The Importance of Being Asian (Not Generic) American
By wchung | 23 Feb, 2025

We Asian Americans can help move the nation forward by being more assertive with our uniquely valuable cultural sensibilities.

Those of us who grew up in the America of the 60s, 70s or 80s know what it’s like to be ambivalent about one’s ethnicity. We squirmed at being unfairly tarred with funny accents, struggling immigrant lifestyles and cinematic villainy. We longed to be seen as just plain Americans. We ached to be generic.

Asian Americans coming of age today aren’t immune from racial stereotypes. There are still those Americans who still have their heads firmly planted in their hindquarters as our nation hurtles toward an Asia-centric world. But in a nation where sushi and pho are quickly becoming as commonplace as pizza and tacos, young Asian Americans have little trouble seeing those racists as the marginal stragglers. And in many neighborhoods young Asian Americans now play the role of generic, plain-vanilla Americans.

Of course we want that option for our young because we once wanted it so badly for ourselves. But having our next generation growing up to be generic Americans would be a distant second best option, both for Asian America and for America itself.

Our nation is at a crossroads. No longer does the United States enjoy unquestioned status as the light of the world, a beacon of hope, the sanctuary of all that is fair and just. Yet perhaps better than most of our fellow citizens we Asian Americans — who tend to have more intimate contact with other parts of the world — know that no other nation is close to being ready to share that role. China is wealthier but it continues to shun the principles of human dignity that we subscribe to. Japan has never shown the slightest inclination to exercise the moral authority commensurate with its economic clout, and now even its economy is losing steam. The EU espouses fine ideals but in the loquacious fashion of a knitting society more than a world power. Russia remains a half-formed nation mired in Soviet-era subterfuge and corruption.

There is only the United States. But the majority of Americans remain as provincial as ever, maybe even more so now that recent hard times have made them completely preoccupied with narrow domestic economic and political issues. Few Americans have a sense of just how backward our nation is becoming in so many areas in which we once took our lead for granted. Most still believe that American standards of technology, efficiency and creativity remain beyond the reach of the rest of the world. That kind of solecism makes most Americans ill-equipped to tap or compete against the talent and energy bubbling up in China, Korea, India, Taiwan, and an increasingly Asian Canada. The out-of-touch become roadkill on the economic superhighway of the 21st century.

We Asian Americans — at least the ones who have stayed in touch with the other side of the Pacific — understand the level of respect Asians deserve while being mindful of the advantages we continue to enjoy here in the U.S. by virtue of our greater diversity and freedom of expression. We know what Asia does better than America and what is doesn’t do so well. We know what Asia covets from America and what it scorns. All this knowledge is deeply ingrained enough that it informs our sensibilities toward all things — cars, clothes, food, decor, tech toys, films, the arts, music. In short, without even being conscious of it, we distill in our actions and tastes the best of America and of Asia.

Those of us who are secure enough to tap this cultural advantage are a valuable resource that is upgrading our nation’s collective culture, lifestyle and economic competitiveness. In short, we Asian Americans at our most culturally assertive are essential to America’s hope of staying the light of the world at a time when the planet needs it most.

An example of how culturally assertive Asian Americans boost America’s global competitiveness is Don Chang and wife Jin-sook. In 1984 the young couple co-founded a tiny fashion boutique in Los Angeles with the idea of selling clothes that embodied Korean fashion sensibilities. Today Forever 21 operates over 200 stores in 15 countries around the world, including in Asian fashion-producing nations like China, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and even Korea itself. Many of its fashions continue to be manufactured in the United States. Its spectacular global success with trendy inexpensive clothing illustrates the competitive advantages that Asian American sensibilities can provide even in a segment that most had conceded two decades ago to low-cost Asian producers.

A similar phenomenon can be seen in the fast-food business. The Panda Express chain, founded by a Chinese American couple, has not only managed to become ubiquitous in the United States but will soon be exporting its unique Chinese fast food concept to China and other parts of Asia!

So we celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month with the knowledge that it pays to keep our Asian heritages firmly in mind as we set about making our invaluable contributions to America.