Jayden Szeto - Week 1 - My identity as an ABC (American Born Chinese) Boy
Recently, last Wednesday to be exact, I had my 2nd period Chinese class. We were partnering up to do an assignment, where one of us would have to go up to the board to read the words, and then the other would write down the characters. We would then switch. Right when the teacher explained what we were going to do, I knew I was going to get bullied for my horrid deficiency in Chinese writing skills. We had a total of about ~30 minutes? Immediately after being told "get to work" from the teacher, I volunteered to be the reader so I could potentially avoid the embarrassment of writing horribly. There were about 50 words on the board — about 25 words each, where after we finished the 25 words we would then switch. The hardest part about reading the words, in my opinion, was going up to the board and coming back to report the words to your partner so they could write it. Anyways, I was reading kinda slowly because this was a review of some of the words from last year (which I forgot a lot of), and my friend said “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE CHINESE READ FASTER” After some time, unfortunately, it was my turn to write. As I expected, I was blanking on words and I had to take extra time to look up the words, while a couple people were finishing up with theirs. We had a couple more words (about 10?), but unfortunately I was not able to finish, and we just turned it in. After that, my friend said something like “how are you so bad at writing Chinese, you’re literally Chinese,” as a joke of course. However, as class ended, I could not help but feel a tiny bit sad.
As the saying goes, “Every joke has a grain of truth in it.” That previous comment, even if it was a joke, stung a little bit. It showed the assumption that often came along with being an ABC kid—that your ethnicity should dictate what you should be able to do. It was as if my identity as a Chinese person was being determined off my ability to read and write off a board.
Being an ABC basically makes it so that you are often reminded that you’re not “American” enough by some standards, but you’re also reminded, like my experience from my Chinese class, that you’re not “Chinese” enough. But hey, maybe that’s good. That means you get to live life with more insight into each culture and more experiences. Anyways, I think I mostly did stuff slowly because I forgot most of it over the summer, so I will probably just touch up on that.
"American-born Chinese ... (sometimes abbreviated as ABC) is a term widely used to refer to Chinese people who were born in the United States and received U.S. citizenship due to birthright citizenship in the United States" (Wikipedia).
Hi Jayden! Reading your blog post was very comforting for me, since I could deeply relate to your struggles with language; I am not very familiar with reading or writing my own native language either, and it made me feel better to know that others experience similar feelings of sadness about their languages. Your point about skill not being determined by or defining one’s race stood out to me as a very refreshing and open-minded take in a society where people are expected to be deeply immersed in any culture they claim to be a part of. Also, your point about not being “American” enough but also not “Chinese” seems to be a very common issue amongst Chinese-Americans, since I have seen many articles focusing on that issue. However, it does seem like you have accepted your situation and are now looking at the bright side of things, which is great.
ReplyDeleteHey Jayden! It is so great to read about your perspective and how your Asian background affects your daily life. There are a set of difficulties that we uniquely face as well as a set of unique benefits. I agree that it's unfair that people expect others to be able to do something based on ethnicity. On the other side, it's unfair that people also expect that others are unable to do something. I would like to point out that it's not just ABC's who face stereotypes. Minorities in most countries experience some sort of expectations based on stereotypes, prejudice that affect different minorities in different ways. What are some ways we can address these sort of issues and make actual change, especially in the US where everything is so politicized and polarized?
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how frustrated and pressured you must have felt in the moment! It's an all-too-familiar reality that as we immerse ourselves in American culture, we gradually find ourselves losing touch with our own cultural roots. I, too, have experienced the unsettling realization that I've forgotten how to write in my native language, but I hope to relearn it in the near future, because those facets of our identity are what serve as the authentic threads that connect us to our heritage and our ancestors. The comment from your friend, even if it was intended as a joke, highlights a common stereotype and misconception that one's ethnicity should equate to language proficiency. Your insight into the assumptions that come with being an ABC is genuinely thought-provoking though, as it touches on the duality of identity and the pressure to fit into certain cultural molds. Your reflection on how your identity as an ABC also serves as an opportunity to gain insight into multiple cultures and experiences made me smile—I found your ability to still find a positive outlook in the end really admirable
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