ASA 115 001
Week 5 Reading Blog
This week, our theme is "Traitors Strike Back, Venerations: Hybrid Vigor, Cultural Bridges, Golden People, Race Saviors, and Ideal Be", which I predict will mainly center on how mixed race people find a semblance of belonging by connecting the multiple worlds they come from. By bridging the gap, they find their self-identities and sense of community. In “Doing the Mixed Race Dance: A Multiracial Vietnamese American Class Typology" by Professor Valverde, the concept of "social-dancing" is discussed in which there is the issue in which people were unsure on what social ranking or status that mixed race people should be categorized in. Multiracial individuals are judged to determine the level of belonging that they have within the community, whether they were accepted on basis of their sex, nationality, social status, heritage, level of education, cultural competency, and physical appearance.
As a Vietnamese-American, I am very aware of the sexism and internalized misogyny that is rampant among the Vietnamese community, as well as racism, especially anti-blackness. I was not surprised to read that Vietnamese men with non-Vietnamese wives were well-regarded while Vietnamese women with non-Vietnamese husbands were seen as immoral or “bar girls”. It is something that is still relevant today. Vietnamese society is largely based on Confucian principles, the most prominent being the hierarchy system that is patriarchal, values the elderly, and favors males above females. When multiraciality is added into the equation, it begs the question: how should mixed race people be treated? What are the factors they will be judged based on? How can we be more aware of our own language as to not offend people of mixed race descent? Do gender roles play a bigger influence or is race just another social determinant of one’s worth?
The link below is titled "Left Behind in Vietnam | VOA Connect", which touches upon the controversial subject of war babies and the children who are abandoned by their fathers who are often U.S soldiers. The video was thought provoking and when you read the comments, it is clear there is a divide among viewers. People feel sympathy for the child moreso than the Vietnamese women who are left behind by the American soldiers. At the same time, people pin blame on women who find a new life and marry another man… It is clear to me personally that women are often held accountable for their actions more so men.
As a Vietnamese-American, I am very aware of the sexism and internalized misogyny that is rampant among the Vietnamese community, as well as racism, especially anti-blackness. I was not surprised to read that Vietnamese men with non-Vietnamese wives were well-regarded while Vietnamese women with non-Vietnamese husbands were seen as immoral or “bar girls”. It is something that is still relevant today. Vietnamese society is largely based on Confucian principles, the most prominent being the hierarchy system that is patriarchal, values the elderly, and favors males above females. When multiraciality is added into the equation, it begs the question: how should mixed race people be treated? What are the factors they will be judged based on? How can we be more aware of our own language as to not offend people of mixed race descent? Do gender roles play a bigger influence or is race just another social determinant of one’s worth?
The link below is titled "Left Behind in Vietnam | VOA Connect", which touches upon the controversial subject of war babies and the children who are abandoned by their fathers who are often U.S soldiers. The video was thought provoking and when you read the comments, it is clear there is a divide among viewers. People feel sympathy for the child moreso than the Vietnamese women who are left behind by the American soldiers. At the same time, people pin blame on women who find a new life and marry another man… It is clear to me personally that women are often held accountable for their actions more so men.
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