April 18, 2007
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Racial Identity
Ok, so the fact that the shooter at Virginia Tech was Asian, or more specifically South Korean, has kicked up a lot of dust lately. There have been many blog entries floating about regarding questions about racism, his motivations, and other such topics of interest, and if you have a particular desire to read on those topics, feel free to visit some of the people I subscribe to, many of whom have very eloquently written their opinions on the matter. The question that comes up in my mind, though, is how much is race a part of our identity? There's no denying that many of us are unable to escape our racial heritage. Mine is painted all over my face, and by merely being able to see it, you will immediately know that I am Asian without even a second glance. But how much does it define me and my existance? How much does it dictate who I am and what I do? Should Cho be judged, even partially, on the fact that he's Korean-American?
Who am I?
My parents are both from South Korea, but met here in the US, or more specifically in New York City. Both my sister and I were born in Flushing Hospital, in Queens and are American citizens by birth, able to vote, own a gun, and even run for President. Though we speak some Korean, English is our primary and most comfortable language. This largely classifies us as Korean-American, because we are of obvious Korean heritage, but were born and raised in the United States. Our childhoods were obviously heavily influence by American culture, media, and education. If our parents had been European, then most people wouldn't even question our American-ness and would simply assume we were like any other Americans, but because our race is written so obviously on our features, many times we're treated as foreigners and outsiders, despite having been born and raised here. So by choice or by force, we do not really fit the popularized notion of what an average American is.
How much of me is American?
This is not really a fair question. America is, after all, the supposed melting pot of the world, where people of all races, colors, ethnicities, and religions come together. In that sense, you could say that I'm 100% American. But I don't think most people would consider me as such, no matter how much I claimed the contrary. "You're not American, you're Korean." There are those who consider Asians to be a seperate category, belonging exclusively to their nation of heritage regardless of how many generations they may have been here. There are some Asian-Americans who have been here more generations than a lot of European immigrants, but are still less accepted as American than people who have been living here less than one generation compared to their three, four, or five generation history here. So how much of me is American? In the truest, purest sense of the word that people like to apply to most people, I am 100% American. But often, I find that I am not treated or looked upon as such because of my race. Is it fair? Nope. Not in the least. If you were to strip away everything that makes me American from my personality, I would definately not be the same person, so it is an essential part of who I am.
How much of me is Korean?
The idea of being Korean doesn't really work in the same way as being American. The fact that you were born in Korea does not necessarily make you Korean, because the notion of being a Korean person is tied to more than just being born in Korea, living there, and being acclimated with the culture, just like being Italian, Irish, or Polish means a lot more than just being born and living in those countries. There is a cultural identity tied to being Korean, one which I must accept to some degree if I wish to acknowledge my heritage. Ideally, I would say that all of me is Korean, because both of my parents are Korean, I was raised in a Korean household with Korean values, and I identify a lot with many aspects of being Korean in much the same way my parents do. If you were to strip away from my personality everything that makes me Korean, you'd have a completely different person than who I am today, and so for this reason, it is an essential part of who I am. Would I be considered Korean in South Korea? That's a bit of a complicated question, but essentially the answer is more or less yes. If your parents are Korean, that basically makes you automatically Korean. Whether you're able to adapt to the heavy cultural differences and gain social acceptance, however, is another matter entirely.
Does your cultural identity dictate your actions?
The simplest answer to this is no. Regardless of what you may believe about culture and race as it ties to personal identity, we are all ultimately free to make our own choices. You, as an individual, are empowered as a human being to do whatever the hell you want. No one can ever force you against your will to do something if you truly do not wish to do it. There may be consequences of making such a decision, but it is still your choice to make. Rather than blaming others, blaming video games, blaming laws, blaming handguns, blaming government, and whoever else is available to point the finger at, perhaps it's time we own the choices we make. Is it Cho's fault he shot those people? Absolutely. Is it his parents fault? His cultural identity that forced it on him? Are we predisposed to violence? That's a completely rediculous series of questions. No matter what his parents did to him, they did not pull the trigger. The entirety of Korean history and culture did not suddenly stand up and dictate his actions to him. He decided on his own to take those actions. Despite what anyone else leads you to believe, we are not drones, robots, or automatons. We are each of us free to make our own decisions and live our life the way we choose, however we choose to do it. If I want to completely forsake my heritage tomorrow, I can. If I suddenly decide to drive my car off a steep cliff, I can do that too. It wouldn't be very smart, but if I was serious about it, really, who could stop me? And if a serious discussion erupted as to how to stop people from driving cars off of cliffs in the future and whether or not Koreans were predisposed to driving cars off of cliffs, would anyone take that seriously? Regardless of your heritage, your cultural identity, your ethnicity, religion, or heritage, we are all of us human beings and we are all free to do what we want. Take responsibility for the freedom which is granted you and own up for the choices you make. Despite what others may have you believe, no one else can force your hand. The only person with the power to act in your life is you.
Comments (7)
I agree, i guess people still tend to think Americans are supposily white. In fact, its a melted pot of all races. It's true that it doesn't matter where we born, its how much we are being influented throughout our life so far by everything we experienced.
Well said. I couldn't agree more. I suspect that it is in the character of newsfolk to seek out all the angles. "What made Cho tick? What made Cho snap?" Sometimes those in pursuit of the news can be real idiots!
His ethnic heritage has certainly been in mix in article after article. At the same time, the picture is emerging of an individual who, as you articulately stated, made choices to isolate and alienate himself. I don't think that's an Asian thing. It's a mental health thing. Unfortunately, given our culture of shame, I don't wonder that it was difficult for him or his family to acknowledge the problem and to seek assistance. After all, we're not supposed to have those problems as a culture. Right.
The tragic circumstances of the last several days notwithstanding, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance over Xanga.
Take care!
umm.... this might seem kind of odd, because we don't know each other. but if it doesn't work out, that's ok, because we don't know each other.
hello, my name's josh. i just joined xanga..... again. and realized it would be pointless without any friends, so that's what i'm trying to get.
if you're not interested, that's ok. i won't cyberly stalk you.
or stalk you in any other manner for that matter.
.....
i swear.
the problem is that people are generally ignorant and tend to conflate nationality, ethnicity, and race without really understanding how any of those three work.
I understand what you mean - in a world solely dedicated to those with power and wealth, the have-not's certainly will feel the invisible prick, no matter how small.
Was Cho Korean-American? I thought he was a Korean national on a student visa.
Holding Koreans responsible for Cho's crime would be as silly and illogical as those Koreans who hold Americans in general responsible for the crimes of individual American servicement in Korea. It's not an issue of Koreans did this or Americans did that. It's an issue of one sick kid at Virginia Tech, and a few sick men on American military bases. I don't expect anti-Koreanism any more than I can stand the anti-Amiericanism that exists in Korea.
this is so powerful:
If our parents had been European, then most people wouldn't even question our American-ness and would simply assume we were like any other Americans, but because our race is written so obviously on our features, many times we're treated as foreigners and outsiders, despite having been born and raised here.
Comments are closed.