Denial

Tiffany Le

ASA02 A02

Blog #7

1 November 2015

Reading: Creating Identity, Defining Culture, and Making History from an Art Exhibit: ‘Unfinished Story, A Tribute to My Mothers’

Growing up, I was surrounded by anti-communist ideology. My family traveled from Vietnam to America as boat people, and my parents had no desire to return to Vietnam. As a child, my Vietnamese girl scout troop even raised the South Vietnamese flag and sang the anthem. On the other hand, I’ve spoken to Vietnamese international students who describe Vietnam as a different place today and think that the older generations have a skewed view of Vietnam. From this article, we can learn the importance of history. Chau’s artwork created controversy within the Vietnamese American community, a community that my family is part of. Chau’s education in Vietnam mirrors that of National Education, which China attempted to implement in Hong Kong that praised China’s communist party. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam erased the collective memory about the Vietnam war and southern Vietnam resulting in historical amnesia. The community’s reaction to Chau’s art reminded me of the 1999 anti-Ho Chi Minh protests that occurred after a shop owner placed a picture of the leader in his store. These protests symbolizes a group’s rejection of different viewpoints and the censorship of ideas. Professor Valverde expresses that fear drives both the anti-communists and communists actions, and I agree. However, this fear can limit our awareness of issues. Without knowledge of history, people will lack compassion and understanding for others, and the bridge between different communities will collapse. As time progresses, trauma caused by the Vietnam war will fade, and the relationship between the US and Vietnam will strengthen. Will the anti-communist Vietnamese community become the silent minority?