re: Fun Reading: Hit pieces on HRC campaign from NY Mag and Rolling Stone

quote:

---

quote:
Yet, today, Asian-Americans are among the most prosperous, well-educated, and successful ethnic groups in America. What gives? It couldn’t possibly be that they maintained solid two-parent family structures, had social networks that looked after one another, placed enormous emphasis on education and hard work, and thereby turned false, negative stereotypes into true, positive ones, could it? It couldn’t be that all whites are not racists or that the American dream still lives?


My wife, in her masters program, stumbled upon an 'article' which lays out what is going to be a common argument in the years to come. Asian Americans and latinos are "Voluntary" minorities, and as such, don't have the internalized prejudices given by the white man which hold them down. Amerindians and Blacks are "Involuntary minorities" and are thus always held down by the white man.

---

quote:

---

I'm a big fan of Japan, too. Lived there for a while right out of grad school. Still one of my favorite places to visit.

That being said, they are still too deferential to age and hierarchy. Goes back to the Meiji Restoration and the breakup of class stratification. Worked with a company in the 90's that was our sales channel for the country. Got chummy with the guy widely expected to be the new president. He ended up not getting it because he was too young. He was 57.

"The nail that sticks up gets hammered down." One of the first phrases a gaijin learns.

---