Denial of racism in sports and in general

1) As an Asian American person, race issues have always been very interesting to me, especially in the world of sports. Understandably, most race discussions are purely about white and black issues in this country given our history. Unfortunately, as a result, Asians and Asian Americans are often left out and generally invisible in the gereral discourse of race. On the other hand, as more and more Asians are playing American sports (i.e. Yao, Dice-K, Ichiro, etc...) Asians are slowly becoming part of the general discussion. This is a good thing.

2) Unless a person of color is seriously being unreasonable, they should never be told that they are being "too sensitive" when it comes to being discriminated against, either overtly or subtly. As a person of color, one of the most irritating things to me is when a white person tells me that I am being too senstive because I thought someone commmitted an act of racism towards me. When a person who comes from a class of people who have traditionally been discriminated against feels reasonably offended for some reason, those from other groups should not be telling them that they are "too sensitive" because it is simply a way of dismissing what happened. In general, I think that when you've never experienced something, don't think that you know better,IMO.

3) In regards to overt v. institutionalized racism towards certain groups, overt racism may be on the decline (i.e. Imus' situation), but there is still plenty of institutionalized and sytemic racism in America. It's not surprising that people in power, generally white American males, do not notice the systemic racism and will continue the status quo. Why not continue the status quo when, for the most part, your group is successful? This is usually not a conscious decision anymore, or at least I hope. Unfortunately, because of past and poorly made historical decisions by people in power (i.e. legislators) many minority groups are still affected by institutionalized racism. For example, between 1882-1943, the US government enacted the Chinese Exclusionary Act, which prevented Chinese men and women from immigrating into the US. Don't you think those 60 years have affected how Chinese and other Asian groups have been percieved in the US? Now, think about all the other racial minority groups who have been negatively discriminated against in the past and think how that has affected them in today's society. It's no secret that white American males are still, for the most part, going to better schools, getting better jobs, and getting paid a higher salary. As a result, there are many more white Americans who are in power, who either consciously or subconsiouly want to maintain the status quo.

Keep in mind, racism is not just an American phenomenon. Institutionalized Racism = racial discrimination + power. What group has power will most likely be the group charged with racism. However, this does not mean that individuals cannot be prejudiced towards each other.

So, next time someone of a racial minority group claims that they have been racially discriminated against, please don't just say "you're being too sensitive." That's just an easy way out from having to talk about why that incident has occurred.

What does it mean to be Asian in America today?

What does it mean to be Asian in America today? When I think about this question, which I have many times, many thoughts run through my mind. The first thought is that I am an American just like everyone else. Though on the other hand, there are things I have to be conscious and aware of that other non-Asians don't have to while being in America. For instance, I have to be conscious of the fact that I will be looked at and judged differently and also that others expect certain things of me just because I'm an Asian American (e.g. model minority). I also have to be conscious of the fact that I might not be visible within "mainstream" America and that I might be overlooked. Why is it that when this country talks about race issues, any discrimination against Asians is dismissed? Yet, when there are overt and even subtle discrimination against other races, the media and the country gets into a frenzy. On the same token, I think about how Asian American men, like myself, are barely visible on mainstream television shows, and when they are, they don't speak English fluently. Is it that the audience doesn't care to see Asian Americans on their television screens, or is it that the media doesn't care to portray Asians in America as Americans? Why do I, as well as many other fellow Asian Americans, feel necessary to point out an Asian person on television if we do see one? Is it because it's not yet natural for even Asian Americans to see other Asians on television?

From my experience traveling abroad, I know for a fact that when people think of America, they think of white Americans. Obviously, this perturbs me greatly as I am an American, but I'm not white. Although I was born here in America, I've consciously tried to fit into the culture, but I've never tried to fit into white America. I've never really liked the word "assimilation" because that word connotes fitting into white America. The word "assimilation" is taken from the out dated view that America is a melting pot of cultures. On the contrary, I would suggest that America is more like a mixed salad rather than a melting pot of cultures, which I think is a good thing. Instead of assimilating to the white culture, I've tried to "integrate" both my Asian culture and my American culture together.

As an Asian American person, it has been important to me to try and maintain some semblance of my Asian culture as well as adopt and fit into American culture. It is this bi-cultural fence that separates many Asian Americans from other non-Asian Americans. As many more Asians are emigrating to the US year after year and many more Asian American generations are developing (e.g. 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation families), it will be important for these people to reconcile this bi-cultural fence and somehow develop their own "American" culture. As for me, I have reconciled what it means to be Asian American. Being Asian in America today means celebrating the culture of your family's homeland and incorporating that into what it means to be American.