The 4.0 Gangster

Eduard Alfonso

ASA 2 Section 2

Week 8 Response

Mike Ngo’s “A Day in the Life” and Andrew Thi’s “I am a Man with a Heart”

I wanted to do two readings because I couldn’t get enough from just Ngo’s reading, but I see that both of them show two sides of the similar situations. With Thi’s “4.0 gangster” who’s always in and out of jail and Ngo’s inmate, you get a good look into the eyes of a first generation immigrant. What I took away most was the family’s reaction to the son’s situation. Ngo had parents who would regularly visit, patiently waiting for the day he gets released. Thi had a family that looked up to him, supporting him throughout each part of the bail process, no matter how the odds were against him.

I took away how much immigrants looked forward to their children’s success. I can relate to that here, as I saw the same feeling from my parents when I got accepted to Davis. They saw I could achieve very far, and I believe Thi’s parents felt the same when he proved himself during his time in school, although he had an alternate agenda outside of school and wrestling. I believe Ngo’s parents wanted him to live better and that his current situation is their fault as his mother tells him she’ll postpone dying until he gets out and how his father feels guilty for his situation.

My question is do people see this in their life: How kids from their generation take what their parents do for granted, and how the next generation looks to be doing the same? I see my nieces and nephews who are disrespectful to their parents, my cousins and other in my generation. I feel that we need this history in our minds, where we came from, to remind and humble ourselves. Their parents are people I would describe as very “outgoing”, because “uncaring” is too extreme, because they understand what their parents have done, but it takes them to screw up in order to appreciate the sacrifices their parents have made.

I chose the image of Fresh Off the Boat because their family, or just any immigrant family with first generation born here, reminds me of the possible direction children can grow up as.

Source: http://seattleglobalist.com/2014/05/20/abcs-new-sitcom-fresh-off-the-boat-will-have-asian-americans-gloating/25250