at 19:53:34 (PST)
cut the crap
I know you hate us old school cantonese because you got nothing on us we were here first and always be first take that to the bank.We rant on being here the longest because we know asian american history not like you who don't know a damn.I'm pretty sure your parents use Cathay Bank too. One more thing I don't cut crap like you.
hapa
Friday, March 29, 2002 at 19:34:54 (PST)
T.H. Lien,
Cantonese in GuangDong is not learned. It is absorbed because that is the language of the anscetor and is all over the place. Granted there might be complaints about how some of the more rare words in a dialect may be lost. But those issues are for the Chinese majors in China to figure out. But it is still very rare to go into GuangDong province and not find a person who cannot speak Cantonese.
I can only imagine those growing up exclusively in the cities in China not knowing another dialect other than mandarin.
HAHAH.... I was one of those guys. Hope I didn't trample all over you while I ran over to the sign up sheet. ^_^
If you did not know yet, the Chinese males is a very horny and industrious individual (2 billion cannot all be accidents you know). Yes, they will put up a fake attempts at learning a new dialect in order to score with cute females. Also "Language Exchange Partners," if they hit it off usually will exchange more than language.
Hope you are having fun in HK.
AC Dropout
Friday, March 29, 2002 at 12:19:33 (PST)
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