refelction

Thinking of the past year, I can truly identify with the saying time flies why you are having fun. It was as if it had gone by in a blink of an eye. While I am regretful about certain decisions both personal and academic, I feel that it has been a successful freshman year for me in my transition into society in general away from the safety of home. Even though tufts made headlines for issues with the primary source and the death of Lilly, many good things happened here that didn’t make headline news. Tufts may now be perceived as an elitist private school unfriendly to conservatives and minorities, but it simply is not true. What the media won’t report is the honest discussions about issues of race and politics that has taken place amongst the students. While I cannot speak for everyone, it seems that most people have learned more about the opposite view from living with different kind of people. Personally, I have learned more about conservative reasoning and the point of view of my friend and vise versa. Our ideologies may not have changed but we both have seen the logic behind the other’s argument. Through this kind of dialogue, I feel that our campus is more understanding than ever.

American Son by Brian Ascalon Roley is a story about the life of brother Gabe and Thomas. Their mother who had came over to American to escaped the Philippines only to land an abusive husband in the states. This book is very much a coming of age story because it illustrate the growth of the hero through his initial realization of his surrounding and the discontent with his brother that drove him from his family. While the protagonist is contrasted against his darker looking brother Thomas who is a Mexican wanabe gangster, he soon loses his passive good side and becomes like his brother when he leaves for northern California due to conflict with his brother. In many ways the journey gone through by Gabe is similar to Holden in catcher in the rye in that both have no definite identity in society and goes through a serious of event that lead to a loss of innocence. The alienation felt by both character describe their conflict with society at large and with their own identity. Gabe’s escape to northern California is similar to holden’s escape to New York city and both their journey led them to both to self isolation in a long journey to find themselves.

When I ask myself what words have hurt me over the years, few come to mind immediately. After more meditation upon this topic, incidents that I have not thought about for years starts to pop into my mind. It is as if I have been blocking out those hurtful events from my memory to pretend like everything was fine. The most hurtful thing that I have been called is a dog eater. It hurts tremendously to be called that in a society that treasures dogs as man’s best friend. The idea of dog eating is almost cannibalism to most people in our society as the status of a dog is almost human like. When I hear dog eater I am hurt by the actual idea and all that is implied in people’s tone. It is an insult full of disgust that indicates one as foreign to the basic principles of this society.

American Born Chinese

In American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang uses the traditional Chinese Story of the monkey king and applies it into a western comic strip style. Diverting from traditional story telling, he emphasize humor in both the text and the behavior of the characters. The parable seems to relate to the theme of acceptance. Although the monkey is a king amongst his people and has studied to reach the level of immortality, he is not accepted by the others at the dinner party due to him being a monkey, something he can’t change. However, unlike what stereotypically happens, the monkey fights back instead of suffering in silence. At the end the story, the monkey king has noticed his difference and ponders how to change himself. It indicates how many Asians feel that they are different and inferior. Many then tries to change the characteristics of their ethnicity. The biggest example is the eye surgeries undertaken mainly by Asians.

memoir feb 20

When my mom was just a girl playing on the grassland of Inner Mongolia, her eyes got shot. Looking into the eyes of the girl he hated, the boy lunched a rock with surprising accuracy right into the girl’s left eye. My mother felt the sudden force pushing her backward and the numbing pain in her eye. Staring at the boy who shot her, she could not imagine what had been his motivation. At first, the boy froze at the sight of blood, but when he realized the trouble he has caused, he disappeared down the dusty road. Confused and discombobulated she tasted the dripping blood in her mouth. The familiar metallic taste made her realize that she was indeed hurt. Relying on her shacking vision from a single eye, she slowly traced her way home. With drops of blood forming a line behind her, she felt along the bright red bricks of houses and followed up the rusty stairs of the apartment. Furiously pounding on the door, my mother screamed for help. While the boy was later found and his family paid for the medical services, my mother was scared for life. While she had normal vision, her left eye was forever damaged and she was forced to ware glasses.

Responce memoir

Tram’s book we are all suspect now has only pointed out to me the pattern of history itself. One group is consistently burdening the brunt of the national discrimination. At one point it was Asian immigrants, then African Americans, followed by Hispanics and now Muslims. I went to a relatively rough Elemetry school and middle school. I remember certain kids who taunted me for being Asian and insulted me and physically attacked me. I was even attacked by some African American students. Since they weren’t being targeted, they had no problem not intervening and even join in on the attack. This reminds me very much of the current situation with Muslims. Since it’s not a problem for most other minorities right now, they are just enjoying not being public enemy. No one seems to want to help the Muslims being targeted. To end this cycle of discrimination, minorities must band together to help each out in the face of national discrimination. Who knows which groups will be targeted as the number one public enemy next time around?

Summary of introduction

Mohammad Akram was picked up shortly after September 11th 2001 in his convenience store. He had them been cut off from his family for five months. Finally his family was able to meet him in a room with glass on both sides. Only able to communicate through phones, his family eagerly talked to him until being ushered out by the guards. All this suffering was caused by the new definition of clandestine transnational actors, including undocumented migrant workers, refugees, smugglers and potential terrorist. Following the definition the government has gone after everyone in within the definition of the term furiously. Immediately following the event on September 11th, mass roundups of suspects occurred followed by FBI visits to thousands of Muslims and south Asians. Then the Patriot act, passed in October 2001, allowed for far great public spying. The special registration system came a year later which required all non-citizens of mostly Muslim countries to register with the government, resulting in thousands of deportation orders for people who registered. In December 2001, the absconder apprehension initiative included deportation order into the National crime center. Ever since September 11th, refugees limits has also been set and operation liberty shield has tightly monitored border and transportations. Aside from the government, businesses and finical institutions are also practicing discriminatory policies. Furthermore, reports of hate crimes against Muslims have sky rocked. This book tells the stories of people trapped in the situation.
Interesting facts:
In 2002 only 5% of African refugees were admitted, while 60% of Europeans were admitted.
290,525 registered with the government,13,799 were put in deportation.

Privilage

Since we are a society made up of different grounds and ethnicities, there exists certain privilages and disadvantages that each group are born with. White people as the majority may arguablely be the most advantaged, people of other races are born with advantages. An Asian can expect to be assumed to be smart and law abiding whille an African may be assumed to be gifted in athletics. Even with in racial groups, people and their privilages are split between gender and physical atributes. These identities born out of the media and social culture are not easily reversed. However, what can be helped is the social disparities that goverment can controll such as salary and anti discrimination laws. Instead of identifiying every leg up one type of person get in life, changes should be made at a bigger level. I do not agree with the author of the second paper that universal helath care should not be the goal. Whille it does not completely solve racial disparities, it is a progresive step in the right direction that helps everyone in need. The author is correct in that racial equality is important, but denoucing a progressive step that would help people based on statstical racial disparities is inappropriate.

http://www.hotflick.net/pictures/Kal_Penn_001.html

This is a picture of up and coming actor Kal Penn. When the word Asian is used, Most people think of far east asians. Kal Penn is one of the few Indian personels in Hollywood. This pictire comes from the movie Van Wilder where Penn is depicted with sterotypical Indian characteristics. He is seen in preppy attirs and seems to be shy, innocent and generally harmeless. It communicates that Asians are shy and preppy who won't stand up for themselves. They also indicates that Asians come from affluent familes that send their kids to good schools and eurge them to study hard.

question for prof Concesion

Has there been recent attempts to retool the collabaration and retry this intercultural exchange in theater?
Whould American audiences overcome the cultural diffrence and language barrier to appreciate Chinese theater or vice-versa.