Peer Web quest

I decided to complete Mike Hong's web quest.



Although many people tend to focus on racism toward blacks and homosexuals, racism within the Asian culture is still very much present. Most people in the U.S. focus on the racial discrimination against African Americans and neglect to realize the discrimination against the other races, especially Asian Americans. The prejudice against Asian Americans prevents them from getting a good job, embracing their unique culture, and overall living a fulfilled and happy life. The fact that many Americans fail to recognize the racism toward the Asian American people, doesn’t allow for any progress to occur or discrimination to end.

After reading through and receiving a more thorough education on the racism against Asian Americans I now realize there is much more discrimination than I originally thought. Like I stated in my above paragraph, I was aware that there was discrimination toward Asian Americans but I feel as if bigotry toward other races (such as African Americans) is much more talked about. America needs to realize there is prejudice against other races too, especially Asian Americans. Reading about the current status quo of racism against Asian Americans doesn’t change my original answer by much, it simply makes me more aware. Asian Americans are discriminated against in the work place, when applying to colleges, and in sports. Because basketball is seen as an African American and white sport primarily, Asian Americans receive terrible treatment, less playing time, and loss of promotion opportunity. In an article titled “Asian-American Basketball Players struggle with Discrimination” Jeremy Lin describes prejudice displayed against him daily, “I hear everything: ‘Go back to China. Orchestra is on the other side of campus. Open up your eyes,’ ” Lin said. “They’re yelling at me before, during and after. I’m an easy target because I’m Asian” (par. 6). Jeremy Lin is a skilled, talented basketball player and the fact that he is an Asian American should not affect the way he plays or his future.

Not only are individual people discriminating against Asian Americans, but large institutions and educated, intelligent people are doing the same. There was recently an investigation at Princeton University to see if they are discriminating against Asian Americans, by capping off the number of students they admit. Jian Li filed a lawsuit in 2006 when he was rejected from Princeton after having perfect SAT scores, first in his class, and participating in numerous extra curricular activities (Siegler). This article too has opened my eyes to the truth about quotas. How could a student with the perfect application still be rejected? Asian Americans are now racing prejudice against the universities that they wanted to be admitted to, and it is a shame.

I think it is very tragic that there has been more discrimination toward Asian Americans after the Virginia Tech shootings occurred. Just because one mentally disturbed male who happened to be Asian committed such a horrific crime, does not mean the race as a whole should accept responsibility for his actions. People’s views on Asian Americans are now skewed, thinking that anyone in that race could be the next mass murderer at a high school and college, and that is so very far from the truth. It is a shame that people associate crime with the race of the person that committed it; every other person that is a part of that race is innocent and should not be penalized for another’s actions.

The American Dream

The myth of the American Dream is a theme explored throughout T.C. Boyle’s novel, “The Tortilla Curtain” when two of his main characters cross the border into Southern California. The illegal immigrants, Candido and America, travel to the United States in hopes of finding a better life, also known as the American Dream. America mentions several times in the book what her personal definition of the term means: buying an apartment. To America, living in their own apartment with running water and a refrigerator means that the couple has finally reached the better life they dreamed of. Using the links and sources I have provided for you below you will gain an understanding of what the American Dream was, what it is now, and how it varies from person to person. After using the research to develop your own opinion on the matter, you will use the questions below to guide you and then create an original blog post. Although you must read the information I provide, you are not required to have research in your blog post; the blog post is purely your opinion.



Questions to focus on for your blog post:

How has the concept of the “American Dream” changed? Do you think there is a general understanding of the “American Dream” now, or has it become a personalized goal? Considering the downward spiral of America’s current economy, do you think it will continue to be a place to come for financial security and employment opportunity?



Sources:

Delicious: http://delicious.com/giordaki
(make sure you listen the song on the youtube link AND read the lyrics)

Itunes: Go into itunes and type into the search engine “illegal immigration” then click podcasts, then from podcasts go to the second row, the last one on the right and suscribe to the podcast, “I’m the Divider”. You must listen to these episodes of the podcast.

Peer Blog: http://www.csquaredc.blogspot.com/ Corey Cantor's Blog

Blog from outside of class: http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/002173.html

School database: http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&docId=5025008152



Quotes to think about:
"His dreams were real. He wasn't flying through the air or talking with the ghost of his mother or vanquishing his enemies-he was stalled i the garbage dump in Tijuana, stalled at the wire, and America was sick with the gastro and he didn't have a cent in the world after the cholos and the coyotes had got done with him" (Boyle 18).

"He was dreaming still, dreaming with his eyes open, images shuffled like cards in a deck till he didn't know what was real and what wasn't" (Boyle 20).

" I want one of those houses. A clean white one made out of lumber that smells like the mountains, with a gas range and a refrigerator, and maybe a little yard so you can plant a garden and make a place for the chickens. Thats what you promised me, didn't you?" (Boyle 29).

"He was saved. He was alive. There was no sky, there was no earth and the wind drove at them with pellets of rain and the water crashed at his feet, but he was alive and breathing and huddled in the arms of his wife, his thin beautiful shivering girl of a wife" (Boyle 354).