ohh god the Midwest

[Smush]

Living in the Midwest was such an annoying experience, it's not really the neighborhoods (mostly safe), weather (horrible but bearable), etc, that gets to me, it's the total whiteness of the entire region. I try not to be whitewashed (even as a hapa), but hypocritically I'm probably more whitewashed than those of you living in the West Coast/NYC who consider yourselves whitewashed. You'd probably be considered 'Azn' or somethin in the town I lived in. It's not fun when my girlfriend, me, and a few other Asians were like the only Asians in a 95% somewhat hostile white atmosphere. We had white friends and generally get along okay, but still didn't fit like we fit in. You just have to live here to "get" what I mean by all of this.

Visiting back here in Minnesota made me realize why I left in the first place. My parents chose to stay here, and I already made the decision to myself years ago as a high school Soph. They decided that if we went back to Hawaii I'd go to University of Hawaii, if we stay in Minnesota, I should go to University of Minnesota with the rest of my siblings. I applied and got accepted into UC, and my parents are somewhat annoyed that I'm living away from the family and succeeding at it. They'd probably could've force my college decision by withholding money, but I'm grateful to have a web business that lets me pay my way, live in SoCal, and probably was involved in getting me accepted into UC. My sister might end up feeling like this when she ends up graduating high school too and might leave U of M to go to a better environment. I just hope she doesn't get as much shit from my parents as I do.

I really want to know how I should approach this subject when visiting them. It's not like my sis and I are rebels, we're smart and motivated like hell. It's just that we couldn't stand this situation. We didn't know why we moved from Hawaii to Minnesota just because my Dad had relatives here. All of our relatives here are like lower class whites and somewhat trashy, and all have their own social problems. There is no connection to the relatives at all, except for an abusive childhood shared by our father and his siblings. Everyone who became successful in this family, our father included, moved away and never looked back.

But they moved back. How I do tell my parents all of this without offending them and causing a shitstorm?

[nola]

You don't have to say anything. Just keep to your own business and visit once a year.

[hooligan]

have i met you? thai guy from the midwest? anyway, that's how i felt when i left orange county for LA. i want to stay here for a while and i'm currently applying to medical school right now, but if it doesn't work out i'd like to live in LA for a while until i figure out what to do with my life.

it wasn't until a few years at LA until I changed my mind about going home. i think i would like to live in the OC for a while if nothing works out and teach. i could imagine the rest of my life here, boring, but it's all right. i guess it's not exactly the same as living in the midwest, but we all learn how to love where we live.

let me tell you about those norcal-ers who just came seem to deal with the fact that southern california has its own ... community?

[thaite]

Smush, I know what you're saying. As a kid, I lived in Iowa for a few years, and even at that age you know you're different even if you can't verbalize the concept.

If becoming whitewashed bothers you, then you should do something about that, ie., moving to a more Asian-populated location if that's what you think you need.

The last couple of roommates I've had have been Asian people from the midwest. The level of even their ignorance about Asian people is enough to make me never want to go back.

have i met you? thai guy from the midwest?

You mean there's more than one?

Me and my bro are going to put up a sign in front of our house: "Welcome to ThaiTown" We figure that the concentration of even just the two us makes it qualify.

[hooligan]

Smush, I know what you're saying. As a kid, I lived in Iowa for a few years, and even at that age you know you're different even if you can't verbalize the concept.

If becoming whitewashed bothers you, then you should do something about that, ie., moving to a more Asian-populated location if that's what you think you need.

The last couple of roommates I've had have been Asian people from the midwest. The level of even their ignorance about Asian people is enough to make me never want to go back.



You mean there's more than one?

Me and my bro are going to put up a sign in front of our house: "Welcome to ThaiTown" We figure that the concentration of even just the two us makes it qualify.

this makes me glad i might be going to the midwest for medical school (if i get in).

[yoMAMA]

this makes me glad i might be going to the midwest for medical school (if i get in).

nah....you'll probably go to stanford or harvard med anyways.

as for the midwest.......the above poster says it's all true.

It's boring, it's homogenious, it's cold, but one thing I like is people seems to be somewhat "nice".

[nola]

Chicago's not as bad as MN but it's still bad.

[raacluse]

I keep thinking about visiting the Twin Cities. haven't been back in many years.

Probably wouldn't feel so weird, when playing the role of a tourist...

[TB4000]

So apparantly if you're Asian in America the only places to go are the east or west coast...the rest is just filler.;)

[Hiroshi2]

Wanna come down south?




No seriously though I've been to Omaha, NE (which seems very midwestern) and it had a few asian people there. It wasn't as whitewashed as I thought it would be.


It seems like your problem is more of a family problem, not a Minnesota problem. Correct me if I'm wrong, but your problem doesn't seem to be with Minnesota itself, but rather with your family which happens to live in Minnesota.

[yoMAMA]

Smush, I know what you're saying. As a kid, I lived in Iowa for a few years, and even at that age you know you're different even if you can't verbalize the concept.

If becoming whitewashed bothers you, then you should do something about that, ie., moving to a more Asian-populated location if that's what you think you need.

The last couple of roommates I've had have been Asian people from the midwest. The level of even their ignorance about Asian people is enough to make me never want to go back.



You mean there's more than one?

Me and my bro are going to put up a sign in front of our house: "Welcome to ThaiTown" We figure that the concentration of even just the two us makes it qualify.

Iowa, now that's a state I will never live in.....under any circumstances.

[Smush]

I do agree, it's also our reaction to the horrible family we have here.

Some people here think St Louis is down South, I can just imagine their feelings on how Birmingham or Atlanta lol.

I believe it just isn't that great of an experience for ANY minority living in the Midwest.

[Paradox]

I've lived in the south before and I couldn't stand it at all. Being only one of maybe 4 asian kids in an entire school isn't a great thing. I believe it made me a lot more introverted and resulted in me delving into "nerd" hobbies which further isolated me as a kid :). I think the midwest or south just plain sucks if you're asian. There's no two ways about it. Maybe there are a few communities who are very accepting but by and large they are social/cultural black holes.

[Hiroshi2]

I've lived in the south before and I couldn't stand it at all. Being only one of maybe 4 asian kids in an entire school isn't a great thing. I believe it made me a lot more introverted and resulted in me delving into "nerd" hobbies which further isolated me as a kid :). I think the midwest or south just plain sucks if you're asian. There's no two ways about it. Maybe there are a few communities who are very accepting but by and large they are social/cultural black holes.




Kinda like being a black person living in Oregon?

[Smush]

Kinda like being a black person living in Oregon?


There's a big hole between California and Washington, most minorities in Oregon are in Potland (stoner's paradise) with 6% each of Asian, Black, and Latino.

Down South sounds nice, depends where you live. A friend told me regardless of what you are, STAY away from South Carolina. Sounds true?

[Paradox]

There's a big hole between California and Washington, most minorities in Oregon are in Potland (stoner's paradise) with 6% each of Asian, Black, and Latino.

Down South sounds nice, depends where you live. A friend told me regardless of what you are, STAY away from South Carolina. Sounds true?
It's true. South Carolina and parts of Florida are some of the worst places to live if you are a minority.

[Hiroshi2]

There's a big hole between California and Washington, most minorities in Oregon are in Potland (stoner's paradise) with 6% each of Asian, Black, and Latino.

Down South sounds nice, depends where you live. A friend told me regardless of what you are, STAY away from South Carolina. Sounds true?





Before my little incident last week, some of my most racist experiences occured in South Carolina, so I would tend to agree with you that it's among the worst of the southern states in terms of racism. But I suppose that kind of thing could happen anywhere.

[Essence]

The midwest is not that bad. I've been in madison wisconsin all my life. I've gone to visit the twins cities a couple times and to chicago quite often. The weather is pretty cold but what can I say, I dont like the hot weather all the time. The town is pretty 'white' but they are very open minded people. There's quite a bit of asians here but many are hmong. From my experience many of the hmong stick to their own ethnicity so as far as asian friends, I have only a few.:) The other hapas around here mainly associate with their caucasian friends. Anyway I would like to visit california sometimes....who knows I might even go there for school in a couple years.

[nola]

(Ignorant) white people call it the People's Republic of Madison.

[ahsingjai]

I couldn't imagine life without the bay area. Oh sweet bay, I love you.

[stunninglyAsian]

The last couple of roommates I've had have been Asian people from the midwest. The level of even their ignorance about Asian people is enough to make me never want to go back.

C'mon now, that's a bit harsh don't you think?
If you lived in the middle of nowhere, you'd be pretty ignorant too about that kind of stuff.


I've lived in the south before and I couldn't stand it at all. Being only one of maybe 4 asian kids in an entire school isn't a great thing. I believe it made me a lot more introverted and resulted in me delving into "nerd" hobbies which further isolated me as a kid :).
Yup that's true, I know where you're coming from. And especially in the midwest where everybody looks, thinks, and acts the same and pushes everybody to conform, it is a big disadvantage to be different.


I think the midwest or south just plain sucks if you're asian. There's no two ways about it. Maybe there are a few communities who are very accepting but by and large they are social/cultural black holes.

It sucks because there is no decent food and dating is harder for Asians. Not impossible, but harder. And since there aren't any of us around, people are more brazen about being racist. I guarantee you nobody would dare burn a cross in LA or NYC in front of somebody's home. Here, it happens. The worst thing is the hypocrisy of everybody here. You have people saying that there are too many foreigners, Hiroshima burned a lot of stinky Japs, black people are lazy, etc. But when their town is on the news for burning a cross on a black family's lawn and it hits the news, it's a whole different story. People go on the camera and say how friendly the town is and they can't imagine why anybody would do that and how they simply are not racist.