This week, I wanted to write about my reflection after reading "Pain + Love = Growth: The Labor of Pinayist Pedagogical Praxis" by Melissa-Ann Nievera-Lozano. One thing that really resonated with me was the idea that Pinays and other Asian Americans are afraid of
hiya ("shame"). This is a major theme in this book and a major topic in our Asian American Studies class. Many minority groups are afraid to speak up and afraid to stand up for themselves because they are fearful of being shamed for their actions. Another aspect of this is the avoidance for confrontation. We, as Asian Americans, grow up in a culture where we like to avoid confrontation and keep silent because that is seen as being respectful. In reality, it is another method for society to oppress us.
Tiisin mo lang ("just grin and bear it") is another phrase that was very meaningful to me. For instance, a lot of the times I find myself keeping up the facade of happiness and liveliness because I believe it is what is expected of me in society. I think many Asian women feel the same exact way. We have been viewed a certain way in society and if one person does not fit that image, they are seen as an outcast. As an Asian American woman, it is very difficult to move away from the image that society has casted upon us. The question I would like to raise is: why is the fear of
hiya such a big part of Asian culture?
References
Fight the Tower: Asian American Women Scholars' Resistance and Renewal in the Academy, by
Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde and Wei Ming Dariotis, Rutgers University Press, 2020, pp. 325-
349.
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