Reynoso, Linda
Professor Ruth Kwon AA S 201 Tu/Th 9:30AM December 10, 2016 Interracial Dating: Asian Americans Asian Americans are highly depicted and racialized when it comes to dating out of their own race. This can include many factors such as gender, social status, and race itself. These factors may take part when choosing a dating or marriage partner and can cause one to be highly negatively or positively influenced about a person. In relation to interracial dating between Asian Americans and non-Asian Americans, someone may be influenced by another person’s wealth, behaviors, or attitudes and this may cause their “willingness” to date someone become lower. The focus on gender, race, and social status will expand our knowledge on racialized dating. As Asian Americans are constantly being depicted and racialized in the U.S society, this has caused them to create individual preferences when it comes to choosing a partner (Tsunokai, McGrath, Kavanagh, 800). Tsunokai argues that Asian Americans distance themselves from Hispanics and Blacks, similar to Whites. Similar to whites, ninety-four percent of Asian Americans did not show the willingness to date African Americans. Some might wonder why this is, but the answer is easy. Similar to the stereotypes about Asians Americans, the negative and brutal stereotypes about black people also play a huge role towards other races. For example, one of the common stereotypes towards black people is that they are poor and do drugs, if this the idea about them, an Asian American is definitely going to exclude them from their potential partner. As far as Asian Americans, they too are also affected when it comes to dating preferences or interest in a different race. For example, Asian me are stereotyped as cruel men who treat their partner like property. According to McGrath, these types of racialized stereotypes is linked to masculine, superior representation of White males. These types of ideas influence Asians, which leads them to be more likely to date White people. Many of these examples and findings have helped me understand how Asian Americans are racialized when they date out of their race. This percentage is based on Asian Americans and their search for “better qualities” in a dating partner. The lower interest in African American and Hispanics is an example of dating based on race because it is clearly stating that blacks and Hispanics are incapable of withholding these sorts of traits. In many cases this may be true, but it not for all cases. Race may play a role in history and what one’s race has went through or either achieved. For example, based on my own experience, when I dated someone out of my race, I was treated different since the other person was not a person of color. I believe that sometimes people were nicer to me since I was with a white person who is seen to be higher in society and more acceptable. Before getting to know a certain person, they are automatically prejudged based on the color of their skin or simply how they look. This also goes for Asian Americans too, according to a study by Robnett and Feliciano in 2011, Whites are more likely to be interested or date an Asian American among any other race. The ideas that social media and stereotypes play a huge role in this the Whites who prefer Asian Americans are arguing they (AA’s) are more likely to have more education, desirable, and suitable partners. Another reason why an Asian American is likely to date a white person because they are physically “more attractive” and higher in status (Pyke, 2003). This comes to show that there is definitely a role in social status and wealth. Tsunokai shows us that an Asian American may view dating a white man as a “higher” status than another minority. Automatically, this raises a controversial idea about white people and how they’re represented in the larger community. Teresa A. Mok states that “Asian American women who had dated White Americans preferred to continue to date Whites rather than Asian Americans”. Since there is more experience with Asian Americans dating Whites, they are more likely to continue to date with the race they know or have a history with. However, many Asian Americans are also “cut-off” by their families for dating outside of their race. Even though they are likely to date out of their race, their moral and parental expectations are still a huge role when it comes to dating and marriage. Mok explains that when Asian Americans who perceive their parents having a role in partner choice are more likely to date from their own race. Even when social status and race are taking affect, there are still family values and expectations from a parental view or influence. For Example, in “The Style of Color-Blind Racism” a student from MU was interviewed and asked if he had ever been involved with a minority student and he was very hesitant. He stated that yes he had been, but he would never thing about actually dating them or marrying them and stated “I don’t know how my parents would feel about anything like that.”. It is also in the American culture so incorporate your family values and expectation, just as it is in some of the Asian American family household. As race and social status play a factor in choosing a partner, gender is also an important factor for Asian Americans. In a different study by Melissa Herman and Mary Campbell, they found that based on the community and type of school you go to, you are either more or less likely to have an interracial relationship. Based on one’s income and what kind of neighborhood they live in or schools they attend, this is highly an important factor when choosing your partner and the answer to why someone might be excluded from dating someone out of their race. For example, a very wealthy and stable family may not want their child to fate someone who has a lower social status because they believe it will affect their child. In some of Mok’s findings, she shows us that the parental influence on Asian American women is much higher than the parental influence on men by thirty-eight percent. These students who do have an interracial relationship are also more likely to have more friends and higher percentage of advancing through grade school based on their surroundings. In the same study, they found that White women are more likely to exclude Asian Americans, different than the study by Tsunokai. The reason for this is based on the ideas that White women have about Asian Americans through society. For example, it may be due to their ideals and values of their family, or simply that they do want to be seen with an Asian. Since our society has constructed negative stereotypes about Asians, that they are foreigners, women are prostitutes, and men treat their women like property, White people are more likely to not include them as a partner. As the race or color of your skin dictates who you are more and ls likely to date, someone’s gender might also play a high role in while dating. According to Herman and Campbell, White women are more liberal than White men on most racial attitude questions. For example, the focus here may be on white folks, but it also falls on Asian Americans since they are more likely to date a white person than a minority (non-Asian American). For example, in an article by Yen Ling Shek, he explains that Asian American men are often portrayed as effeminate and asexual, but also patriarchal and domineering. He also states that in certain environments may also have affect in gender roles or values. For example, someone on a college campus may be seen less patriarchal because they might be shaped to be more equal with their partner, but someone who has a family may be more patriarchic l because they are a different setting and environment. In my own experience, I seen this happen not only with Asian Americans, but with minorities as well. Looking at my past relationship, my partner and I had very different parents and they were either very dominating with each other or only the male figure had all of the power. This can be compared to college students who date because as they are dating in college, their views might change and one may try to “fit in” and act how society expects them to behave. Mok shows us that Asian American men are described as being dominant dictators who tend to treat women like property. This can also go back to why Asian American prefer to date or marry white men. Since white men are shown to be more romantic and better partners, it will overpower the gender role in these certain cases because there will be less masculinity than an Asian American man. When Asian Americans are choosing to date a partner, there are also small factors that take place like stereotypes that may cause someone to not date an Asian American. For example, the most common stereotype that is heard about Asian American is that they are not good in bed or cannot fulfill their position as a man in bed. This racialized stereotype has highly affected Asian American men and lowers their chance of being in an interracial relationship. During high school I used to hear these comments and remarks all the time, but I didn’t think much of it because I was unaware how negative these terms are towards Asian Americans. According to Mok, your friend group (which is likely to be of the same race) highly influences you to date within a comfortable and common group. Even though Asian American women are likely to date a white man, the may not always have the choice because of a stereotype or rumor that is made up about a certain race. Based on the articles and many of the findings by the sociologist and students, I have a better understanding of interracial dating and how it affects Asian Americans. A few of the findings by Mok, Vaquera, and Campbell have all demonstrated and shown us proof that race, gender, and social plays a high role in interracial dating. We can conclude that Asian Americans are racialized and also racialize other races when they choose a dating partner. Since the family values and one’s gender plays a role while dating out of your race, it may still even take place while intra-dating. Racializing one by their history, gender, or social status may prevent them or from being a part of an interracial relationship. Annotated bibliography Chua, Peter. "Asian American Sexual Politics: The Construction of Race, Gender, and Sexuality." Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 44.1 (2015): 42-44. Provides insights about sexual constructions femininity and masculinity. Focus on sexual politics, and intimate relationship changes between Asian Americans. Interpersonal coping for Asian Americans against dominant racial frames. Herman, Melissa R., and Mary E. Campbell. "I Wouldn't, But You Can: Attitudes Toward Interracial Relationships." Social Science Research 41.2 (2012): 343-358. PsycINFO. Web. 9 Nov. 2016. Importance of interracial dating between Whites, Asians, and Blacks. Provides statistics and data. Asians are likely to be in interracial relationships with Whites than Blacks. Explains why Whites will not date with another race. Mok, Teresa A. "Asian American Dating: Important Factors in Partner Choice." Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology 5.2 (1999): 103-117. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Nov. 2016. Provides information on interracial dating based on sex, age, and ethnicity. Percentages given for both men and women. Explains why Asians date out of their race and the significance. Studies are compared to marriage as well. Rudder Christian. "Race and Attraction, 2009 – 2014." OkTrends. N.p., 14 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2016. Allows us to analyze data from the past five years to compare and contrast. Provides data and statistics. Relation to gender, race, and preference from one person to another. Shek, Yen Ling, and Marylu K McEwen. "The Relationships of Racial Identity and Gender Role Conflict to Self-Esteem of Asian American Undergraduate Men." Journal of College Student Development, 53.5 (2012): 703-718 Studies Asian Americans form both East and West coast research institutions. Focus on attitude, gender, and self-esteem. Connections to college students, family values and norms. Gender roles thoroughly explained and relates to Asian Americans. Tsunokai, Glenn T, Allison R McGrath, and Jillian K Kavanagh. "Online Dating Preferences of Asian Americans." Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31.6 (2014): 796-814. Studies dating preference between heterosexual and gay Asian American men and women. Compares and contrast. Explains why preference is important and what drives Asian American to a specific race when dating. Studies dating based on region, residence, and age. Vaquera, Elizabeth, and Grace Kao. "Private and Public Displays of Affection Among Interracial and Intra-Racial Adolescent Couples." Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 86.2 (2005): 484-508. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Nov. 2016. Explains the importance of interracial dating with a focus on public display, private display, and affection. Statistics are provided and compared to other age groups. Importance of different type of displays between intra-racial and interracial.
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In regards to Asian American immigration, many of us can agree that the Chinese exclusion act of 1882 played a huge role in Asian immigration. When we hear “Asian Immigration” many people automatically assume that these are high class wealthy Asians who do not struggle here in the United States of America. This act led to the idea of foreigner racialization which was specifically targeted towards Asian Americans. This target was nowhere near positive, it created racialization towards specific groups and it was a way to keep out different Asian National groups. Along with Asian Americans, foreigner racialization also targeted Middle Eastern, American Arabs, and Hispanic people. Labeling Asian Americans as foreigners lead to them being grouped as people who carry diseases, polluting our country, and undesirable. Asian immigration was and still is a huge issue for many Asian Americans, even the ones who aren’t immigrants. For example, based on appearance, someone may be easily criticized because of the color of their skin and just for looking Asian. One of the main issues that Asian Americans suffer from is the common stereotypes that are said about them. For example, a common stereotype that Asian Americans suffer from is kung fu fighters in movies, geeks, prostitutes, and dragon ladies. These may be expressed in many Hollywood movies, but they have also come to play a part in the real world. For example, one of my Asian friends (in college) was once asked “so since you’re really smart, can you help me out with this homework”. If were honest, I was not surprised at all because sadly we live in a society where it is highly accepted and not told to be any different. By this, I mean that when someone laughs and jokes about an Asian person based on a stereotype or theory.
The picture here on the left is a clear example of a stereotype towards Asians. This magazine ad here is advertising a new computer from the 1980’s and using Asian kids to send out the message that it used by “intelligent” people. In many ways it is negative because once again some of these kids may be American born and do not live under the “tiger mom” household.
According to Census, 18.2 million immigrants came from Asia. Asian Americans are also the largest group of people who emigrate to the United States. This number continues to increase every time there is a new census. During the process of emigrating to the United States many people lose their family and they do not have any resources to reach out to them or contact them because they are illegally here. Many Asians simply want reunification with their family and loved ones, most will not probably see them anymore, unless they become a resident of the United States. Another issue that caused many Chinese and Asians to lose their family or create a new family was due to the Alien Land Laws. This was legal racial formation, agriculturally preventing Chinese and Asians to create their own production and distribution. In many ways ths affected them and their family because with no crop to sell, there was no income for that family, or the person who was trying to help their family.
According to Frieda Wong and Richard Halgin Asian Americans have been aggressively represented as the "model minority" since the nineteen sixties. Asian Americans have been portrayed as smart, wealthy, and high achievers. However, many of us are aware that these may not true in all cases and they might just be a stereotype or under representation of Asian Americans in media.
Since the 1960's Asian Americans are shown to be successful, hard workers, and have dedication. For example, in many films young Asian Americans are usually shown studying for an exam or to ensure that they get an A in the class or on an assignment. From my own experience this is not always true because on many occasions when I went to a math or science lab (where Asians are supposed to be smart) there has been multiple Asian Americans who are also there for help. I was also surprised because usually in most films the Asian kids or even parents are playing a very strict and studious character. Based on the messages that these films are sending, someone who is not educated or believes anything they are told, they will unknowingly accept the "all Asians are smart" stereotype that is shown in films. Wong and Halgin explain that in a lot of films Asians are shown to rise and have lower crime rates, while in reality they are much lower than blacks and Hispanics, but they do exist. You may ask yourself, "Why are Asian Americans characterized as smart, wealthy, hard workers, and determined in films?"
Along with the mis characterization and under representation in these kind of films, it is depicting the real lives of Asian Americans. For example, one of my friends is a first generation student in a four-year university while her parents are at home working minimum wage jobs or physical labor with very low pay. This relates to Asian Americans because it is clear that not all Asian Americans are wealthy and educated, like they are shown in films. In an upcoming film based on the novel "All you Need is Kill," the main character is an Asian and Hollywood actor Tom Cruise is going to be the main character. Along with Asians in films and being under represented this is only adding more to the issue because now Asian roles are being replaced with a non-Asian actor. Instead of honoring that the movie being created is based on a Japan novel, the auditions for the role was accepting all races. This not only offends Asians, but it continues to show under representation of Asians in films. For example, when I was a child I believed that all of the Asians I seen in films were actually treated the same in real life. Now I know that in a lot of cases it may or may not be true, which is ad because I've witnessed Asians being victims of a few stereotypes about Asians. For example, in one of my classes last semester there was an Asian girl who sat behind me who was constantly late and asking for notes and one day another student commented "isn't she supposed to be the one giving you (Hispanic) notes? This would not relate to Asians in films, but Asians in real life who do struggle and are not all wealthy and educated. It is clear "Asians" in films are a role based on stereotypes, not facts.
In the following video you will view multiple sketches by Sociology live describing American history and how it shaped our country. Many of the laws were negatively affecting the smaller minorities who had no power or voice in society. It began with the Jim Crow laws in 1965 and this "white privilege" took a huge toll on our society.
According to Christine Emba, white privilege is a level of societal advantage that has become a norm in America. White privilege is based on wealth, gender, and many other factors. A lot of Americans or anyone who fits into this category of “privilege” do not notice that they have an advantage, unless it had never applied to you to begin with. For example, a young, white, wealthy man might not notice that he is already given an advantage based upon the color of his skin or his gender. Many of Americans believe that there is no privilege, or it is simply not real. However, a Hispanic man or anyone who identifies as non-white will be more likely to notice the advantages that the other person has. One great example that we can look at is ourselves and something as simple as our name on our resume. According to Emba, you are fifty percent more likely to be chosen for a job or an interview if your name sounds white. For example, when I was sixteen years old I applied to Target and was luckily given an interview, along with ten other applicants who were at a much higher and wealthy high school than the one I was attending. I was not given the job, but I noticed another young girl my age was, so we compared our resumes and the only difference was our high school names. This comes to show that not only the color of your skin, or where you live make up the chances of you gaining employment, but they are a huge role as well. We may ask ourselves, “why is this continuing to happen?” or “what can we do to stop it?”, but we have accepted “white privilege” and it is only affecting us more.
In our justice system criminal cases are approached differently based upon the perpetrator’s background history. This may include anything from the color of their skin to the city they were born in. Emba states that black defendants are thirty percent more likely to be imprisoned than white defendants for the exact same crime. If we nonwhites, continue to accept white privilege, this social injustice is only going to worsen.
Even though these factors may define what wealthy or apart of the “one percent” looks like, there are also many nonwhites who have become very wealthy, but will never be as great as the “elites”. The reason being is because as a white person of any kind, you are automatically classified within a dominate group. A group that tends to be more respected and given “the benefit of the doubt” more often. Whether the person is wealthy or comes from a wealthy family, it does not apply to any other race, only the superior. This does not conclude that all white people are racists, because they are not. It is more of a matter of awareness, what can we do to be more aware of “white privilege” and understand our own rights. How can we recognize the minorities and achieve equal opportunity in a society built upon gender, wealth, and education factors? |
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December 2016
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