East meets South [Archive] - Yellowworld Forums

Filiprish

06-11-2004, 12:09 AM

This thread is for all the Asians in good ole Dixie.

All I read about is California this, California that -- I'd venture to say that half the YW members are from Cali. I don't have anything against ya'll, but it's about time we recognize the Asian population that is contributing to building a "New South."

I'd like for this thread to be a clearinghouse for Asians in the South -- a place where Asians (and those interested in the discussion) can discuss their experiences (good and bad) in the South, post sites/articles related to Asians in the South and post sites/articles to Asian-related businesses/restaurants in the South, etc. Below is only a handful of sites/articles related to Asians in selected areas of the South, there's more coming -- I'd like to see some sites/articles from every corner of the South. Help me out ya'll. :wink:

Enjoy.

Asian Dixie (Gold Sea.com) (http://goldsea.com/Features/Dixie/dixie.html)

Asians in the South (ranked with all states and DC):
#4 576,753 TEXAS
#8 274,881 FLORIDA
#9 264,971 VIRGINIA
#14 177,416 GEORGIA
#17 117,672 NORTH CAROLINA
#26 58,867 TENNESSEE
#27 55,998 LOUISIANA
#32 37,642 SOUTH CAROLINA
#33 32,755 ALABAMA
#34 31,204 KENTUCKY
#38 21,888 ARKANSAS
#40 19,293 MISSISSIPPI
#45 9,834 WEST VIRGINIA

Virginia:
Virginia’s New Asian American Mix (http://www.asianweek.com/2001_05_25/news7_census_virginia.html)
New Model for APA Empowerment: Just Win, Baby? (Asianweek.com) (http://www.asianweek.com/2002_05_17/opinion_emil.html)
Schools Recruiting Teachers from Philippines (Asianweek.com) (http://www.asianweek.com/2001_11_16/news_philippines.html)
Filipino-American film makes ''Debut'' (HamptonRoads.com) (http://www.hamptonroads.com/movies/en0720deb.html)
Door to Door, Heart to Heart (The Philippine Post) (http://www.philpost.com/1299pages/forexworld1299.html)

North Carolina:
Asian Pop. in NC map (NCAtlasRevisited.org) (http://www.ncatlasrevisited.org/Population/ethncpop.html#AsianPop)
Diversity in Triangle (Triangle Business Journal) (http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2001/04/02/focus2.html?jst=s_rs_hl)
Asians in Chapel Hill: East meets South (Chapel Hill News) (http://www.chapelhillnews.com/special_reports/eastmeetssouth/index.html)
NC Population Sprawls Into Suburbs, Mountain, Coast (NCDOT.org) (http://www.ncdot.org/news/dailyclips/2001/01_03/2001-03-22i.html)
Racial and Ethnic Preferences in Undergraduate Admissions at Six NC Public Universities (Ceousa.org) (http://www.ceousa.org/nc.html)
History of Buddhism in North Carolina (UNC.edu) (http://www.unc.edu/ncbuddhism/page2.html)
North Carolina Indian Grocery, Restaurants, Temples etc (NCIndia.us) (http://www.ncindia.us/)

Georgia:
Asian Business Community in Atlanta (ABCATL.com) (http://www.abcatl.com/)
South Asian Community at Atlanta (Worldclass.net) (http://www.worldclass.net/TeachingGlobally/AsianDiaspora/South%20Asian%20Community%20at%20Atlanta.htm)
South Asian Atlantans Feel Burden of Model Minority Myth (ModelMinority.com) (http://www.modelminority.com/printout177.htm)
A Glance at the South Asian Population in the State of Georgia (Raksha.org) (http://www.raksha.org/raksha/demographics.html)
Raksha Eases Life for South Asians in Atlanta (Rediff.com) (http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/mar/23us3.htm)
Atlanta's 'Chambodia,' a 'Burb With a Global Flavor (Washington Post) (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/travel/index/stories/becton04181999.htm)

Florida:
Asian-American influence rises across S. Florida (The Miami Herald) (http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/3251226.htm?1c)
Florida Clings to Jim Crow-Era Statute (http://www.modelminority.com/printout154.html)
Hispanics, Asians fuel population growth (St. Petersburg Times) (http://www.sptimes.com/2002/04/24/TampaBay/Hispanics__Asians_fue.shtml)
SouthFloridaAsians.com (http://www.southfloridaasians.com/sfa/)

Texas:
Asian Life in Houston (Goldsea.com) (http://goldsea.com/Poll/Houston/houston.html)
Chinatown, Houston (Wikipedia.org) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Houston)
HoustonChinatown.com (http://www.houstonchinatown.com/section-d.htm)
Houston Chinatown (Geocities.com) (http://www.geocities.com/chinatownhouston/)
Houston Chinatown (2002China.net) (http://www.2002china.net/chinatowns/houston/indexee.htm)

Shinran

06-11-2004, 01:43 AM

Down in the Deep South, sushi is considered as bait.

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 02:56 AM

Well I am a mixed asian living in Alabama. That doesn't count though, I guess.

Personally, the one state in the South I can't stand is South Carolina. Nothing but bad experiences there. When we went there (been there twice) our family got nasty stares just trying to fill up for gas and get a burger at Burger King. We don't even get that shit in Birmngham. Or anywhere in Alabama, really, even the small towns out in the country.

I've been to Mississippi a couple of times, but my mom wasn't with us. So we just looked like an ordinary black family passing through.

BTW, I've heard Atlanta claim that it has a Chinatown (actually what they call it is "Asia Town"), but that's a bunch of BS. Atlanta's "Chinatown" is a damn shopping center out in the suburbs where all of the businesses happen to be asian (Korean, Japanese, and Chinese). I could've found a couple of places like that in Birmingham.

WongBa might be able to give you some *ahem* positive experiences on living in Mobile (about an hour away from New Orleans).

And yes, I was being sarcastic with that last comment.

Oh yeah, lemme add a couple more comments.

Down in Mobile, AL where WongBa there's a sizable little Vietnamese population. Which works well because a lot of them speak French, which is also spoken by a lot of the Cajuns that live down there on the coast. So a lot of Vietnamese (and some Filipinos) are moving down to New Orleans, Mobile, Biloxi, etc. Dunno how many Cajuns are in Houston. Mobile is not a nice city however. It smells like raw ass down there, because of all of the paper mills down there. Actually so does Panama City, FL which is right down the coast. And so does New Orleans. But NO is cool, tho, ya heard.

Also, most asians who were born & raised down here talk with a southern drawl. Which is ugly IMO. I've seen this with Middle Easterners too. I don't know why it annoys me to hear them talk like that more than it does when I hear white people talk like that, but it does.

SunWuKong

06-11-2004, 03:01 AM

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 03:19 AM

anyway, you can't really count northern Virginia as "The South". it's totally different from that rest of Virginia.

Yeah that's the part of VA close to DC, right? That's not the south, people talk like northerners up there. Act like it too. When I was in Maryland you couldn't even get sweet tea :angry:

West Virginia might as well be the south. Alabama has two parts basically, North Alabama (where I live, which is hilly country, once you get out the cities, it's all hillbillys, not a whole lot of blacks, just country ass white people) and South Alabama, which is the low river delta-type areas, which have a majority-black population, but also a lot of white people. This is where the Vietnamese people are moving too (well actually they're moving to the coast, but whatever).

West Virginia seems to be a lot like North Alabama. Or Tennessee, which is like that for the most part except for Memphis, which really reminds me of Birmingham in a lot of ways.

Filiprish

06-11-2004, 03:30 AM

anyway, you can't really count northern Virginia as "The South". it's totally different from that rest of Virginia.
Good point and very true.

and West Virginia is considered "The South"? exactly where does "The South" begin anyway?
WV, as well as, KY and AK, are all ambigious states -- they're somewhat southern, somewhat midwestern. I knew someone would make a comment like this! So, I chose to list the states that were at least arguably southern. :smile:

To answer your question, I'd say the South begins somewhere between DC and Richmond. BUT, let's try not to turn this thread into a debate about which state is where. :wink:

kitty

06-11-2004, 07:09 AM

there's lots of asians in the VA beach area. so i'm told. it's strange -- i didn't see them :)

VV o n g B a

06-11-2004, 08:54 AM

Down in Mobile, AL where WongBa there's a sizable little Vietnamese population. Which works well because a lot of them speak French, which is also spoken by a lot of the Cajuns that live down there on the coast. So a lot of Vietnamese (and some Filipinos) are moving down to New Orleans, Mobile, Biloxi, etc. Dunno how many Cajuns are in Houston. Mobile is not a nice city however. It smells like raw ass down there, because of all of the paper mills down there. Actually so does Panama City, FL which is right down the coast. And so does New Orleans. But NO is cool, tho, ya heard.

Also, most asians who were born & raised down here talk with a southern drawl. Which is ugly IMO. I've seen this with Middle Easterners too. I don't know why it annoys me to hear them talk like that more than it does when I hear white people talk like that, but it does.
where i live in west mobile, it doesn't smell bad... but the beaches here suck ass. they don't keep the sand clean and u can see oil rigs just offshore so it kills the scenery.

also, i think the accent thing really depends on where u were raised in the south. most ppl from outside the south say i don't have an accent or that it's barely perceptible. it's the same w/ a lot of the kids from my high school area in northern alabama. it's the same w/ a lot of atl kids too.

NO is cool except for the actual weekend of mardi gras. then it's shit.

biloxi is a gambling town and that's where the nearest asian club parties are thrown in my area. mostly ghetto asians tho. not exactly my crowd.

the gulf coast area sucks for ppl who want to make their own chinese food. all the asian groceries are geared toward vietnamese or even south asians, so it's hard to find the veges u want.

Yeahman

06-11-2004, 09:01 AM

Texas, Florida, and Virginia are no surprise. I've met Asians from all those areas.
I would expect some Asians in Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill too.

Something interesting I found...
A few weeks ago a went to the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania about 2 hours from NYC. One of those places where the houses are a mile apart. A lot of farm land. It was scary. I was with 2 other Asian friends. Of course we were the only minority there. In fact we were the only ones in an import car. There were lots of churches and one road was adopted by the Church of Jesus Christ Christian, a white supremacist group.

The next week I to upstate New York, about 2.5 hours away from NYC. It looked exactly the same as the place in Pennsylvania. Houses were spread out, mostly farm land, lots of trucks and SUVs, all white people. But the atmosphere was completely different. It was like night and day. There were import cars! The place felt a lot friendlier.

It's weird how I can be the only Asian and feel totally foreign in one situtation and just "part of the crowd" in another.

SunWuKong

06-11-2004, 10:20 AM

Texas, Florida, and Virginia are no surprise. I've met Asians from all those areas.

i didn't expect Florida to be one of the southern states with the highest concentration of Asian people. and really, only northern Florida is like the rest of "The South". the further south you go, the more Latino it gets, and if you are anywhere within driving distance of the coast, it's totally beach-town instead of "Southern". people don't talk with a southern accent there. and a lot of people actually moved down there from the north.

Something interesting I found...
A few weeks ago a went to the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania about 2 hours from NYC. One of those places where the houses are a mile apart. A lot of farm land. It was scary. I was with 2 other Asian friends. Of course we were the only minority there. In fact we were the only ones in an import car. There were lots of churches and one road was adopted by the Church of Jesus Christ Christian, a white supremacist group.

The next week I to upstate New York, about 2.5 hours away from NYC. It looked exactly the same as the place in Pennsylvania. Houses were spread out, mostly farm land, lots of trucks and SUVs, all white people. But the atmosphere was completely different. It was like night and day. There were import cars! The place felt a lot friendlier.

It's weird how I can be the only Asian and feel totally foreign in one situtation and just "part of the crowd" in another.

well, rural America is really overwhelmingly white. it's only in the urban areas that you get a little bit of racial diversity. and even then it's usually self-segregated.

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 11:38 AM

well, rural America is really overwhelmingly white. it's only in the urban areas that you get a little bit of racial diversity. and even then it's usually self-segregated.

Except for the rural areas down here in the Deep South (i.e. Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Carolinas, Louisiana, Florida, etc) where there are quite a few rural areas that are majority-black.

biloxi is a gambling town and that's where the nearest asian club parties are thrown in my area. mostly ghetto asians tho. not exactly my crowd.

Ghetto asians, lol. Yeah I've met a couple of those here in B'ham. Except they were really from California.

Kuchana

06-11-2004, 12:04 PM

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 02:14 PM

West Virginia would technically be considered part of the South since it broke off from Virginia prior to the Civil War. It's true Hickville all the way. I hate going there just as much as I hated TN.

And where I grew up in the southern part of Virginia is considered another world in comparison to people from northern VA. Y'all consider us to be hicks.

I regret losing my southern accent...I've been trying to keep it unsuccessfully but I still stubbornly use "y'all," sometimes when I address people, even here in CA.

In the rural part of my hometown, the majority is split between white and black, although there's getting to be a sizeable Mexican population.

Yeah that's the way it is now, a lot of Mexicans in the South now.

My friend, who's Puerto Rican, said that when she moved from Riverside, CA about 10 years ago there were no other Latinos in town. Now there's a whole bunch of 'em, and she's around them all the time :)

Anyway, about the word "y'all". It makes a lot of sense to me. Because how else are you going to address a group of people in the second person?

VV o n g B a

06-11-2004, 02:18 PM

Anyway, about the word "y'all". It makes a lot of sense to me. Because how else are you going to address a group of people in the second person?
youse guys

Filiprish

06-11-2004, 02:30 PM

Asian Pop. in the South by US Metro (ranked with top 100 metros for Asian pop.)

9. 332,919 Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV
13. 220,471 Houston, TX
17. 143,654 Dallas, TX
18. 137,640 Atlanta, GA
34. 56,211 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
36. 46,373 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
37. 45,841 Orlando, FL
38. 44,899 Austin-San Marcos, TX
39. 44,311 Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA
44. 37,497 Fort Lauderdale, FL
46. 34,633 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
47. 32,552 Miami, FL
52. 28,906 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC
53. 28,906 New Orleans, LA
57. 26,038 Jacksonville, FL
59. 25,242 San Antonio, TX
63. 20,953 Richmond-Petersburg, VA
64 20,560 Nashville, TN
70 17,819 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL
73 17,259 Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC
77 16,273 Memphis, TN-AR-MS
96 11,466 Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC
97 11,355 Louisville, KY-IN

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 02:34 PM

Asian Pop. in the South by US Metro (ranked with top 100 metros for Asian pop.)

9. 332,919 Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV
13. 220,471 Houston, TX
17. 143,654 Dallas, TX
18. 137,640 Atlanta, GA
34. 56,211 Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
35. 48,565 New Haven-Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury-Waterbury, CT
36. 46,373 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
37. 45,841 Orlando, FL
38. 44,899 Austin-San Marcos, TX
39. 44,311 Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA
44. 37,497 Fort Lauderdale, FL
46. 34,633 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
47. 32,552 Miami, FL
52. 28,906 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC
53. 28,906 New Orleans, LA
57. 26,038 Jacksonville, FL
59. 25,242 San Antonio, TX
63. 20,953 Richmond-Petersburg, VA
64 20,560 Nashville, TN
70 17,819 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL
73 17,259 Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC
77 16,273 Memphis, TN-AR-MS
96 11,466 Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC

Um, Austin, TX is not in the south. And neither is New Haven, CT.

And how does Greenville-Spartanburg, SC have a lot of asians? I've been there, it's just a small, regular-ass South Carolina town. Nothing special about it.

Kuchana

06-11-2004, 02:39 PM

Greensboro, NC is the closest to home for me from that list.

How is Austin, TX not in the south? Texas is in the south.

Filiprish

06-11-2004, 03:28 PM

Um, Austin, TX is not in the south. And neither is New Haven, CT.
My fault, typo on New Haven. But Austin was intentionally put on the list -- it's arguably southern. Personally, I don't consider Austin or San Antonio southern -- both are southwestern, IMO. Regardless, the stats on both metros are still interesting to see, so I included them. Btw, I forgot to add Louisville, KY-IN -- I just added it and removed New Haven.

youse guys

:biggrin:

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 06:28 PM

Greensboro, NC is the closest to home for me from that list.

How is Austin, TX not in the south? Texas is in the south.

I always thought that anything in TX that wasn't Dallas or Houston wasn't in the South. Like filiprish said, San Antonio is southwestern, nobody would ever call that southern.

While you're at it filiprish, you should take Washington, D.C. off the list as well IMO.

Filiprish

06-11-2004, 07:34 PM

Personally, the one state in the South I can't stand is South Carolina. Nothing but bad experiences there. When we went there (been there twice) our family got nasty stares just trying to fill up for gas and get a burger at Burger King. We don't even get that shit in Birmngham. Or anywhere in Alabama, really, even the small towns out in the country.
Yeah, SC is a shit hole, except for Myrtle Beach and Charleston (kick-ass city). I have no problem really with the people, they were always friendly to me, but that's me, even though they were hella country. The same goes for AL, the people there are genuinely friendly -- it's so genuine that it's uncomfortable (not used to that). AL, IMO, is a beautiful state, which is quite a paradox. The rolling, grassy hills in the southern part are very nice (I think it's consider prairie). Birmingham is a cool city how it climbs up the side of the valley. A side note, the town literally smells like shit, too bad b/c the town is, actually, pretty cool looking. Also, I was surprised to hear a radio station from country-ass Montgomery playing breakbeats, must be the FL influence. Alabama isn't all that bad, not that I plan on moving there. :wink:

I've been to MS a couple of times, but my mom wasn't with us. So we just looked like an ordinary black family passing through.
Me too. I've been there several times, mostly just driving through, though. I went there one time to gamble in Biloxi, had a good time. There's a lot of Asians, especially Filipinos, working in the casinos, not many gambling, though -- it's pretty much "black" and "white." One strange thing about MS, it seemed like every other car had fanatical Christian messages them -- creepy.

BTW, I've heard Atlanta claim that it has a Chinatown (actually what they call it is "Asia Town"), but that's a bunch of BS. Atlanta's "Chinatown" is a damn shopping center out in the suburbs where all of the businesses happen to be asian (Korean, Japanese, and Chinese). I could've found a couple of places like that in Birmingham.
Lol, that's true. The Doraville/Chamblee International Village is downright suburban, but, at least Asians have a designated part of town, whether it's "real" or not, to gather. Btw, it's pretty wrong for Asians to claim that area, IMO, b/c there's a lot of Hispanic-oriented business there.

Down in Mobile, AL where WongBa there's a sizable little Vietnamese population. Which works well because a lot of them speak French, which is also spoken by a lot of the Cajuns that live down there on the coast. So a lot of Vietnamese (and some Filipinos) are moving down to New Orleans, Mobile, Biloxi, etc. Dunno how many Cajuns are in Houston. Mobile is not a nice city however. It smells like raw ass down there, because of all of the paper mills down there. Actually so does Panama City, FL which is right down the coast. And so does New Orleans. But NO is cool, tho, ya heard.
I like the Gulf Coast, the atmosphere is very laidback. The climate is pretty humid, which sucks, but being coastal is definitely a bonus -- the casinos are nice, too. I have relatives in Fort Walton Beach, FL, right down the road from Panama City, on the Gulf Coast. I've noticed that, the last time I was in FWB I saw Vietnamese restaurants everywhere. I didn't know there was that many Viets in the region. I didn't see too many Asians, though -- I could be wrong, but I think the # of restaurants doesn't reflect the actual number of Viets, and Asians, in general. The people there don't seem racist, at all. There's a lot of rednecks, but they're cool. Everyone's too worried about enjoying the atmosphere, therefore, it's very welcoming. As for New Orleans, I just passed through, it was very dirty, but it definitely seemed like a cool place.

Also, most asians who were born & raised down here talk with a southern drawl. Which is ugly IMO. I've seen this with Middle Easterners too. I don't know why it annoys me to hear them talk like that more than it does when I hear white people talk like that, but it does.
I met a couple Asians in Charlotte, NC that had southern accents. I thought it was cool. I never picked up an accent. I was never exposed to it growing up. I spent most of my childhood in the eastern part of NC. Where I lived was pretty much a bubble b/c it was military town and there's people from all over the nation and world there.

I always thought that anything in TX that wasn't Dallas or Houston wasn't in the South. Like filiprish said, San Antonio is southwestern, nobody would ever call that southern.
There is some elements of southern in San Antionio and Austin, though. Country music and Christianity are pretty popular, among other things. I guess that's the South in southwestern coming into play. They're both southwestern, IMO, but the influences from the South are pretty strong, so we can argue about this until our face turns blue.

While you're at it filiprish, you should take Washington, D.C. off the list as well IMO.
Well, I included DC on purpose for perspective reasons. I did say the South began somewhere between DC and Richmond, but, IMO, DC is neutral. Listen to this, I've heard people try to argue that MD is southern. :eek: I agree that MD does have some elements of southern, but it's NOT southern. On the other hand, you can go to NC and any "true" North Carolinian will tell that VA is NOT southern -- go figure. Therefore, DC can go either way -- it's neutral, like a capitol region should be.

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 07:45 PM

Yeah, SC is a shit hole, except for Myrtle Beach and Charleston (kick-ass city). I have no problem really with the people, they were always friendly to me, but that's me, even though they were hella country. The same goes for AL, the people there are genuinely friendly -- it's so genuine that it's uncomfortable (not used to that). AL, IMO, is a beautiful state, which is quite a paradox. The rolling, grassy hills in the southern part are very nice (I think it's consider prairie). Birmingham is a cool city how it climbs up the side of the valley. A side note, the town literally smells like shit, too bad b/c the town is, actually, pretty cool looking. Also, I was surprised to hear a radio station from country-ass Montgomery playing breakbeats, must be the FL influence. Alabama isn't all that bad, not that I plan on moving there.

Me too. I've been there several times, mostly just driving through, though. I went there one time to gamble in Biloxi, had a good time. There's a lot of Asians, especially Filipinos, working in the casinos, not many gambling, though -- it's pretty much "black" and "white." One strange thing about MS, it seemed like every other car had fanatical Christian messages them -- creepy.

Lol, that's true. The Doraville/Chamblee International Village is downright suburban, but, at least Asians have a designated part of town, whether it's "real" or not, to gather. Btw, it's pretty wrong for Asians to claim that area, IMO, b/c there's a lot of Hispanic-oriented business there.

I like the Gulf Coast, the atmosphere is very laidback. The climate is pretty humid, which sucks, but being coastal is definitely a bonus -- the casinos are nice, too. I have relatives in Fort Walton Beach, FL, right down the road from Panama City, on the Gulf Coast. I've noticed that, the last time I was in FWB I saw Vietnamese restaurants everywhere. I didn't know there was that many Viets in the region. I didn't see too many Asians, though -- I could be wrong, but I think the # of restaurants doesn't reflect the actual number of Viets, and Asians, in general. The people there don't seem racist, at all. There's a lot of rednecks, but they're cool. Everyone's too worried about enjoying the atmosphere, therefore, it's very welcoming. As for New Orleans, I just passed through, it was very dirty, but it definitely seemed like a cool place.

I met a couple Asians in Charlotte, NC that had southern accents. I thought it was cool. I never picked up an accent. I was never exposed to it growing up. I spent most of my childhood in the eastern part of NC. Where I lived was pretty much a bubble b/c it was military town and there's people from all over the nation and world there.

There is some elements of southern in San Antionio and Austin, though. Country music and Christianity are pretty popular, among other things. I guess that's the South in southwestern coming into play. They're both southwestern, IMO, but the influences from the South are pretty strong, so we can argue about this until our face turns blue.

Well, I included DC on purpose for perspective reasons. I did say the South began somewhere between DC and Richmond, but, IMO, DC is neutral. Listen to this, I've heard people try to argue that MD is southern. I agree that MD does have some elements of southern, but it's NOT southern. On the other hand, you can go to NC and any "true" North Carolinian will tell that VA is NOT southern -- go figure. Therefore, DC can go either way --it's neutral, like a capitol region should be.

Well Birmingham smells like that too. I never said it didn't ;)

That's because of our steel mills, there's a lot of steel mills in Birmingham, some of them are abandoned though.

In Birmingham generally poor people live down in the valley (which gets real hot in the summertime) and the wealthier and middle-class people live in the hills, the really wealthy people live in the big condos and mansions overlooking the city.

If they don't live on the mountain/ridges/hills, they live on the other side of Red Mountain, the big mountain right next to downtown. Even in the inner-city, houses tend to get nicer whenever you go up the hills, but as soon as you go back downhill, you see the shotgun houses, the brickyard, etc.

I'm surprised to hear Montgomery radio playing breakbeats too. All we get down here is southern crunk music....................for some reason, I always associated break-dancing, etc. with New York hip-hop, which rarely, if ever, gets played down here. Anyway..............

One more thing, as for Alabamians being friendly..................yeah, that happens. Actually I'm a lot more unfriendy than the typical Alabamian. I don't speak to people in the hallways, at the mall, on the street, etc. that I'm not good friends with. I don't do out of rudeness, actually I don't know why I do it. Maybe out of bashfullness? Anyway, not at least speaking to people you've met before when you see them would be considred rude down here. Which btw is one thing I kinda liked about the East Coast - you could be rude to people and it would just be considred normal.

I'm not gonna argue the geography stuff either, cause it's kinda pointless. But yeah................btw when you were in Birmingham did you hit up 5 points/Southside? That's the "alternative" side of town that's next to downtown, on the other side of the railroad tracks, at the bottom of the mountain, next to UAB (the big university downtown)? Anyway, a lot of out-of-towners like that part of town. I do too, actually, it's got its own weird ass vibe.

Filiprish

06-11-2004, 07:49 PM

Florida? :confused:
i've lived in Orlando for a total of about 2 years (on two different occasions). the biggest Asian community there is probably the Vietnamese. but it's really not big at all. Miami? i thought that was Cuban central? i didn't know there were that many Asian people there.
Florida is cool. The palms trees, beaches and fine Latinas, what more could you ask for. Yeah, percentage-wise there isn't many Asians in FL, BUT, being that FL is such a populous state, it ranks pretty high. On the other hand, the Asian population there is growing rapidly. I think it's b/c FL is already diverse, therefore, welcoming. Tampa and Orlando are expected to see an increase in Asian population. The state is investing a lot of money in building a technology research corridor between those two cities. The only problem I have with FL is that there isn't many Asians there. J-ville has a decent-sized Asian pop. It's made up of mostly Filipinos due to the local Navy base. Other than that, Asians in FL are seemingly non-existant.

SunWuKong

06-11-2004, 07:49 PM

Anyway, about the word "y'all". It makes a lot of sense to me. Because how else are you going to address a group of people in the second person?

how about.... "you"? :smile:

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 08:09 PM

how about.... "you"? :smile:

No you can't say that because that makes it sound like you're talking to just one person.

I guess you could say "you all" but I'd rather say y'all ;)

SunWuKong

06-11-2004, 08:25 PM

No you can't say that because that makes it sound like you're talking to just one person.

well it should be implied in the context of the conversation whether you're using "you" in a plural sense or in a singular sense.

Hiroshi2

06-11-2004, 08:53 PM

well it should be implied in the context of the conversation whether you're using "you" in a plural sense or in a singular sense.

Yeah I know but damn it's so much easier and more natural to just say "y'all".

Filiprish

06-15-2004, 02:44 AM

I'm not gonna argue the geography stuff either, cause it's kinda pointless. But yeah................btw when you were in Birmingham did you hit up 5 points/Southside? That's the "alternative" side of town that's next to downtown, on the other side of the railroad tracks, at the bottom of the mountain, next to UAB (the big university downtown)? Anyway, a lot of out-of-towners like that part of town. I do too, actually, it's got its own weird ass vibe.
B-ham is a cool place, at least, from the freeway -- I've driven through four times. Actually, one time I did stop to eat. I wish I've had a good look around, though. One of these days I will. It seems like every city in the South has a 5 points. ATL has two 5 points, one in downtown and a Little 5 Points just east of downtown. Little 5 Points is, probably, a lot like the 5 points in B-ham that your talking about. It's pretty cool, not really my crowd, but it's cool to go down there and experience something out of my norm. Lol...one of the handful of times I've down was with some friends and one of my friends was staring at this WM sitting in the middle of the sidewalk -- who looked like a bum, but, apparently wasn't -- b/c he was taking some pills (could have illegal drugs or vitamins, who knows). The WM sees my friends staring and goes, "I'm not a bum, what you staring at!," while we walked by. That was pretty funny. Words of wisdom, if you go down there, just don't stare at the bums taking pills in the middle of the sidewalk. We had more than one run-ins with the bums in ATL! We were on our way to Underground Atlanta in downtown, but just a few blocks before reaching our parking deck we had a run-in with this BM bum. We were stopped at a downtown interesection and the light had just turned green. We were in front, so we slowly proceed towards our destination, but this BM, at the crosswalk in front of us, was intent on crossing the street instead of waiting -- he had just missed the walk signal. So, he jumps in front of traffic and yells "STOP!" with his hands in front of him signaling us to stop, making a HUGE scene. The traffic halts and we're waiting for this guy to cross -- everyone in the cars and on the sidewalk is staring at him. But he's just staring at the traffic, so I hand signal him to cross the street and I give him a "WTF" shrug. He, finally, then decides to cross while he's staring us down and we're just smiling back at him. Lol...after passing him we had good laugh. Thankfully, we didn't see the BM for the rest of the day. More words of wisdom, downtown ATL is always an adventure, watch out for the bums that don't like to wait their turn to cross the street. After that we went to Buckhead, where our hotel was, which is a complete 360 of downtown -- upscale. We ended up partying in Buckhead and getting drunk off our asses on this cheap import beer. The whole day was a crazy, but good time in ATL. Oh yeah, the next day we at lunch off of Buford Hwy at Little Malaysia (http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2002-07-31/cheapeats.html). I highly recommend this restaurant -- excellent food, good service and cheap. What more could you ask for?

I'm surprised to hear Montgomery radio playing breakbeats too. All we get down here is southern crunk music....................for some reason, I always associated break-dancing, etc. with New York hip-hop, which rarely, if ever, gets played down here
I was very surprised myself, but, then again, Panama City and the rest of FL isn't too far to the south. Southern crunk gets old, that's all you hear ATL, too. As far as hip-hop goes, Va Beach gets a little of everything, at least during the occasional times my car radio gets good reception (broke my antenna).

Hiroshi2

06-15-2004, 03:21 AM

^ LOL Birmingham's 5 points is EXACTLY like that.

We have two 5 Points too - 5 Points South, the area I was talking about, and also 5 Points West which is a decent little shopping center dead in the middle of a rough, gang-ridden section of Birmingham's west side (I know cause I used to live there when I was a little kid).

specialK

06-15-2004, 08:22 AM

I always thought that anything in TX that wasn't Dallas or Houston wasn't in the South. Like filiprish said, San Antonio is southwestern, nobody would ever call that southern.

While you're at it filiprish, you should take Washington, D.C. off the list as well IMO.
hey, we're more south than alabama is! if anything, we should be southern and you guys should be southeastern.

seriously though, nomenclature aside, it's good to see growing communities in the south. it used to be that the only things you'd hear about asian americans originated in the coasts, east and west. we're witnessing in the recent past, present, and the near future the first wave of growing apa communites in activism and the arts in the south.

the university of texas has been seeing good enrollment in its asian american studies classes and hopefully the other schools in the state and surrounding states will follow suit and invest in an aas program.

Kuchana

06-15-2004, 12:34 PM

Yeah I know but damn it's so much easier and more natural to just say "y'all".

i so agree. and who the heck cares that it sounds uncultured to some? i certainly don't. :biggrin:

Hiroshi2

06-15-2004, 01:13 PM

i so agree. and who the heck cares that it sounds uncultured to some? i certainly don't. :biggrin:

Yeah, I've even noticed some people down here who try to say "you all" to sound more "educated" :rolleyes:

hey, we're more south than alabama is! if anything, we should be southern and you guys should be southeastern.

I thought southern = southeastern.

altaira

06-15-2004, 06:42 PM

Filipirish, this is Sinsoldier.

Had now idea you were banned.

I wrote you a PM wondering where you were. Inferno informed me you were here.
Always636 also had written you a message saying to cheer up. She told me the admin had said some mean things to you on the IR thread. We both feel bad. You were one of the more goodnatured members there, and your presence will be missed.

Don't take the ban too personally :-)
Altaira/sinsoldier

SunWuKong

06-15-2004, 06:46 PM

lena99

06-15-2004, 06:55 PM

Yeah, I've even noticed some people down here who try to say "you all" to sound more "educated" :rolleyes:

I thought southern = southeastern.
Ya'll is the best word possible.
I always use it, will never abandon it.

Filiprish

06-16-2004, 04:42 PM

hey, we're more south than alabama is! if anything, we should be southern and you guys should be southeastern.
That's kind of true. Under that scenario, the Southwest should be comprised of SoCal, Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas. When you think about it, the only thing southwestern about Austin and San Antionio is the landscape and large Hispanic population.

seriously though, nomenclature aside, it's good to see growing communities in the south. it used to be that the only things you'd hear about asian americans originated in the coasts, east and west. we're witnessing in the recent past, present, and the near future the first wave of growing apa communites in activism and the arts in the south.
Yes, the first wave of southern AA activism has just begun!

the university of texas has been seeing good enrollment in its asian american studies classes and hopefully the other schools in the state and surrounding states will follow suit and invest in an aas program.
Actually, almost all doctoral-national universities in the South offer AA studies. As far as enrollment goes, I'd say Texas is leading, though.

Filiprish

06-16-2004, 06:09 PM

Region -- # of Asians (approx.) -- % of Asians in US

West/Mtn -- 5,317,691 -- 48.7%
North -- 2,650,588 -- 24.2%
South -- 1,679,174 -- 15.4%
Midwest -- 1,269,185 -- 11.6%

Total -- 10,916,638

--------------

Yeah, I've even noticed some people down here who try to say "you all" to sound more "educated" :rolleyes:
"You all" does, but not "ya'll." Lol.

I thought southern = southeastern.
Not necassarily. IMO, Southeast refers only to VA, NC, SC, GA and FL. Then there's the Deep South, which is pretty hard to define. One thing I'm certain about is that AL, MS and LA are Deep South.

------------

^ LOL Birmingham's 5 points is EXACTLY like that.
LOL. You must know what I'm talking about then.

We have two 5 Points too - 5 Points South, the area I was talking about, and also 5 Points West which is a decent little shopping center dead in the middle of a rough, gang-ridden section of Birmingham's west side (I know cause I used to live there when I was a little kid).
I'm surprised B-ham is big enough for two "alternative" districts.

Hiroshi2

06-16-2004, 10:00 PM

^ No, Birmingham doesn't have two "alternative" districts. Five Points West is in the ghetto.

As for the geography thing.................I always thought "southwestern" was CA, NV, NM, AZ, and parts of TX (like El Paso and San Antonio).

Southeastern (which is the same as southern) is VA (well not DC), NC, SC, FL, GA, AL, MS, TN, KY, AR, LA, and parts of TX (like Dallas and Houston).

That's the way I see it.

Filiprish

06-16-2004, 10:41 PM

Southeastern (which is the same as southern) is VA (well not DC), NC, SC, FL, GA, AL, MS, TN, KY, AR, LA, and parts of TX (like Dallas and Houston).
I agree, South and Southeast is interchangeable. But, IMO, the South has two regions within it: Southeast/southeastern (or Atlantic Coast -- VA, NC, SC, GA, FL) and Deep South (AL, MS, LA, AS, TX).

You should read Nine Nations of North America by Joel Garreau (http://www.garreau.com/nnna.html). It's very interesting and defines the regions of the US/North America much better than tradtional labels.

Map of the Nine Nations of North America
http://www.harpercollege.edu/~mhealy/geogres/maps/nagif/na9nat2.gif

Write-up on DIXIE by Garreau (http://www.garreau.com/Articles/nine_nations/dixie.html)

Hiroshi2

06-16-2004, 10:45 PM

Actually I've seen that map before somewhere.

I can see what you're talking about with the two different parts of the south but at the same time...............how can you say Georgia and South Carolina aren't part of the Deep South?

Filiprish

06-16-2004, 11:24 PM

I can see what you're talking about with the two different parts of the south but at the same time...............how can you say Georgia and South Carolina aren't part of the Deep South?
What exactly are the characteristics of Deep South? IMO, you're right about GA. I'd say anything left of I-75 (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/print.adp?mapdata=OehTi%252bkPVgTsqg6CA8MjfHHFLRBH PX5%252ft2sBA1XhvmOeNF6JL%252buNH3qAczJxyc3hPkVbZA lW2GLie7kdp7C2VgasfYAjUYbYd00RTM9TJUWEi%252ba2aftv Q84zPYROnoWgiFjtsw0WnMJpPYnusVaxFzMBUcb1tU%252f8gg wv%252fwXBABe6cvILBh0MGh9pD5snSUx5NsuWuxvnUYwMgvEx pzKukBbAG7vYEJfKaA3rUXr68UU%252bKfP%252bKqKih35T6t LjeEqmHkNxB38STF5lDH8UgAnFiBJjq2frfzPX) is Deep South and anything right is Atlantic Coast

Hiroshi2

06-16-2004, 11:34 PM

So are you counting Atlanta as part of the Deep South? As I remember, I-75 goes straight through downtown ATL (that bitch was like 16 lanes wide too, no joke).

Filiprish

06-17-2004, 02:01 AM

^You ain't lyin'. The downtown I-85/75 connector is a monster. I'd say Atlanta is a border city, as Garreau calls it. He calls DC, Dallas and Houston border cities, as well.

Hiroshi2

06-17-2004, 03:01 AM

Again I don't see what's border about Dallas and Houston (or Atlanta for that matter - it's in the heart of the Deep South and is defintely southern). All of those cities are very much southern IMO.

Like I said before however, I don't consider DC. To me, DC is part of the East Coast/Northeast. Nothing about the way people acted, talked, etc. felt southern but it did remind me of NY (well not really cause I went to NY after I went to DC, but you get the point).

Filiprish

06-17-2004, 04:25 AM

Again I don't see what's border about Dallas and Houston (or Atlanta for that matter - it's in the heart of the Deep South and is defintely southern). All of those cities are very much southern IMO.
Most would agree that Dallas and Houston are borderline South/Southwest. IMO, Atlanta is South, but its borderline Southeast/Deep South. I do not consider Atlanta the heart of the Deep South. I consider New Orleans that.

Like I said before however, I don't consider DC. To me, DC is part of the East Coast/Northeast. Nothing about the way people acted, talked, etc. felt southern but it did remind me of NY (well not really cause I went to NY after I went to DC, but you get the point).
Most would agree that DC is borderline Northeast/Southeast. Btw, I thought we agreed not to debate over geographic nomenclature. :biggrin:

Hiroshi2

06-17-2004, 10:52 AM

New Orleans is southern, but.........................that's Cajun country, so it's kinda different down there.

I really want to live down there. They have several good universities (Dillard, Tulane, etc.) that I've considered. More than anything I wanna hook up with the Creole women (I've heard they're bitches, but they look good!).

lethal

06-17-2004, 02:44 PM

Actually, almost all doctoral-national universities in the South offer AA studies. As far as enrollment goes, I'd say Texas is leading, though.
UVa didn't offer it when I was there and still doesn't as far as I know, even as much as we worked to try to get it.

I grew up in Richmond...I'd say the delineation line between the South and not (at least on I-95) is just south of Fredricksburg, right before you get to Ashland and Kings Dominion.

What exactly are the characteristics of Deep South? IMO, you're right about GA. I'd say anything left of I-75 (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/print.adp?mapdata=OehTi%252bkPVgTsqg6CA8MjfHHFLRBH PX5%252ft2sBA1XhvmOeNF6JL%252buNH3qAczJxyc3hPkVbZA lW2GLie7kdp7C2VgasfYAjUYbYd00RTM9TJUWEi%252ba2aftv Q84zPYROnoWgiFjtsw0WnMJpPYnusVaxFzMBUcb1tU%252f8gg wv%252fwXBABe6cvILBh0MGh9pD5snSUx5NsuWuxvnUYwMgvEx pzKukBbAG7vYEJfKaA3rUXr68UU%252bKfP%252bKqKih35T6t LjeEqmHkNxB38STF5lDH8UgAnFiBJjq2frfzPX) is Deep South and anything right is Atlantic Coast
I'd say the distinction is who are the ACC fans and who are the SEC fans.

Hiroshi2

06-17-2004, 02:48 PM

I'd say the distinction is who are the ACC fans and who are the SEC fans.

Yeah, that's a good distinction. And Georgia is full of SEC fans - so there filiprish :wink:

On a more serious note, remember when I was talking about Five Points West and how ghetto it was? Well, three cops got killed there today.

Danny

06-17-2004, 05:24 PM

Coming from Jacksonville a few months ago to Sunny California I did notice before I left more and more Asians (other than Filipino) in the area. After 5 years I found a Korean area, or at least a Korean store which I found rather nice... but definitely more Asians are pouring into the south. Still infested with rednecks though.

Filiprish

06-18-2004, 05:49 AM

UVa didn't offer it when I was there and still doesn't as far as I know, even as much as we worked to try to get it.
You've must've just missed it, then.

Asian Studies @ UVA (http://www.virginia.edu/amelc/index.html)
Asian Studies @ ODU (http://www.odu.edu/al/asia/)

I grew up in Richmond...I'd say the delineation line between the South and not (at least on I-95) is just south of Fredricksburg, right before you get to Ashland and Kings Dominion.
Sounds accurate to me.

I'd say the distinction is who are the ACC fans and who are the SEC fans.
Lol, actually, I had that in mind when I made my distinction. Alright then, I'd say the South consists of the Southern AC (Atlantic Coast) [VA, NC, SC, FL, GA (neutral/part of)], the Southeast/Deep South [GA (neutral/part of), AL, MS, LA, AS, TX (part of)], and Appalachia South (WV, KY and TN).

Coming from Jacksonville a few months ago to Sunny California I did notice before I left more and more Asians (other than Filipino) in the area. After 5 years I found a Korean area, or at least a Korean store which I found rather nice... but definitely more Asians are pouring into the south. Still infested with rednecks though.
Yeah, J-ville has a lot of Filipinos (b/c of the Navy base), which I didn't know until I visited a friend down there.

lethal

06-18-2004, 12:35 PM

You've must've just missed it, then.

Asian Studies @ UVA (http://www.virginia.edu/amelc/index.html)
Asian Studies @ ODU (http://www.odu.edu/al/asia/)

Asian Studies, yes. That's been there a while.

Asian American Studies, no. You specified "AA studies."

Filiprish

06-18-2004, 03:20 PM

Asian Studies, yes. That's been there a while.

Asian American Studies, no. You specified "AA studies."
Ah, yes, I forgot about that distinction. I meant to stay Asian Studies. About AA studies, hmmm, I'll have to do some research and find the ones that offer that.

Hiroshi2

06-18-2004, 03:49 PM

Ah, yes, I forgot about that distinction. I meant to stay Asian Studies. About AA studies, hmmm, I'll have to do some research and find the ones that offer that.

I was surprised to find that Dillard University in New Orleans (an HBCU) has a sizable Japanese-language/culture studies program.

Filiprish

06-18-2004, 05:03 PM

I did some research and found this handy list: AA and Asian Studies Schools (http://www.asianamerican.net/centers.html). There's not a single school in the South besides UT-Austin with AA Studies. I'm upset that of all schools UVA doesn't have an AA Studies program when the school is 11% Asian and the state of VA is 3.7% Asian (and rapidly increasing), which is equivalent to the national avg. While, Ohio State University (6% Asian) has an AA Studies program and the state is only only 1.7% Asian (well below the national avg). WTF!?

Any insight into why UVA doesn't have an AA Studies program, yet?

Filiprish

06-22-2004, 03:22 AM

You guys gotta listen to this shit, it all happened within the past month.

One of my female, Filipino-Hapa cousins, 18, just graduated HS, in the North Carolina (in one of the many military towns in eastern NC) got fired from McD's for not parking across the street. There's more to the story. An incident happened before she got fired. One day her brother was waiting in the parking lot so he could give his sister a ride home. But she couldn't get off b/c the McD's was in the middle of a rush. So, he continues to wait for 30 mins, but gets tired of waiting and ask to the manager on duty went is my sister going to get off. She says she can't get off b/c we're still busy. So, he proceeds to wait for another 30 mins, loitering in the parking lot. I'm not sure what exactly he was doing in the parking lot, but the manager didn't like his presence and goes outside and yells at him to get his "yellow ass" out of her parking lot. Well, I'm not sure what happened after that, but I do know what happened when my aunt found out -- all hell broke loose. Now, you guys don't know my aunt, she's not the type of person you want to screw with. She has the biggest mouth in the world and is not afraid to cause a scene. She's very aggressive and fairly tall and big-boned for a Filipino. She can be intimidating. I remember hating her, while growing up, b/c she was so damn big-mouthed and bossy. I don't resent her attitude anymore. My aunt calls the owner of the McD's and demands that the manager that called her son "yellow" be fired. She said, "(paraphrased) My son in is an honorable member of the United States Marine Corps and one of your managers told him to get his "yellow ass" out of her parking lot. I am contacting you b/c that parking lot is yours. I want this manager fired. If you like doing business in this town, you will comply with my request. This town is 4% Asian and we like to spread gossip. We will tell everyone know to boycott your business. You business will be in jeopardy. Also, all I have to do is contact the press and your business is in serious jeopardy. Now, this isn't between me and you. I don't want to hurt you're business. This has to be fired." The owner was very apologetic and, well, the manager got fired, ASAP.

But wait, Just when you thought everything was settled, recently, my cousin gets fired for not parking across the street at the Winn-Dixie. Apparently, this McD's does not have enough parking spaces and prefers that it's employees park across the street. My cousin refused to park across the street b/c, well, it's across the damn street. She didn't feel like putting herself in danger -- she got fired for it. I think this was a cheap way to get rid of her for causing drama at that McD's. From what you've heard so far, you know damn well my aunt didn't take this shit lightly. She contacts the owner of the McD's again and demands that her daughter have her job back. She says, "(paraphrased) How can you allow managers to make employees put themselves in danger. You guys do not have an agreement with the owner of the Winn-Dixie to let your employees park there. I know b/c I contacted him. The owner of the Winn-Dixie could be responsible if one of your employees gets hurt or even killed. He is not fond of your employees parking in his lot. Don't think that b/c I'm Asian, I'm stupid. I raised a daughter who has been accepted to Harvard, Duke, Northwestern and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (huge props to my cousin). You do not know who you're dealing. My daughter, myself and my people are not slaves." Then she had to throw in, "We aren't monkeys, either." No one called anyone a monkey, she just threw that in, which rocked. Well, my cousin was offered her job back, but the manager who fired her didn't get fired. I'm not if she requested that the other manager be fired. I don't know what's going to happen from here. My aunt said something about possibly contacting a lawyer. I know my cousin hasn't taken back her job back b/c she's afraid of the tension and drama at the McD's. I'm going to call my aunt for an update. If the manager isn't fired, I think she should contact the local press.

SunWuKong

06-22-2004, 08:24 AM

wow. we could use your aunt for some of YW's causes. :tongue:

lethal

06-22-2004, 09:08 AM

Filiprish

06-22-2004, 01:08 PM

File a claim with the EEOC for a retaliation claim. Your cousin was fired in retaliation for complaining about work conditions and/or charging someone with racism.

McDonald's will try to settle the case for a decent amount of money. It'll probably be enough to get her through a couple years at Harvard.
I think that's what she's going to do. It's too late, my cousin is going to UNC-Chapel Hill b/c she can't afford Harvard. They said they'd pay for the first two years, but then she'd have to come up with another $60,000. Alos, she want's to go into journalism and UNC-Chapel Hill's program is one of the best in the nation. I think she made the right decision.

SunWuKong

06-22-2004, 01:14 PM

I think that's what she's going to do. It's too late, my cousin is going to UNC-Chapel Hill b/c she can't afford Harvard. They said they'd pay for the first two years, but then she'd have to come up with another $60,000. Alos, she want's to go into journalism and UNC-Chapel Hill's program is one of the best in the nation. I think she made the right decision.

that's a lot of money. doesn't Harvard or UNC-Chapel Hill give out plenty of aid in terms of loans and scholarships? my tuition was very expensive, too, but most of it was paid with loans and scholarships.

Filiprish

06-22-2004, 03:56 PM

that's a lot of money. doesn't Harvard or UNC-Chapel Hill give out plenty of aid in terms of loans and scholarships? my tuition was very expensive, too, but most of it was paid with loans and scholarships.
Yes, private school education is very expense, as you know.

I think so. Harvard did offer to pay for two years. UNC-Chapel Hill ranks well for least debt by US News. I think my cousin made the right decision for choosing UNC-Chapel Hill. It's a great university and it's School of Journalism (http://www.jomc.unc.edu/forprospectivestudents/index.html) is top-notch, it consistently ranks amongst the best programs in the nation. Then you have to weigh in family and friends, which makes UNC the right fit.

SunWuKong

06-22-2004, 04:19 PM

Yes, private school education is very expense, as you know.

yeah, tuition at CMU was 30K+ and rose every year i was there. what with all the loans (which i'm still paying back) and scholarships, my parents and i coughed up about 7K to 8K each year to cover the rest.

i had friends whose parents were well-off enough that they didn't get any financial aid, but they were also well-off enough to pay for tuition entirely. then there was me, who worked about 20 hours a week while they go party.

Filiprish

06-23-2004, 12:58 AM

wow. we could use your aunt for some of YW's causes. :tongue:
Tell me about it. She's truly an activist. Pretty inspiring.

Filiprish

06-23-2004, 02:50 AM

^I forgot to mention other stuff about my aunt. Right now, she is a nurse at a nursing home, but she is studying to earn a BS in Criminal Justice to be a probation/correctional officer. She has recently taken constitutional law and other various criminal justice courses. Ever since she took those courses, she's been preaching about Asians have to stand for their rights -- this and that is racist. I find it ironic how this happened to her, which for the owner and manager was the wrong person to happen to, but for the Asians in her community, was the right person to happen. I wondered if she earned the Asian community some respect amongst the people involved.

Filiprish

06-25-2004, 12:47 AM

Selected Universites in the South with Asian pop. higher than Nat'l Avg.

21% - Houston
17% - George Mason
17% - Texas
16% - Emory
15% - GA Tech
15% - Rice
12% - Duke
11% - UT-Arlington
11% - Virginia
10% - Georgia State
9% - VA Commonwealth
7% - Florida
7% - VA Tech
7% - William & Mary
6% - Miami
6% - North Carolina
6% - Old Dominion
6% - South Florida
6% - UNC-Charlotte
6% - Vanderbilt
5% - Baylor
5% - Central Florida
5% - NCSU-Raleigh
5% - North Texas
4% - Tulane

Filiprish

08-02-2004, 03:50 PM

Bump

Hiroshi2

08-02-2004, 07:18 PM

Filiprish

08-02-2004, 08:48 PM

Most of those colleges aren't in the "real South" - Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Lousiana, South Carolina.........................well, NC is southern, I admit. But not southern like down here............Texas, Florida, and Virginia are barely in the South.............
True. The clear majority of them, except for Tulane, are in the Deep South. Georgia and North Carolina is the only state with schools in the "real" South. GA Tech has a whopping 15%, obviously because it's a tech school. Duke has a whopping 12% Asian student body, as well. No other campus in NC can dream of attracting this many Asians. I guess when a school is a prestigious as Duke students don't where you're located.

Filiprish

11-14-2004, 08:31 PM

Bump

yoMAMA

11-14-2004, 08:39 PM

UT is 17% asian?

Filiprish

11-14-2004, 08:54 PM

UT is 17% asian?
According to PrincetonReview.com...which is where I got the stats.

lethal

11-15-2004, 06:26 AM

Duke has a whopping 12% Asian student body, as well. No other campus in NC can dream of attracting this many Asians. I guess when a school is a prestigious as Duke students don't where you're located.
Duke might as well be located in New Jersey or New York. That's where a sizable pluarity of their students come from. Moreso than anywhere in the South.

Filiprish

11-15-2004, 11:10 AM

Duke Undergrad Student Body

Enrollment: 6,066
Female: 48%
Out of State: 85%
International: 5%
African American: 10%
Asian: 12%
Caucasian: 60%
Hispanic: 7%
Native American: 0% (http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/studentbody.asp?listing=1023310&LTID=1)
Duke Asian Student Union (http://www.duke.edu/asian/)

Duke might as well be located in New Jersey or New York. That's where a sizable pluarity of their students come from. Moreso than anywhere in the South.
Yeah, they're coming from somewhere, and, of course, it's not mostly the South:

Asian matriculation (at Duke) hits record high (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/05/29/3ed60c05a5c92?in_archive=1)

Lol, if you look the US News law school rankings, the largest group of Duke law grads take the bar in NY. Damn carpertbaggers.

Also, Duke has a large Jewish student body, not as much as, say, Harvard (30 percent), Yale (23 percent), UPenn (31 percent) and Columbia (25 percent) (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/18/4173b1de57041?in_archive=1), but fairly large for the South. Btw, Duke sponsored a pro-Palestine conferance in Oct, which is still causing waves of controversy.

Below are articles that demonstrate how is Duke is a lot more diverse and political than we might think:

Duke offers forum for radical views (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/22/417902e4c8217?in_archive=1)
Duke is a place for everyone (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/20/417657daae7e9?in_archive=1)
'Most oppressed' not a competition (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/21/4177a72c980a3?in_archive=1)
University must face up to its racism (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/08/29/3d6e0d367dcc5?in_archive=1)
Duke meets most demands for AAS (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/04/29/3d768d63b6271?in_archive=1)
Students protest Abercrombie T-shirts (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/04/22/3d768d4e6ceb8?in_archive=1)
Asians must begin to 'take responsibility for ourselves' (http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/1996/12/10/3d767cec271e4?in_archive=1)

Craig

11-15-2004, 01:46 PM

UT is 17% asian?UT-Austin is only 17% Asian ?
Maybe they aren't counting all the foreign nationals ? I don't know about when golden_buns was at UT, but when I was there, the CS department was about 70% Asian (including American and foreign born).

Filiprish

11-22-2004, 02:08 AM

tommyhtown

11-22-2004, 08:41 AM

Yes, I have because I live in Texas. I was laughed at because of my accent or rather my southern colloquialism when I was on a consulting gig in the NE. It is no biggie.

I do have a friend living in NOVA who tries very hard to accentuate her Texas accent to the locals. She gets all giddy up everytime a guy says that he never hears an Asian girl with a southern accent before.

moJo

11-22-2004, 08:57 AM

Have you guys ever heard an Asian with a Southern accent? It catches you off guard. If you want to hear an Asian w/ a Texas accent listen to this webcast I posted on the thread below.

Martha Wong: A Texas Trailblazer (http://forums.yellowworld.org/showthread.php?p=346138&posted=1#post346138)
i just heard (and saw) it on a really silly MTV show called "Date My Mom". The woman (in her 40's, 50's) was Chinese and born 'n raised in Arkansas. Southern accent was very thick.

tommyhtown

11-22-2004, 11:08 AM

i just heard (and saw) it on a really silly MTV show called "Date My Mom". The woman (in her 40's, 50's) was Chinese and born 'n raised in Arkansas. Southern accent was very thick.

Yeah I saw that show too. Her daughter was the hottest of the three. But what a stupid show that was, however; I can't wait for one of the guys to hook up with a mom.

Filiprish

11-23-2004, 12:42 PM

Yes, I have because I live in Texas. I was laughed at because of my accent or rather my southern colloquialism when I was on a consulting gig in the NE. It is no biggie.
Wish I was there. Yeah, there's a lot of minorities with southern accent in TX.

I do have a friend living in NOVA who tries very hard to accentuate her Texas accent to the locals. She gets all giddy up everytime a guy says that he never hears an Asian girl with a southern accent before.
Lol. I can relate. I've decided that I'm going to try and develop a slight southern accent. Growing up I was very conscious not to develop one. I was very, very adament not to be a yokel. I'm less conscious, nowadays, and sometimes I hear an accent slip out. Even my mom sometimes says stuff with a southern accent. Hilarious.

kpih

11-26-2004, 03:59 PM

Ha! Don't forget the Asian Studies Institute at Florida International University in Miami. Florida Atlantic also has a center for Asian Studies. UF has a pretty substantial program. There is a lot of collaboration between these schools to build a strong network of smaller Asian Studies Program and to transform FL into a prominant site for Asian Studies. The programs in all these schools are growing quite rapidly, partly due to the increasing trade relations with China. In fact, the State of FL is pouring money (albeit relatively small amount compare to some other states) into these programs. They are alread offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in Asian languages (mostly Japanese and Chinese), history, and general Asian Studies Curriculum.

As the matter of fact, I am trying to develop courses about the Asian Diaspora/Communities at FIU. Stay tuned. They might be offered next year...

The Asians are coming! Be afraid. Be very afraid...

Filiprish

11-26-2004, 04:39 PM

The Asians are coming! Be afraid. Be very afraid...
Too true, kpih. FLORIDA is the next frontier!

Kuchana

11-26-2004, 05:15 PM

younggiftedandblack

12-13-2004, 02:11 AM

This thread crossed my mind while I was in Valdosta GA. last week. It's a regular size down in the deep south right near the Ga. Fla. border. Anyway what made me think of this was the surprise from some of the people I was with at the site of several nice size Korean Baptist churches in the area.

Hiroshi2

12-13-2004, 10:47 AM

Valdosta is a real small country ass town. There's a difference b/w a town like that and Atlanta, Memphis, Birmingham, New Orleans, etc. We pass by it on the way down to Florida.

BTW, I saw this asian girl the other day (East asian, chinese, korean, japanese, etc) and she had a strong southern accent (White southern accent, not black southern). It was ugly. I almost wanted to go up to her and be like, please don't talk like that.

younggiftedandblack

12-13-2004, 12:27 PM

Filiprish

03-28-2005, 06:35 PM

Bump

Hiroshi2

03-28-2005, 07:14 PM

Still the only asian person in the South, Filiprish? :D

Filiprish

03-28-2005, 07:35 PM

Still the only asian person in the South, Filiprish? :D
^The only other Asian. :wink:

Good news for South Asians in Raleigh-Durham, NC.>>>

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This story was printed from The Chronicle.
Site URL: http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/03/10/42304c1ca1291.
March 10, 2005
Galaxy brings Calcutta to Cary
by Katie Somers

Kalindri Padia, Siva Allu and Nagi Reddy want to bring a new type of theater experience to North Carolina. With the opening of their Galaxy Cinema in Cary Dec. 30, they have done just that.

The three owners aspired to open a theater that could serve the large Cary Indian community. “They wanted to have a theater that would consistently run Bollywood films, as well as indie films, documentaries and other foreign films,” theater manager Brantley Sawyer says.

Upon its opening, the Galaxy was running older Indian films, but now it has begun opening films that are currently playing in India.

Things have picked up quickly for the new theater. “We are drawing people not just from Cary, but from all over the Triangle,” Sawyer says.

The concessions stand provides traditional Indian cuisine like samosas, in addition to the typical popcorn, candy and soda. According to the theater's website, “Galaxy Cinema is going to be a one of a kind movie exhibition location where you can buy authentic food at the concession stands of the country from which a movie is being played.” This translates to items such as spring rolls and other Asian dishes when an Asian film is featured. Additionally, the Galaxy sells gourmet coffee drinks, and also beer and wine.

Though the Galaxy contains six screens, just three are currently being used. “The owners [of the Galaxy] are working with the owner of the properties to get the other theaters running. We hope to have all six by May,” Sawyer added.

The Galaxy initially had trouble finding films to exhibit because of problems with distributors. They were forced to show second-run films at the outset. Now they have resolved this problem and are able to open new movies.

This weekend the Galaxy will bring three heralded films to Cary: Academy-award winning documentary Born into Brothels, the British Rory O'Shea was Here, and the legendary French Wave director Jean-Luc Godard's latest, Notre Musique. Additional information and showtimes at mygalaxycinema.com.

Asians progress on the prestigious campus of Duke University, Durham, NC.>>>

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February 23, 2005
Magazine airs Asian perspectives
by Gabriel Chen

http://media.chronicle.duke.edu/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/s-421c75f5c2fd5-68-1.jpg
PETER GEBHARD/THE CHRONICLE
Senior Isaac Chan is the creator of Yellow Pages magazine, which promotes Asian literary expression.

Disgruntled by the lack of a distinct Asian voice on campus, senior Isaac Chan decided to start a student-run magazine that would give Asians at Duke a forum for political and creative expression.

Beginning with no financial resources, Chan approached various deans and organizations to raise $2,200 for Yellow Pages, which at first publication had a circulation of 1,200. The free publication, which will be distributed at the Asian Students Association’s Lunar New Year Celebration Saturday, showcases Asian expressive talent through poetry, feature articles, creative writing and book reviews. The first issue addressed a wide variety of topics including “An Asian American Woman’s Perception of New York City” and “The Challenges of Interracial Dating.”

“[Yellow Pages] was created to serve as a collaborative medium to allow our voices to be heard,” said Chan, editor-in-chief of the magazine. “Our goal is to foster mutual dialogue and promote a greater understanding and reconciliation between the Asian community and the rest of the Duke community.”

Sophomore Peter Moon, who contributed a letter to the editor to the magazine, said he saw the need for Asian Americans to have a venue for personal expression and community dialogue.

“I am part of a community that I cannot deny, and I feel that it is my obligation to see, and even correct, how we Asian Americans are portrayed at Duke,” Moon said. “My identity gives me a duty to be vigilant about what is being shown of my kin.”

At first, Chan found it difficult to find donors who saw the need for the magazine’s existence. Despite receiving many rejections, Chan continued to solicit funds for more than three weeks and said he never thought about giving up. “I was initially very nervous. I went up personally to all the groups I could think of and showed them our colored printouts. We did not even have a cover page,” Chan said. “I called up a dean and his secretary asked me, ‘Are you asking for money?’ I said ‘Yes.’ She was forthright and said, ‘This is not the right person you should be talking to.’”

During that time, however, Chan met with some administrators and campus groups—deans, the Multicultural Center, the Kenan Institute for Ethics and Grace’s Café—who shared his vision for the publication and wanted to support the initiative.

Julian Sanchez, director of the Office of Intercultural Affairs, contributed $200 on behalf of the Multicultural Center to fund the magazine. “Isaac’s funding proposal, as presented, seemed very worthy of this kind of support. It’s always a pleasure to support these types of student ventures when we can, especially those that help fill a particular niche,” Sanchez said. “[Yellow Pages] holds great potential. I truly hope it sustains itself.”

Sue Wasiolek, assistant vice president for student affairs, said she contributed “a small but meaningful amount” because she found Chan’s idea to be “so fresh and compelling.” “It’s very unusual for me to provide funds to students or student groups for projects. Funds in Student Affairs have basically been pooled into the University fund and we direct students there to request support,” Wasiolek said. “It’s important for the Duke community that I wanted to make certain that [Chan’s idea] did not fail because it lacked funding.”

Chan eventually hopes to take Yellow Pages to the national level. His vision is to have the magazine represent Asian Americans’ expression in the Southeast region by partnering with other campus and regional racial groups to better understand how to bring about more discussion. Some students who have read the publication see the unique and creative outlet for Asian Americans and others on campus it provides.

“[Yellow Pages is] a type of literary work that students do not often see on campus,” senior Samira Abughazaleh said. “I mostly enjoyed the ‘Heard around Campus’ and poems section. I really appreciated the eclectic mix of literary pieces submitted. There seems to be something for everyone.”

Filiprish

03-29-2005, 07:32 AM

^^ http://yellowpagesmag.org/

The site is very young.

Filiprish

03-29-2005, 10:37 AM

there's lots of asians in the VA beach area. so i'm told. it's strange -- i didn't see them :)
Check out this link. It's a map of where Asians live in Hampton Roads:
http://barbera.caliper.com/maptitude/census2000maps/map.asp?command=E&map=6&width=0&table=&scope=-76397686%7C36944078%7C47.000334%7C31.960227

Here's a map of Asians in the US:
http://barbera.caliper.com/maptitude/census2000maps/map.asp?command=zmout&map=6&width=0&table=&scope=-96092978%7C38708728%7C752.005347%7C511.363636&mapimage.x=301&mapimage.y=207

^^These interactive maps are pretty cool!

Bananas need love too.>>>

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March 08, 2005
Identity twist
by Sarah Kwak

http://media.chronicle.duke.edu/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/s-422dbeae800d2-85-1.jpg
Patrick Phelan/The Chronicle

Serena Wang dresses well in a light green Polo shirt and jeans. Even though she has the flu, she still carries herself with an unspoken confidence, pausing in Alpine Atrium to greet her fellow Tri-Delt before meeting me for lunch. She wears just enough makeup to show that she cares about her appearance but isn’t trying too hard.

Serena describes herself during her first year at Duke as “the poster child for sell-out Asian banana”—a term that means yellow on the outside, white on the inside. She says it with a laugh.

So naturally, she rushed Delta Delta Delta sorority her sophomore year. She pledged and became the only banana in the bunch. She questioned why she was rushing. “I’m not your prototype Tri-Delt,” she says. But her sisters said that she was making it too much of a racial issue, that she wasn’t looking outside the scope, that in the end, it doesn’t really matter. “There’s obviously something about you other than your race which fit into the Tri-Delt mode, which is why you’re in it,” she remembers them assuring her.

Multiple cultures uniting in the common bond of sisterhood—multiculturalism at its finest. Recognizing and respecting the existence of different cultures apart from the mainstream. So what actually constitutes culture? And what the hell constitutes the “mainstream”?

“The liberal version of multiculturalism is this sort of boundary between different ethnic groups. The idea that within that boundary the group of people is homogeneous—they share the same culture, they have the same history. Then there’s this radical irreconcilability across the different cultures,” says Leo Ching, chair of the Asian and African Languages and Literature department.

Then multiculturalism—the grand idea that America is the melting pot of the world—might just be a load of crap.

It’s been ingrained in our minds as one of the pillars of our country, ever since the pilgrims stumbled across the Native Americans and peacefully shared turkey and cranberry sauce in our fourth-grade classrooms. Generations later, those white Christian immigrants won the power to define the mainstream. Multiculturalism, established by the mainstream, developed as a solution for minority cultures to be recognized as valid—compared to the mainstream. Catch my drift?

“The problem with multiculturalism is that it promotes the idea that ‘everybody is different from me,’” Ching says. “That’s the problem. Everybody is different except me or my group. So once multiculturalism becomes a dominant ideology in university campuses, especially, it becomes this uncanny marker of difference, a difference that cannot be crossed unless one accepts one’s own difference…. [I]t doesn’t serve the minorities’ benefit.”

It’s natural, though, to take what makes us different and use that to identify ourselves, especially on college campuses where self-discovery reigns supreme. More than half of the 25 student-taught house courses being offered this semester explore issues of race, culture or identity—from Racial Identity at Duke and Beyond to American Sign Language. I have to wonder, are we really that lost that we need to be found in a convenient half-credit course taught by our peers?

For some, it’s the Upper East Side versus Brooklyn or Madonna versus The Rock. Money, gender, race. We identify ourselves and go so far as to identify others. Then, we unite under our common differences so that we can be the same. See the irony?

“I think confining it to [a one-dimensional] understanding of identity doesn’t help us understand that it’s not fixed. Now… for a person in a social environment who sees solidified groups, that’s a challenge,” says Vivian Wang, a junior from Silver Spring, Md., who teaches a house course called Popular Education, Theory and Practice.

Although we may share common experiences and thus gravitate toward one another, it’s equally important to recognize our different identities as individuals, of which there are many. I am Asian; this is true. I am a woman; equally true. I am smart; yeah, you would think so, wouldn’t you? The classifications for individuals are limitless, and yet, we continue to distinguish ourselves by certain characteristics.

Serena cannot identify herself by her ethnicity, her sorority or even her ideology. Her identity, like everyone’s, is personal and multi-dimensional. Born in bilingual Taipei, she was exposed to English at a young age and later moved to south Florida. There, she looked up to her older cousin, the “un-stereotypically Asian male.” He was popular, had friends and girlfriends outside his race and played football. Back then, she believed that that was what it meant to be “made.”

“I think he did tell me at one point, ‘You’re young, and you think that race doesn’t matter, but as you get older, it will. But never let it stop you. If that’s what people want to see you as, force them to see other parts of you. Overwhelm them with your strengths, with your personality, your character. Race doesn’t have to be the only thing,’” she recounts.

But our races still matter to us—we still have our house courses, our race relations courses, our multicultural groups that try to teach us who we are, or maybe who we should be. At about the same time that she joined Tri-Delta, Serena also helped organize the Chinese American Intercollegiate Conference—waiting until her sophomore year to branch into Asian circles.

“I didn’t want to come into college already with somebody stereotyping me as ‘an Asian.’ So I thought I would just hang out with people I got along with and not necessarily try to find that comfort based on the fact that they should accept me because we’re all Asian,” she explains.

And that mentality is pervasive. It’s the same reason that I didn’t sign up for the Asian Students Association’s e-mail list initially. At first glance, groups based on culture or ethnicity look like social cliques based on physical attributes. It would be like having a Tall People’s Association and justifying it because tall people have shared common experiences of being mocked because of their gargantuan size.

I still can’t deny the importance of culture, of heritage. I can’t believe in a society where these things become a non-factor. Neither can Kevin Fang, senior publicity chair on the ASA executive board, who takes pride in that facet of his identity.

“I fear, I know, my culture, my life and my history will become diluted away if I don’t,” says Fang, who attended a Chinese school in Maryland until he was 15. Having been immersed in Chinese culture, customs and heritage, he’s still enthusiastic about studying these things.

“Americanness to me means basically throwing away your history, kind of. Break-dancing and the dragon have nothing to do with each other. To me, being American was being white-washed, was having no sense of culture,” Fang says.

And although we may not have lived under the same circumstances as Fang, I think we still share his fear of losing our own heritage.

Still, groups can force us to question our authenticity. Fang is pre-med, a biology major who plays piano and took kung fu as a kid. And his family did own a Chinese restaurant.

“Sometimes,” he says, “I feel like I am a walking stereotype.” Maybe he’s falling into the trap that multiculturalism dictates.

Taking pride and understanding our identities should not be overlooked. Part of the reason multicultural groups are important is that they offer common ground, a comfortable place where certain questions don’t have to be asked, like “What kind of Asian are you?” But, one must also question, at what expense?

We claim to be the most “multicultural” generation in America to date. We throw around these terms as if we know what they mean. Take the term “Asian,” for example. As the largest continent in the world, Asia covers a massive scope. We have an Asian Students Association, but we also have a Korean Students Association, Chinese Students and Scholars Association, Taiwanese Students Association, DukAnime, Singapore Students Association, Diya and Association for India’s Development. This doesn’t even count Arab groups, which might technically fall under the umbrella of Asian, too. That’s a lot of groups. So it doesn’t suffice simply to say Asian anymore.

“Multiculturalism… attempts to ‘manage’ the highly contested, intermixing and fluid categories of peoples and their histories into manageable and too easily definable ‘cultural’ differences. In short, cultures replace racism as a structural delimitation that avoids the more difficult questions of new and old forms of discrimination and inequality between and within class, race and gender. What I am trying to suggest is that whenever we are emphasizing one form of difference—culture or race—we are always ignoring some other categories such as gender and class,” Ching says.

Identity, whether cultural or personal, cannot be defined in a word. It cannot be explained in terms of anything—maybe just a feeling.

“When I did hang out with [Asians], I felt I could be more at ease, but it was almost like taking them for granted, like they should accept me regardless, as opposed to when I hung out with my greek team,” Serena says. “There was always a sort of unsaid tension where I’m expected to be carried a certain way because I am the novelty, the token.”

Once upon a time, then, we must have been “unicultural.” Our “multicultures” evolved from the norm. Don’t believe me? If there weren’t a norm, multicultural gropus would not exist—their opinions wouldn’t be considered novel. If there weren’t a norm, Serena’s father wouldn’t encourage her to marry “that white guy,” to make it easier for her kids to assimilate—into the mainstream. If there weren’t a norm, I wouldn’t have to write this piece at all.

“When they describe me, my friends, they’ll say, ‘You know, the put-together Asian girl, the one that’s in Polo.’ It’s like they’re basically taking white attributes and adding ‘Asian’ to the end of it,” Serena says.

As if that’s a compliment. Whether defining the walking stereotype or the exception to the rule, multiculturalism threatens to perpetuate the mainstream and vice versa.

Our generation loves to use terms. We love to organize and distinguish one from the other. We use words like “different” and “normal” to describe people and groups, suggesting that those, in fact, exist. We find those things that make us “different” when that’s convenient and “normal” when we see fit. But we’re also acknowledging that, in a world where we’re more interconnected every day, those boundaries are becoming more fluid.

No more terms, Generation Y. Say goodbye to divisions, definitions and designations. Multiculturalism just doesn’t cut it anymore.

stunninglyAsian

03-30-2005, 06:15 PM

That census map is funny- I found out there is this tiny little concentration of Asians in my city- never knew it existed.

“When I did hang out with [Asians], I felt I could be more at ease, but it was almost like taking them for granted, like they should accept me regardless, as opposed to when I hung out with my greek team,” Serena says. “There was always a sort of unsaid tension where I’m expected to be carried a certain way because I am the novelty, the token.”
I don't know about that... I think when you hang out with Asians, it is does put you at ease and I'd agree you feel like you have to embrace your fellow Asians. But at the same time, I feel like you have to fit into one of the AA-approved niches- the Christian, the gangster, the rich kid, etc. I've seen more than one Asian kid who tried going down the punk rock path and eventually be ostracized by the group.

With non-Asians, I feel like you have nothing to lose- they probably have an idea of what you're supposed to be like. And it's not exactly flattering. But this can be your greatest strength, and being the token Asian has its positives. You gotta work with what you have. Never felt any tension or pressure to act a certain way. The only tension I've felt is when I'm around a person and you just get that vibe that he's going to say something racist at you

I'm multicultural with an Asian anchor, I think that's the best way to handle it.

I hope I develop a southern twang- I bet that drives the ladies wild...

Filiprish

03-31-2005, 05:48 AM

What are these benefits of being the token Asian? In the South 95% of the time you are the token Asian. It's hard to blend. Sometimes you just want to lay low.

That census map is funny- I found out there is this tiny little concentration of Asians in my city- never knew it existed.
You can play with it for hours.
I'm multicultural with an Asian anchor, I think that's the best way to handle it.
I've always thought about myself this way. Asian anchor - I like that analogy. :smile:
I hope I develop a southern twang- I bet that drives the ladies wild...
Lol.

Filiprish

04-08-2005, 07:00 PM

http://www.duke.edu/asian/images/apahm.jpg

APAHM: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month @ Duke University (http://www.duke.edu/asian/?C=S&O=A)

Center for Race Relations Dialogues
Weds, Apr 6, 13, 20, 6:00-7:30pm @ Multicultural Center
Come discuss “Asian-ness” portrayed at Duke, by the media and within ourselves!
**Free Subway and Chick-Fil-A**

Novell-aaah! and Pilgrim: A workshop and reading with playwright Eugenie Chan!
Wed, Apr 6, 4-6pm @ Room 127, Bryan Center
A live double feature!

This event was made possible through the generous support of the Asian Student Association, the departments of English, Theatre Studies, and Women's Studies, the John Hope Franklin Center for International Studies and the Duke Center for Multicultural Affairs.

Questions? Contact Sean Metzger (smetzger@duke.edu)

Movie Night: The Joy Luck Club
Fri, Apr 8, 7pm @ Crowell EE Commons
Before Amy Tan speaks, come watch the 1993 adaptation of her The Joy Luck Club.
**Free dumplings, refreshments, and copies of Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down**.

Anne Fadiman
Mon, Apr 11, 7pm @ Griffith Film Theater
Anne Fadiman will explore the cross-cultural experience of reporting and writing The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures.

Her book, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, traces the dramatic conflicts that arose between a refugee family from Laos and their American doctors over the care of their seriously ill child.

Fadiman's talk will trace the cross-cultural challenges she herself faced during her eight years of immersion in Hmong culture."

Amy Tan
Tue, Apr 12, 8pm @ Page Auditorium
Hear the best-selling author of such books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife and The Bone Setter’s Daughter conduct a public reading of her works. Book signing to follow in the LGBT Center (West Union). For more information, visit the Duke News website.
Cosponsored by Duke University Union and the Baldwin Scholars Program

Book Club: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Tue, Apr 19, 7-8pm @ Crowell EE Commons
Join us in a discussion of Anne Fadiman’s acclaimed story of the cross-cultural conflicts that can arise in medicine Free books available for distribution Fri, Apr 8, 7pm in Crowell EE Commons.

ASA Elections
General Body Meeting for Prospective Candidates on Thu Apr 7, 8pm @ Social Sciences 136
Election Night on Wed, Apr 20, 8pm @ Social Sciences 136
Meet the candidates for your 2005-2006 Asian Students Association executive board and cast your votes!

For questions, contact Andrew Chao at asc11@duke.edu.

Filiprish

06-25-2005, 10:49 AM

Dodgy site. :rolleyes:

Asians Pouring into Dixie
Hindu Runs for Governor of Louisiana! (http://www.geocities.com/~rewoodham/Dixie/dixie7.html)

Chad

06-25-2005, 11:20 AM

The attitude in that website is pretty much the same attitude you get anywhere in the rural south. The old people will complain about how all the foreigners are moving in and taking jobs. Young people just make jokes.
I especially noticed a lot of hatred when I talked to people about fishing along the coast and the Vietnamese fishermen. I met guys who go out there just to look for any Vietnamese fishermen who might be doing something illegal so they can call the game wardens.

Shogun Empress

06-27-2005, 12:43 PM

VV o n g B a

06-27-2005, 01:02 PM

Dodgy site. :rolleyes:

Asians Pouring into Dixie
Hindu Runs for Governor of Louisiana! (http://www.geocities.com/%7Erewoodham/Dixie/dixie7.html)hahahahaha, he has a boycott china article too. i'd really like to see him pull that one off. best of luck dude!

i have noticed the indians and their hotel owning ways tho as mentioned by that guy. in particular they're sindi or gudrathi indians or something like that. i have a sindi friend who seems to be able to find a hotel to stay at free no matter where she goes. freakin insane. of course it doesn't hurt that she's attractive either.

Filiprish

07-19-2005, 06:08 PM

http://www.newsobserver.com/images/masthead/inside/logo.gif

It's heart, not height
Asian basketball league gives athletes a chance to shine
well beneath the net

http://www.newsobserver.com/images/xtq_photos/2005-1/xtq_20050719-images/main-961517-590156.jpg

By MEILING AROUNNARATH, Staff Writer

They were tense. They were cramping. As 4:30 p.m. ticked by, they looked as if they wanted to kill each other.

The ballin' men were knocking one another down on their backsides. Yet it was a picture of gracious restraint.

After all, this wasn't street ball -- it was a respected tournament with legitimate rules, trained referees and high-caliber teams invited to compete at the High Point YMCA on a long Saturday late last month. The members of the all-Lao-American Ruff Raleigh team understood the decorum demanded of them.

"This tournament brings a lot of good, competitive teams from all over the East Coast," said Ruff Raleigh captain Phan Limthong.

But it's more than just a tournament. At this all-Asian basketball event, nearly everyone was playing as an insider -- not feeling under scrutiny on the court.

And for once, their height was not a disadvantage. Not many players were taller than 6 feet -- it's part of the rules.

After all, not everyone can be a 7-foot-6 Yao Ming.

One of many being held throughout the United States, the tournament proved that Asians got game and that they were playing the sport long before Ming came into the spotlight.

"I've never [refereed] an all-Asian tournament before, and there's more talent here than I've ever seen," said William Little, one of the six certified referees overseeing the games.

The tournament started 12 years ago. Back in 1993, Todd Sen and his wife, Tu, were thinking of ways to give back to the Asian community while finding an outlet for Asian youths who might have the potential to get into trouble.

Living in Greensboro then, they formed an all-Asian basketball league that they kept together for 14 weeks.

Around the same time, the couple decided to found their own tournament.

They bounced the idea around in their minds a bit. They knew it was the solution to a problem Todd Sen and many other young, Asian-American men faced: a heart for the game but not necessarily the height.

"Growing up, Todd always wanted to belong somewhere," Tu Sen said. "My husband loves to play basketball ... most Asians love to play, and he wanted to dedicate one day to Asians, so they can say, 'Hey, this is our day.' "

The tournament was created, with the most prominent rules being: (a) There are absolutely no fights or the team(s) involved will be disqualified (to keep it a healthy competition), and (b) Any non-Asian or part-Asian player must be no taller than 6 feet.

So far, there haven't been any fights between the basketball players, just some tussles among their girlfriends in the audience who can talk trash with the best of them.

Although it doesn't have an official title, all the players involved -- and their fans -- know it as "The North Carolina Asian basketball tournament" in High Point every year. This year, it drew more than 200 people, Asians and non-Asians alike. And it continues to draw more.

Marc Williamson, a referee who has officiated for the Sens two years in a row, said the event was another chance for him to learn about a different culture, but he also respects the strain of players at these competitions.

"The usual image of a basketball player is a tall person," he said. "And I haven't seen an Asian basketball player that is over 6 feet tall, but they're very athletic players. So that leads me to believe they don't need height."

Because Little and Williamson like the way this tournament is run and the demeanor of the competitors, they say they'll be back next year.

A long day of play

At this year's tournament, the games ran from 10 in the morning until 8:30 at night and drew 16 teams from the East Coast -- from cities such as Philadelphia, Atlanta and St. Petersburg. Each of the teams paid $250 to enter.

There was a resounding conviction on the YMCA courts: The men were all there to have fun and to meet their Asian brothers; it was to be more of a reunionlike event than a "my-team's-better-than-yours" showdown.

And, at the end, there was the promise of a gathering at the Sen house with traditional Lao and Thai food: sticky rice, grilled chicken wings and spicy cucumber salad.

Still, the Ruff Raleigh team, which had competed in the tournament only once before, wanted to win. But the Raleigh players lost in their second game, by just one point, to the eventual champs, the Teddy Bears of Atlanta. The winners ended up taking a trophy and a cash prize.

The loss left the team grumpy. And also optimistic.

"It was fun, but we still need a lot of work to be done," Limthong said later. He said his team lost because "we didn't practice enough ... because we have a lot of talent [on the team]."

"We'll definitely compete in next year's tournament," Limthong said. "And we'll be going full force."

Staff writer Meiling Arounnarath can be reached at 829-4636 or marounna@newsobserver.com.

The_Animal

08-01-2005, 07:24 PM

Any Asians here living in LA, (Shreveport area). I need a heads-up on the racial situation around there.

My wife (southern Caucasian) and I (I'm 100% Japanese) will have to drive from Texas (Houston)up to see her mother after a flight from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Now I've been raised in a pretty much multicultural atmosphere, up here in Canada (Vancouver) and have been pretty leery about going down to the Southern States because of horror stories of the KKK and other WP racialist organizations, now even more so because of my mixed ethnic marriage.

Any of the guys who live down there had any experience with racism down there? Where should I avoid?

VV o n g B a

08-01-2005, 08:53 PM

its not nearly as bad as u fear. the south has come pretty far since the kkk days. u'll possibly meet bible thumpers but more likely u won't find even that except on bourbon street. sure there's racism down here, but most of it is less visible than u might see in the north.

me and my friends sometimes laugh at how badly the whites get stereotyped down here by everyone including other whites. houston has plenty of asians and so does LA. lots of vietnamese. any urbanish area here is like most any other urban area in the US. the place to stay away from are ghettos, but thats just common sense. u'll recognize one when u see one. otherwise, relax and enjoy the visit.

kpih

08-02-2005, 02:29 AM

Any of the guys who live down there had any experience with racism down there? Where should I avoid?

Be prepared for looks, and even unpleasant reactions because of your relation to your wife. While I don’t think you will see angry mobs, some people might not like it.

Chad

08-02-2005, 07:21 AM

Any Asians here living in LA, (Shreveport area). I need a heads-up on the racial situation around there.
holy shit, louisiana?!? well, it's mostly black and white.
i went all around louisiana at the beginning of this year. some places there look totally forgotten by the outside world. just little towns off the bus route that looked bombed.
you will witness the consequences of slavery and neglect of a population.

VV o n g B a

08-02-2005, 07:45 AM

holy shit, louisiana?!? well, it's mostly black and white.
i went all around louisiana at the beginning of this year. some places there look totally forgotten by the outside world. just little towns off the bus route that looked bombed.
you will witness the consequences of slavery and neglect of a population.in case u forgot, texas was a slave state. and yeah, there are places u don't wanna be in, but generally if u stick to the urban areas u'll be be fine. or as fine as u would be in any other urban area.

The_Animal

08-02-2005, 08:06 AM

If I stick to the interstate and drive within the speed limit, I should be fine. ~yipe~ And stay away from small towns. In otherwords, get your stuff that you wanna eat/drink in the big city and prepare for a straight through drive? Don't drop in on the small towns. I think I'll take I-20 up to Dallas and then punch on through to Shreveport. The route that MS Streets and Trips gave me through on Hwy 59 takes me through small towns. I think I may just save ourselves the problem of cutting through from Houston and just take a flight to Dallas-Ft. Worth and just take I-20 to Shreveport.

Chad

08-02-2005, 08:16 AM

yes, it was a slave state. but louisiana has a much higher % of blacks, the freed slaves. texas has a lot in the eastern part but there's very few in the west. it's unofficially divided into regions.. east texas, south texas, hill country, west texas(desert), and the panhandle.
If you go through Texas and then Louisiana you will see it's a different place. But I'm not trying to scare this guy or anything, he'll be fine. Nobody bothered me there, not in Shreveport, Alexandria, Ville Platte, or New Orleans. I took a Greyhound all around the state and I was the only non-black on the bus for most of the way. Some people are shocked the first time they visit the old south because it's not a popular image of the USA, it looks like a different country. I woke up on the bus in a town north of Baton Rouge and thought I was having a dream that I was in Liberia. People living in shacks, trash fires burning, etc.

SunWuKong

08-02-2005, 08:32 AM

don't know if anybody has mentioned this, but arguably the most historically famous Asian people in the South were probably the original Siamese Twins, Chang and Eng Bunker.

they were Chinese conjoined twins born in Siam - present-day Thailand. they joined the circus and toured the US, eventually amassing quite a bit of fame and fortune. in their early 30s they settled in North Carolina and adopted the last name "Bunker". they bought a plantation, even bought slaves, and actually somehow managed to become naturalised citizens at a time when Asian people were legally prohibitted from becoming naturalised citizens. they married 2 white sisters and fathered 21 children between the two of them. some of their children even fought for the Confederates in the Civil War.

VV o n g B a

08-02-2005, 08:39 AM

I took a Greyhound all around the state and I was the only non-black on the bus for most of the way. well, okay u got me there. i've always made it a priority to stick to the bigger cities. i took a greyhound once in alabama and i decided i wouldn't ever do it again b/c there are mental ppl that ride on busses. there was this dude in the bus that would intermittently stand up and yell at the bus driver to stop the bus or he'd take some indeterminate rash action. when he was sitting down he was mumbling stuff to himself. that was scary.

Chad

08-02-2005, 11:36 AM

haha, the only white person to come in and sit down next to me was this insane old woman with shit stains on the back of her shirt. she smelled bad and was obviously drunk. she kept going to the toilet room to drink on her bottle of wine she smuggled onto the bus. she did the same thing, kept standing up and screaming "IS THIS VILLE PLATTE?? IS THIS VILLE PLATTE? I NEED TO GET OFF THE BUS. PLEASE LET ME OFF"
finally the driver stopped and just dumped her off in s