In her article, Valverde talks about the different spheres of influences over overseas Vietnamese and how they have each dominated their lives and dictate their reactions in response to or against these forces. I think this is really interesting, once you start considering first generation Vietnamese Americans and the narratives they may hear from their parents. The only thing these children grow up understanding, is what their parents rationalize for them. Public education does a poor job of supplementing this education with only few chapters or pages even, of information on the Vietnamese people and their contributions to U.S. History. Vietnamese children grow up not knowing much about themselves or how their communities have come to be, making them members of a lost diaspora. These conflicting forces have also impacted the why Vietnamese seem themselves and other members of overseas diasporas. It makes it difficult for any of them to be willing to accept the "real truth" or think critically about their situations - which is truly the only way they will be able to understanding their positionally in this country and what forces brought them here.
Q: How can Vietnamese-American children educate themselves about their communities and their people if they are not privileged enough to take a college ASA class? In what ways can they successfully learn how to critique their parents' warped understanding?
President Nguyen Minh Triet's visit with President George W. Bush.
No comments:
Post a Comment