Are Asians and Hispanics American?

[DerDrache]

A while ago, when that movie I Am Legend was coming out, I remember reading some of the complaints about the casting of Will Smith. Some just didn't like him as an actor, but others didn't think he would fit because he was black.

I honestly felt that he would be 100% equivalent to any white American casted in the role, and I had no problem with it.

That got me thinking though. If they had casted an American of hispanic or asian origin, it would have seemed absolutely ridiculous to me. With this election....Obama seems like such a natural American candidate. Again, I imagined if he were asian or hispanic, and it just didn't seem "right" to me.

Now, I gave this some thought, and I think there are either two explanations for why I don't see Asians and Hispanics as being as "American" as a black or white person.

1) I'm black, and as a black American, my experience and upbringing has given me something of a "black and white" outlook.

or

2) In my experience, most hispanics identify with their country of origin (usually Mexico) much more than America. The language barrier and lack of prominent hispanic faces is probably another big factor. With Asians it is often the same case. There are many that have become very well-assimilated, but it seems they have almost no representation in media and politics. We know some Asians in our school or work places, and that's it. Collectively, they're very shy. That's in contrast to Hispanics, who are "loud", yet in such a way that emphasizes their foreign origins.

I'm leaning more toward option 2. Even if I do sort of see America as being "black and white", I think there is an objective difference between how integrated and represented black Americans are, compared to Asian and Hispanic Americans. There's also the fact that black Americans were in America for as long as whites, and have absolutely no other home. (The same would technically hold true for Native Americans, though since most of them were wiped out, they never really had a foothold in the culture that dominated this country.)

Also: For those of you who are against Obama on ethnic grounds, is it because of an actual racist complex, or because you don't feel a black person is representative of an "American"?

[Ron Smythberg]

Yeah I think your second point is the case. Hispanics and Asians in general are too attached to their place of origin. Their language, culture, etc. is what is preventing them from assimilating. In the next generation I think you'll be seeing alot more of those types of people in high positions.

O yeah and your thing on Obama. I could see being against him on ethnic grounds, not for the fact I think black people are "inferior" or anything, but that I think the main reason he got so big is the sole fact he is black. Honestly, he hasn't really done much more then represented a perfect image of a charismatic, intelligent black man.

[Splam]

What if a hispanic american has for example descended from LA's original Spanish settlers? He's just as American in that case as blacks.

That with it not being "right", that's your racist instinct kicking in.

Also, most blacks identify with America yes, however most do not identify with America's current political and social systems/status. Therefor, they are not representative of modern America.

[DerDrache]

Originally Posted by Splam

What if a hispanic american has for example descended from LA's original Spanish settlers? He's just as American in that case as blacks.

That with it not being "right", that's your racist instinct kicking in.

The issue is that the majority of the hispanic population still holds strong ties to their non-American origins. There are exceptions of course, but in general, they identify more with Mexico than this country. Furthermore, as I said, they don't have much representation in national politics and entertainment, unless it's specifically directed toward their communities. The lack of assimilation is their biggest problem.

Lastly, my view certainly wouldn't be racist. It's not even prejudiced. If anything you could describe it as nationalist, but...frankly, all such labels are fairly unrelated to this topic, and ultimately a distraction.

Also, most blacks identify with America yes, however most do not identify with America's current political and social systems/status. Therefor, they are not representative of modern America.

We don't "identify with social systems/status"? What the hell does that even mean? Just because a community of people has certain needs and concerns (mainly focused on poverty and education), that doesn't mean they are not representative of the country.

[KING G]

Could you please tell me what you think an "American" is? Do you know how many blacks, mexicans, asians, and whites are assimilated into sub-cultures within America that do not identify with any American so-called values? For example, the gangsta\rap culture?

[DerDrache]

Originally Posted by KING G

Could you please tell me what you think an "American" is? Do you know how many blacks, mexicans, asians, and whites are assimilated into sub-cultures within America that do not identify with any American so-called values? For example, the gangsta\rap culture?

This thread isn't meant to suggest that a Mexican-American or Chinese-American is any less of a citizen than anyone else. If that's what you gathered from my post, I strongly encourage that you re-read it.

This is mainly about people who truly define themselves as American, and who are assimilated well enough that they could be outwardly identified as American.

If you take a look at the mentality of many Mexican-Americans, they tend to view themselves as Mexicans with American citizenship (well, assuming they aren't illegals), as opposed to Americans. Even people that are 2nd or 3rd generation still have that mentality, and that's the distinction I am discussing.

With the Asian community (ie. mainly Koreans and Chinese), I find that they generally are too introverted, and basically just "do their own thing" while keeping quiet. We all see and know many Asians, but I think generally they end up sticking to their own culture far too much. And perhaps due to just how large the cultural and physical differences are, we tend to reject them to some extent as well. I'd be curious to get an opinion from an Asian person.

[ThePrince]

America is a universal people's nation. Race has nothing to do with how American you are. End of story, Nigger.

[DerDrache]

Originally Posted by ThePrince

America is a universal people's nation. Race has nothing to do with how American you are. End of story, Nigger.

You should learn to read, you stupid fuck. Race has nothing to do with this topic.

[Mantikore]

i understand what youre trying to say. i do reckon that a black or white dude would look normal when classifying the average american. i dunno, im australian, so i dont know much about you guys, but pretty much all the films and tv shows depict americans as either black or white, so thats the idea that has been burned into my mind. you dont see many sitcoms/films with hispanics and even fewer asians

so i would say its because of the media

[Splam]

Originally Posted by DerDrache

The issue is that the majority of the hispanic population still holds strong ties to their non-American origins. There are exceptions of course, but in general, they identify more with Mexico than this country. Furthermore, as I said, they don't have much representation in national politics and entertainment, unless it's specifically directed toward their communities. The lack of assimilation is their biggest problem.

There is also a lack of assimilation among negroes. However, the negro sub-culture has yes indeed been developed in America, but it is generally not considered representative of America. Just like Mexican or Chineese culture. And if you disagree, show me statistics showing that more negroes are part of American culture (not sub-culture) then Asians or Hispanics. People generally don't elect people with ties to their own culture or sub-culture. We wouldn't elect an emo. We wouldn't elect a hippy. We wouldn't elect a nigger (nigger being the sub-culture type negro).