Does Society Have a Say in Where You Call Home?
Thursday, 24 September 2009 00:00
 “Kenji” is an American native with Japanese-born parents. In America, he’s considered Japanese but in Japan, he’s considered American. With both sides rejecting him, no one wonder he feels he can’t find a place to call home -- so where does he belong? For many American-born people with mono-ethnic immigrant parents, there is an underlying sense of pride, identity and love for their parent’s birthplace. Many of those (whom I’ve met in my life) that have parents that were raised in other countries, have this sense of obligation to their parents’ motherland. I suppose, since we’ve grown up with their own customs, we’ve come to learn the identity of our people and carry with us a sense of belonging and devotion to that country.
A friend of mine, who will be called X, is an American-born Japanese and was raised in NYC. She is the prime example of someone who has almost full devotion to their parents’ homeland; someone who will cheer for the Japanese national baseball team when up against team USA. Why is this? When I asked her what the significance is of her attachment to Japan, she said that it was her way of upbringing. Sure she was raised in America but she grew up watching Japanese tapes of television shows and ate mostly Japanese food at home and spoke only Japanese to her parents and nothing else. Everything un-Japanese was done outside her home, at school, at work and with most of her friends. But not everyone like her can share the same experience or reason for having this kind of rooted loyalty for their parent’s motherland. Does the upbringing alone determine which place an individual can call home or is it because of the way society pushed us in a way that caused this feeling of belonging elsewhere?
Last Updated ( Friday, 04 December 2009 04:46 )
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Shelton, the Multiracial White
Thursday, 17 September 2009 00:00
Daimian
Do you ever feel pressured to always stand up for your non-white part? Before we answer this question, let us take a look at the life of Shelton. Shelton grew up in a majority white suburb somewhere in California. He was raised primarily by his white mother, considering his black father left her when he found out that she was preganant. From the onset of his education, Shelton was immersed into a community of only white people. One day, during his high school experience, Shelton was hanging out with a group of his friends. He was the only multiricial person present. All of a sudden, John cracks a joke about black people. Silence falls upon the crowd as everyone fixates their vision upon Shelton. Now, on the surface of this scenario you may be thinking that this was an appropriate response from Shelton's friends to look at him considering he was indeed part black. But two main questions run through my mind when I analyze this common occurence; why aren't his friends scolding the offender, and is it really Shelton's job to defend the non-white group being offended?
Last Updated ( Friday, 04 December 2009 04:26 )
G. K. Butterfield, Pot and Kettle?
Thursday, 10 September 2009 00:00
Shaka
In an article recently released by the Associated Press, the topic of Obama's "true colors: black, white... or neither?" is thoroughly discussed. While many would applaud the AP for at least attempting to tackle this sensitive issue, one could not help but notice that they and some of the other news outlets still generally refer to the president-elect ubiquitously as either African-American or black. While his rise to the presidency is historic for a non-white person, this should not diminish the fact that he is multiracial. Now, what's interesting about the aforementioned article is what a particular U.S. Representative had to say about the notion that Obama is not black. Hailing from North Carolina's first congressional district is G. K. Butterfield: 
Last Updated ( Friday, 04 December 2009 04:23 )
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Multiculturalism - A Bankrupt Philosophy?
Thursday, 03 September 2009 00:00
As I was sitting at the table, surfing through pages and pages of video links, I came across a link that briefly talked about the philosophy of multiculturalism from an opposing perspective, that which, multiculturalism is somewhat unrealistic and its meaning can never truly be attained. Because of the fact that our country -- no -- our world contains millions and millions of people populated throughout hundreds of culturally diverse cities, this statement struck me as rather absurd. Born and raised in NYC, it's very easy for someone like me to take a biased standpoint and argue this claim from an opposing perspective. However, looking at the argument from a journalistic point of view, I realized that the person's statement in the video could be entertained. In a country where we've taken so many influences from different cultures, do we truly live in a society where cultures live harmoniously and without conflict? Although the nation is evolving into a more tolerant and open society as time moves forward, we can only say, it's happening to a certain extent.
Last Updated ( Friday, 04 December 2009 04:49 )
The Foreign Invasion in Entertainment
Tuesday, 01 September 2009 07:16
 Despite my previous post - where I wrote a rant on the seemingly blatant display of the entertainment industry’s discrimination towards members of the foreign entertainment world - I can’t help but admit the growing numbers of foreign influences in today’s television shows, films, and music. Within the last decade, the United States has seen a major increase in the number of immigrant artists and ethnic artists within the Hollywood limelight. More actors, singers, musicians, and even film directors in the United States have either immigrant parents or grandparents or have come from afar themselves, with the dream to succeed in the world’s biggest stage.
Last Updated ( Friday, 04 December 2009 19:27 )
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