MistyTiger wrote:@Politics_Observer Wow, U of WA placed 10 according to your source. If I were still in WA, that would have been my alma mater. My parents just did not like crossing the pontoon bridge to commute there. Otherwise, it is a great school. But I am content. There is a reason we moved to the northeast and I have had a bit of luck throughout my life thus far. Life is as it should be.
I only know bits of Chinese because it is my parents' primary language. I understand everyday basic conversation. I have plans to become fluent.
@Tainari88
@MistyTiger @Rancid I enjoy the Spanish language. I learned in high school. One day my mom told me that when she was working as a nurse in Taiwan, she got called a Spanish nurse. She really does look Spanish. She has one of those tall, slightly hooked noses, a European feature. I like to think that this tie to Spanish is why I love the Spanish-speaking cultures so much. I like the flavors, dances, customs, art, literature...todo.
My mom also encouraged me to be versatile, to believe in the jack of all trades stuff. She taught me to embrace creativity, innovation, life, change...simply amazing!
@MistyTiger I think it is very very important for you to be completely fluent in the dialect of Chinese your parent or parent(s) might speak. It is incredibly important. English is not enough nowadays, and frankly if you are not an Anglo in background? It is a colonial language imposed by others and with it comes with racist stuff. I always say that if the English speaking nations would be truly accepting of other groups who only speak English? And have been in the USA for many generations? And are Protestants? Who only respect Western paradigms? If being an American were only about having American values and truly saw the ones assimilating to their culture as their equals? All would be fine. BUT THEY DON'T Misty. They won't do that. They don't accept African Americans as full Americans in the sense of them not accepting them as white. What these fools really believe Misty is that if you are not white you are not really American. They refuse to realize that African American are the first truly dedicated Americans. They had to assimilate or die. Period. Culturally in many ways that are not about class consciousness, and being descendants of ex-slaves--African Americans are about as American as you can get! For me American culture is embedded in African American life. From many centuries.
Any African nation person like a Senegalese, or a Mali or a Cote d Ivoire African continent immigrant (Ivory Coast, etc African ethnic person)--doesn't have much in common at all culturally with African Americans except the discrimination and the color of their skin. And that is proof that American society has a long, long way to go to get to the category of a culture that is healthy to assimilate into. Because otherwise you are vulnerable to these negative messages Misty--of being told you are not acceptable as an American because you don't look Anglo or 'white'. That is the issue your sister has, I know she is not a balanced person, but she got the message that being Asian is not acceptable at all. She wants to be acceptable. Blond, blue eyed and European. But her father and mother are not those people. It is not her. Neither is it YOU.
Instead you have two people whom are admirable as parents. Your father despite many obstacles got his PhD and worked very hard for a stable home for you and his other daughter. Your mother works hard everyday to make a pleasant home for you and your sister. She loves her children. She has sound values.
If she is of Filipino descent your mother? She most probably does have Spanish background in her bloodline. The Spaniards were an Empire but they mixed racially all the time. No problem do they have with that
. And they are always accepting of change in every level with new societies they interact with. The WASP of North America is a lot less open. They talk a lot of stuff about how accepting American society is? But they keep seeing 'foreignness' as Asian, or Native American, African or Latin American. I don't know why they do that? The USA is a hodgepodge of mixed heritages and none are pure. All four groups have been in the USA since its inception as a nation. But they have had negative acceptances of all four groups from the very beginning. It is racist and class based. No doubt about it. They need to change that crap or they will have a horribly violent confrontation in the near future. The demographics of the USA has changed completely and if you take the non European people who are USA citizens? They will be the majority in a few generations. If you don't accept them as the BASE of the USA? You have no country in the future. None. The one single type of American is no longer valid. The values have to change too. They need to stop with the myths of exceptionalism and work on inclusive and dedicated efforts to excellence in intellect and science and expand language arts and critical thinking skills.
Misty, you have to be aware of who you are at all times. A very beautiful young woman with a lot to bring to the world. You are living in a society that dismisses Asian people off hand. They do. They either want to stereotype them or they place labels that are false on them. For my way of thinking? Being a person who is not racist consists of letting people be HUMANS. Let them fail or have defects, be different and be an individual, let them be FREE to be themselves. Don't pen them in, or tell them what they are supposed to think or be or have....and don't tell them that the people that gave them life and gave them love (their families) should have to shed their languages, history or values in order to become 'real' Americans. That is SHIT. You forget where your roots are and you are weak and ripe for some horrible message of inferiority by these fools who want to impose an identity on others while not having a strong identity themselves. The blind leading the blind. They make horrible mistakes based on excluding people and being anti social and discriminatory. The untold suffering they cause for their lack of generosity of spirit is astounding!
And the first thing one has to do is study one's family history. Speak the language of one's ancestors, and become familiar with your own family's struggle to make a life in a new land. In the USA.
Don't you ever let some fool in the USA tell you Misty that you are less than the next woman or man. You are not. You are MORE.
You are a bright, beautiful girl. And full of love to give and a great sense of service. Don't let anyone step on your feminine dignity Misty. Not today, not tomorrow or ever.
Hold that head high darling one! I will cheer you on always!
Get that degree and have FUN!!