Reading Reflection #7
Mike Ngo's Day in the Life
Coming from a troubled neighborhood, I knew what crime and violence looked like. I had friends and family who were both victims and perpetrators of certain situations. Mike Ngo's experience as a former gang member incarcerated for killing a rival gang member reminded me of the tensions between groups, whether it be about race or beliefs. After the Vietnam War, many Southeast Asians came to America and had poor socioeconomic status. It was difficult for many families to rise out of poverty as there weren't many opportunities available to them. Because of this, much of the younger generation looked to gang and violence as an escape.
The reading was interesting because I felt like Mike Ngo's conscience was eating at him when he gave some of his fellow inmates more time in prison because of his clerk position at the prison. I also feel that because he was "willing to die for [his] homies", he ended up putting himself in prison. However, murdering someone wasn't the issue for him. I feel that the only thing really bothering him is the fact that he doesn't feel anything- remorse or regret for his crimes. In a way, this ties back to the Vietnam War and how many soldiers were able to commit the crimes they did and not really feel regret or remorse. Like Mike Ngo, the soldiers did what they "had" to do to protect their "homies", even if it meant killing someone. Mike Ngo is more concerned with his lack of feelings rather than the fact that he had ended someone's life for a friend.
QUESTION: How do you think the Vietnam War has contributed to the growing gang violence in the states?
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