Crouching Asians, Hidden Voice
By Heidi Hyun Cha, Staff Writer

The American Dream. This cliché, patterned into the lives of every immigrant, is instilled in the fundamental notion of becoming rich and successful. It exists as an assumed inspiration in coming to America, whether it was embraced by a poor Italian boy with nothing in his pockets, landing on Ellis Island after a long journey on sea from his motherland; or embraced by the determined Korean student whose family gave up everything to support her studies in America, glancing at the night sky of lights and glitter from her airplane window – my story. I understood from that very moment, that in this land of unlimited possibilities, it was the very idea of rising to the top and being accepted into the world that will give me so much, yet so little, that will define who I am in this white male dominated society. I found my reflection in the window, and promised that to myself– fearless, yet not speaking a word of English, at the tender age of nine: the American dream.

Many immigrants – often fulfilling the role of minorities – struggle and seek to settle in this land so foreign to their souls. What fuels them from day and to night is the ultimate mission that needs to be accomplished very much like the one I hold – an American dream. Fixated in achieving this American dream, many minorities lose sight of what matters in life. Focused on the destination, they never slow down to look at what they are passing by – their lives. As an Asian American, I perceive this as a common mistake that many Asian Americans make. From this wrong judgment call in pursuit of success, there are consequences to be suffered.

Asian Americans, have been labeled the “model minority,” for lack of better terms. These minorities assume discrimination as part of their life. They often get angry and worked up for a minute, and the next you know, they forget about it. No radical movement is ever sparked, for we lack unity and we are never a threat. Those few individuals who do stand up, and raise voice, are not enough. Asians are even a minority as a whole, what is one voice in this Super Size nation and white male supremacy? We are a minority, the so called “model minority,” but what we truly are is a silent minority. Indeed we have adapted: The first generation Asians have their businesses – selling the overpriced Tropicana juices, washing feet for a pedicure, making sesame chicken for fast delivery. The second generations attend the best schools in America, with these hard earned dollars. The second generation is secretly afraid of B’s and all aspire to be doctors, lawyers, and businessmen and women. If success is merely measured by whatever racks up the cash, Asians have triumphed individually. But what have we accomplished as a race?

Perhaps through all the discrimination and mistreatment, Asians have learned that through silence come the best results. It won’t shake the boat, and the last thing we need is angry customers, so we believe. Being the bottom bourgeoisie that the first generation Asians, our parents were, coming to this country by choice with college degrees but finding themselves to be working behind the counters – I understand their need for silence. Perhaps this was the rule, the “hidden law” behind the success of Asian Americans. We keep quiet, and for being so nice and pleasant, we get a cookie – the ultimate “reward.”

That cookie is crap. This is the conclusion I have come to. As a second generation American, experiencing American culture and discovering American values, I have realized something very important. The cookie is indeed something that the majority of other minorities don’t have. But in exchange for the cookie, the Asian society gives up something essential in being a true American – a voice. Too caught up in our own lives and obsessed with the cookie, we don’t see the bigger picture.

This is a growing problem as Asian Americans become more of an asset to the American society. The first generation Asian Americans, still holding on to the cookie will continue to serve as the bottom or middle bourgeoisies. What is shaking the boat now is the potential of their children – the second generation Asian Americans – that are being slowly revealed in which this problem becomes a true dilemma.

The majority of second generation Asian Americans, unlike our parents, is well educated in this country, going to college and even pursuing careers in fields such as law, medicine and other graduate programs. After all, it was our parents who sacrificed their comfort and lives to see their children achieve their American dream. We carry the burden and make it through. The truth is revealed then, that we no longer need to necessarily adapt to this society. When there’s racist remarks being said and injustice being done, there is every reason not to stay quiet. We should no longer remain quiet because that’s not what we have learned from our valued education. We no longer need to be quiet because now, we too can speak English perfectly. The time for silence is gone and the time for change has come.

We – the Asian Americans – need to find one voice. It is reality that when we get to the final destination , the top of the social ladder among the predominantly Caucasian oriented crowd, that we are going to stand alone, not really sure of who we are, what we stand for, and what we are missing unless we make ourselves clearly heard. We can’t be a lost cause, trying to be something we are not. There is no future in denying who we are, and being indifferent to our issues. We must embrace and respect our identity, and that is the only perfect way to achieve this American dream.

And perhaps the only way at all.