Sunday, November 15, 2015

Intraracial Conflict and Discrimination within the Vietnamese Community

Brian Tran
ASA 2 Sect. 1
Blog 9
11/15/15

After reading Valverde's "Mixed-Race Dance" and "Nguyen takes stand against tyranny," both articles demonstrate how easily triggered the Vietnamese community when talking about the motherland. I rather find it ridiculous that my own people get worked up over things like going back to the homeland to visit relatives yet there was an underlining fear of being marked as a communist for doing so. The community is given in to this anticommunism attitude like the Red Scare in the 1950s. Despite how the community actively comes together, their collective efforts did not accomplish anything (i.e. 1999 Little Saigon protest). This draws to the idea of generational and race gaps between young and old, and Vietnamese and mixed-race).

Within the community, there an expectation for young Vietnamese-Americans and mixed-race Vietnamese to confirm their identity as a Vietnamese, whether it's through speaking the language or reaching higher places in the community's hierarchy. When it comes to community issues, these individuals are often discredited as not being Vietnamese enough to understand these issues. The older generation's only solution prevent triggers is through censorship but does not end up solving anything and further divide people.

How can we close these gaps that divide the community? 

  

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