WEBVTT - BONUS Clip: Assimilating To Western Culture?

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, y'all, Hey, let's red table that bam. We had

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<v Speaker 1>so much to talk about with Alison Dr Jenny that

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<v Speaker 1>we couldn't fit it into one episode. Listening to a

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<v Speaker 1>little more of our conversation right now, Dr Jenny. A

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<v Speaker 1>large part of the Asian American experience centers around the

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<v Speaker 1>immigrant experience. So how can Asian Americans balance the perceived

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<v Speaker 1>need to assimilate while also preserving their heritage. I really

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<v Speaker 1>am interested in knowing this, and I want us to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that we talk about the word immigrant in

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<v Speaker 1>this process and how people perceive the word immigrant and

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<v Speaker 1>what that means. Yeah. So when we think about immigrant though,

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<v Speaker 1>when in the context of how all of that matters, right,

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<v Speaker 1>Because there are Asian Americans here who are now in

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<v Speaker 1>their fifth, sixth, seventh generation of being here, and then

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<v Speaker 1>there are immigrants who are just coming here as international

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<v Speaker 1>students moving here last year. So that experience is very

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<v Speaker 1>wide and unique, and so we can't necessarily say these

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<v Speaker 1>individuals have similar shared experiences in terms of migration and

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<v Speaker 1>that story. However, there are some kind of through lines

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<v Speaker 1>that I think do transcend space and time. One of

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<v Speaker 1>those is there is migration in the story of your

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<v Speaker 1>family right to be an immigrant. There was a migration,

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<v Speaker 1>be it yesterday or decades and hundreds of years ago, right,

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<v Speaker 1>So that migration is part of your story, whether or

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<v Speaker 1>not you know of it or not. Sometimes some of

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<v Speaker 1>that oral history and that knowledge is lost. It is

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<v Speaker 1>and I think being an immigrant also means that you

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<v Speaker 1>are subjected to the narratives that the society you've moved

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<v Speaker 1>to places on you. So that includes racism, that includes

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<v Speaker 1>different ways of viewing you in terms of if you

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<v Speaker 1>have an accent when you speak English, right, that is

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<v Speaker 1>part of all of the ways in which you are

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<v Speaker 1>being kind of assessed, you know, by society at large.

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<v Speaker 1>So that creates bias, that creates stigma inherently. And so

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<v Speaker 1>even if you are a sixth generation as your American,

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<v Speaker 1>people are going to view you and think of you

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<v Speaker 1>a certain way. And then if you came recently and

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<v Speaker 1>you open your mouth and you speak English, they're going

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<v Speaker 1>to view you in a certain way. And so what

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<v Speaker 1>happens is that we start getting put in these boxes.

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<v Speaker 1>You're this kind of immigrant, your this generation, you have

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<v Speaker 1>this type of assimilation and not this and so we

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<v Speaker 1>start to get put into these caricatures. Yet again, And

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<v Speaker 1>so I think there's something really important to kind of

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<v Speaker 1>nam is that the idea of assimilation was a coping strategy.

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<v Speaker 1>Say that again, so right, assimilation was coping because many

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<v Speaker 1>Asian parents and parents from all different countries around the world,

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<v Speaker 1>they sometimes did not teach their children their native languages

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<v Speaker 1>for fear that they could not speak English fluently without

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<v Speaker 1>an accent. So think about what that parent had to

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<v Speaker 1>deny of their identity to not teach their native tongue

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<v Speaker 1>because they wanted to protect their child. That is assimilation

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<v Speaker 1>because of fear. Because if we don't what options do

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<v Speaker 1>we have available to us? Will we be safe? Will

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<v Speaker 1>we find the stability that we're looking for in coming here?

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<v Speaker 1>So I think that over these last I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>over my lifetime, and I'm almost forty, So in the

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<v Speaker 1>last forty years, I've seen the idea of identity shift

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<v Speaker 1>and change. And now people are saying no, no, no, no, no,

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<v Speaker 1>I want all of it. I want my Asian nous,

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<v Speaker 1>I want my American nous, I want all parts of

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<v Speaker 1>the story. Whereas when I was growing up, my story

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<v Speaker 1>was fragmented. I had my Asian friends, and then I

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<v Speaker 1>had my non Asian friends, and I had my Asian

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<v Speaker 1>circles and non Asian spaces, and that was kept distinct.

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<v Speaker 1>And now people are saying, I'm bringing my lunch and

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<v Speaker 1>I don't care if you have issue with it, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to wear my traditional attire because this makes

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<v Speaker 1>me feel good. And I think people are now reclaiming

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<v Speaker 1>those parts of themselves. And so instead of assimilation, which

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<v Speaker 1>is denying ourselves and taking on what the dominant society

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<v Speaker 1>is nick, we're moving towards acculturation, which is I think

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<v Speaker 1>much more of a multifaceted let me take from all

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<v Speaker 1>parts of that experience, which is what America initially thought

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<v Speaker 1>it was going to be this phenomenal melting pot, right

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<v Speaker 1>because they definitely use that word in the fourth grade.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm just seeing it. I mean, oh, are you

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<v Speaker 1>saying I feel like I'm seeing it now? Like she said,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I'm almost I'm actually forty. But I'm happy

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<v Speaker 1>to know that you're saying it. Do you feel like

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<v Speaker 1>you're seeing Tracy? Well, I see the intention. I love

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Jenny. I mean, she just gave us so much wisdom,

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<v Speaker 1>and honestly, I just should have taken more notes. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know what you know what, No, Cara, you don't

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<v Speaker 1>need to take notes. You can just read. Listen to

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<v Speaker 1>this bonus clip. You are right, I mean, you are

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<v Speaker 1>so right. You can listen to the full episode recapping

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<v Speaker 1>Constance Woo's episode of Red Table Talk right now the

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<v Speaker 1>next episode of Let's Red Table that comes out Monday.

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<v Speaker 1>A big thank you to our executive producers Jada Pinkett Smith,

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<v Speaker 1>Ellen Racketson and Falon Jethrow. And thank you to our

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<v Speaker 1>producer Kyla Knau and our associate producer Yolanda Chow. And finally,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you to our sound engineer, Stephanie Aguilar