I'm very interested in your debunking of the notion of the Chinese American being a pseudo-privileged minority. I've found in my own life, as a white American, Chinese Americans, as well as other Asian Americans are subjected to intolerance from various groups. Even if the intolerance manifests itself in different ways doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Living in California for the past four years, I've found it fascinating to witness the ways in which Asian-Americans are perceived on the West Coast. Many people don't see them as minorities at all because they are prevalent and tend to be fairly well off -- or at least more so than other minority groups such as African Americans. That raises an interesting dilemma: In order to be a "minority" in this country must you somehow be poor or have been disenfranchised? Or is that at least how some Americans see it?
Think about how that complicates issues of identity. I've heard people say Asians are just like whites because they have succeeded. But what about the underlying issue of where they come from, how they look and how they identify themselves? Clearly all of that is breezed over by those that feel Asians aren't real minorities. It essentially deletes a person's history to make such a claim.
I hope that all makes sense to you.
Sincerely,
Dan Bohm
Questions: I embedded them within the post so see above.
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