5/16 Shah


            Shah’s article on “Family, Culture, Gender” and its relation to 2nd generation Laotian girls who are a part of AYA talks about another instance in which “dominant narratives in the United States [does not] equate ethnic identity with foreign national identity,” (129). These girls experience emotional hardships and alienation within their familial relationships as they negotiate between familial expectations and their own ideals as American students. Before I read this article, my housemate warned me that this article would hit home for me as she said she related to the Laotian girls’ household experiences. Personally, I was skeptical of this as I found that my relationship with my family and the difficulties that came with being the eldest daughter of two migrant parents was different from the other narratives I saw in the media and heard from my friends. I was wrong. From simply reading the headings such as, “I Have More Relationships Than My Older Brother Just Because I Am a Girl, Why You Talking Back to Me, and I Like the Family Gatherings,” I found that these were the highlight of my struggles growing up. Yes, I learned at a young age that I had to learn how to take care of the home and get home early for the sake of being a “good daughter” while my brother had the privilege to ignore his chores and stay up late nights with his friends. Yes, I had trouble communicating my true feelings to my parents as it was highly disrespectful to challenge their authority. But through it all, family gatherings hold a special place in my heart as it allowed me to exercise traditions that I would not be able to perform outside of these family gatherings. It bridged differences between second generation children and our parents. Ultimately, this made me realize that though I constantly strive for independence, in the end of the day, I value the protection and practices that my family instilled on me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laotian Daughter and Monkey Dancer

In the article “The Political of Race: Political Identity and the Struggle for Social Rights” by Bindi V. Shah, it mentions the struggles that the Laotian community faced in Contra Costa County.   Laotian community were one of the least represented community in the county due to the lack of representation via politics.   They experience racism through the structural “neighborhood race effect” of “underfunded and resource-deprived schools, environmental pollution and low-wage jobs.”   (53)   When it comes to the perception of model minority, it heavily affects the Laotian community negatively because they are not on the same playing field as other Asians who are economically success and assimilated.   So when the fire arose in the Contra Costa Valley, the Laotian elders were not aware that the fire happened until hours later.   The reason was because they could not understand the messages that were being said when they were informed.   So many elders e...
Read more

5/30- Fiske

In "Shopping For Pleasure", one point was raised "In shopping malls and department stores women's pleasure and desires are catered to, but only in so far as they serve the greater interest of the market". I somewhat disagree with this. While it may be true that the notion of shopping and the market is mostly managed by the predominantly male. The fact that women have a place to exercise a small resistances is important. It is also worth noting that it might be true that it is mostly managed by males, women are exercising the power to vote with their wallet. Also, it creates a space where women can be employ because of the fact that they belong to the group of the target audience, therefore, they have better knowledge of the market. So I argue that shopping malls might not be the place created by women, but it is a stepping stone for women to achieve equal right.
Read more

5/23 Kelly Loves Tony Part 2 Video Response

5/23 Angel Truong Kelly Loves Tony Part 2 Video Response             The documentary Kelly Loves Tony highlights the difference between second-generations Asian Americans who are either assimilated or not assimilated. Kelly wants a life where she is not restricted by traditional gender roles. However, Tony is not assimilated as Kelly since he values family more than Kelly’s well-being. This is depicted from his rant with his boss where Tony does not understand why Kelly is always upset with his family. He believes she should care for their baby and his family conveying that he wants her to be a domestic wife and daughter-in-law. Their conflict also ties to the model minority myth where Asian Americans are not as assimilated or obedient as the myth depicts them because Tony has a criminal record and both Kelly and Tony are struggling to live with his family who are very dependent on each other. This is displayed from the fact th...
Read more