Asian Americans Must Identify Globally to Prevent Identity Crises
The twentieth century saw a rapid increase in globalization, the process of growing interconnectedness of the world, and with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, which abolished previous immigration quotas, thousands of Asian immigrants moved to the United States. Today, there are more than eighteen million Asian Americans who are an integral part of American society. However, not all Americans view my community this way. Over the course of American history, Asian Americans were killed, robbed, run out of town, excluded from citizenship and migration, and exploited. And even after a wave of Civil Rights legislation was passed in the second half of the twentieth century, Asian Americans not only suffer from income disparities but social disparities as well. Ever since the beginning of Asian migration to the United States, Asian Americans have been viewed as a “model minority,” a passive, “unproblematic” group that consistently works hard to justify their place as a US citizen. With a rigid role in society and a culture distinctly different from Anglo-Americans, many Asian Americans experience an identity crisis of being split between two places and never being viewed by peers as truly American.
Further contributing to the issues Asian Americans face is the rising incidence of hate crimes, especially after 9/11 and with the spread of COVID-19. So how can Asian Americans identify as American when they are attacked for trying to be American? Many of the White majority argue that Asian Americans should focus on adopting a national identity to better fit in. I argue, however, that the increasing trend in discrimination, racism, and microaggressions prevent Asian Americans from ever being viewed as equal Americans. Therefore, my community will prevent identity crises by adopting a global identity, because they will be exposed to more of their heritage and experience greater freedom of motivation, in that they do not have to work solely for social acceptance.
I strive to assist my community and the world like I was raised by my Asian parents to do. I founded a UNICEF Club at my highschool to help children around the world, and I was President of two other clubs. I worked closely with the Parent Teacher Student Association and helped out at countless school events. Yet somehow, no matter how much I gave back and connected with the community, some still didn’t see me as an equal American. This was most evident in my gymnastics teammates, who I even regarded as family. They started calling me an ape as a joke. I didn’t take it as a joke because I was the only colored person on the boys team and I was the only one called that. My religion was also made fun of on numerous occasions. In fact, the idea of a non-Christian religion was so humorous to them that if someone said “Elephant God,” the whole team would start laughing. Little experiences like this seem like nothing, but a million starts with one, so after hearing small racist comments here and there for years, the pain added up, and not only did I start to feel non-American, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be. And what hit the hardest was when they actually said I was the least American on the team. Why? Because I don’t eat hot dogs and cheeseburgers like they do.
This fanned the flames for the brewing identity crisis in me. I didn’t want to give up the Asian me that no one else wanted to see, but I was seen as foreign by my peers even though I was born in the United States. Eventually, I let it go and began to view myself as a global citizen. I stopped trying so hard to fit in, and I became closer with my culture which actually led to me becoming closer with my family. I am now happier with who I am, and I’m not weighed down so much by the social anxiety of trying to be like my peers or even the verbal attacks.
Thus, a global identity primarily prevents an identity crisis for Asian Americans by eliminating the other variable that causes the identity crisis to occur in the first place. A national identity focuses one’s attention on a single country, whereas a global identity removes the burden that one’s actions should be for one’s country. By severing a national identity, Asian Americans can focus on connecting with their heritage rather than focusing on assimilating into American culture. Being a global citizen means having greater exposure to and interactions with more people, which can manifest in global activism, physical travel to less common destinations, connections and communications with far-away people (made especially easy by the internet and cell phones), and many other actions. These will allow Asian Americans to explore their backgrounds on a deeper level and connect with other people that can understand their struggles. This way, they can understand better what it means to be Asian American and simply, Asian.
Critics of this argument may say that this connection to heritage is still national identity but just a different nation than the United States. This assumption is incorrect, however, because Asian culture overlaps between nations, and the countries of Asia share a similar history, such as colonialism or religion. Furthermore, since the global community by definition is made up of many types of people from all around the world, it will be accepting to all.
An accepting society means that we would have autonomy of purpose; we can be who we want to be. Living as a national citizen means you work only to better your country. This is especially problematic In the case of Asians in the United States, as we are seen as a model minority. We are constantly expected by many White Americans, especially those in power, to just work our hardest and avoid causing problems so we can have a place in our society. Why, in a country that values individual liberty so much, do we Asian Americans feel obligated to keep our heads down and limit our individual expression? Why are we given a place in a society that we work so hard to improve? As a global citizen in a globalized world, we would get to choose what we work for and why. Our identity would be less focused on how we can contribute to our country to maintain a place in American society. Instead, we would have an equal place in the global community to contribute to the world. This does not cause the same predicament seen in a national identity because the world encompasses everyone; the opportunities are countless. Therefore, an identity crisis over whether or not we are contributing enough for our fixed place in society is prevented, because no matter what we do, it will still do something for the world.
Those on the other end of the argument may say that minority groups should identify nationally to reshape a racist America — that fighting for inclusion in a national identity would prevent identity crises. Have those people been told to “go back to their fucking country?”
Are they told they are dirty or smelly and have a culture only valued when in style? Are they a porn category? Asian Americans have been in the United States since before it was the United States. After countless decades of fighting to become legal citizens of this country, we now fight a lost cause of being viewed socially as an equal American. One might call that progress; I call it the bare minimum. I believe it is meaningless so long as Americans exploit Asians abroad for economic benefit, remain close-minded to other religions, continue to appropriate Asian culture, fetishize Asian women, and maintain the belief that American culture is superior.
Such moral issues seen in the United States further highlight the benefit of a global identity for Asian Americans in that we can forge a stronger connection with our culture by changing how we view the world and interact with people. Our culture is rooted in strong ethics, a greater sense of family (and viewing friends as family), and assisting neighbors and guests as if they lived in your very own home. Shying away from a national identity will allow us to implement this collective lifestyle, and by adopting a global identity, we can have a place to apply it. When we see ourselves as global citizens, our families become our fellow global citizens, and our neighbors become all the people of the world. By adopting a global mindset, we can reconnect to our heritage by exemplifying the communal and cooperative emphasis that has been passed down generations in order to improve our world for ourselves and for those to come.
And no, adopting a global mindset will not cause a decrease in microaggressions, discrimination or hate crimes. However, a global mindset is still beneficial to Asian Americans because it would alleviate the burden of still fighting for a proper place in American society. If the odds of ever being seen as completely American are low, why should our hard work, as well as our efforts at assimilation, go into a lost cause? Instead, we could help foster a greater sense of belonging with the world and the places we come from while simultaneously supporting those in need by emphasizing cooperation over selfishness.
