Wu S View On Diversity Essay, Research Paper
Wu s View on Diversity
Frank Wu is an Asian-American student attending graduate school at the university of Michigan. This country is still weary of people who look or talk in a different way than the norm. Although Wu has lived his whole life in the U.S.A many people cannot believe that he is truly American, they feel that he must simply be a foreigner seeking a better education in the U.S. The United States is often referred to as the great melting pot. This particular expression refers to the many different cultures that merge together to form America. Wu does not feel that this is an accurate depiction of life in the U.S.
Frank Wu feels that Americans can be very unaccepting of people in their country whether they mean to be disrespectful or not. Wu demonstrates that people sometimes have the best of intentions, but they are thinking with a narrow mind, Sometimes strangers compliment me on my English (Wu 81). This illustrates how people can mean well and yet be offensive, Wu receives these compliments despite being born and raised as an American.
Frank Wu also addresses the many stereotypes that Americans feel about certain ethnic groups. For example many Americans are under the impression that all oriental people are geniuses when it comes to math.Wu states that these stereotypes hurt both the people who believe them and the people whom they are about. Wu says that the white kids become resentful against these whiz kids and that the average oriental student can never live up to the high standards created by these false stereotypes(Wu81).
There are other issues besides simple name calling and childish games. It seems that oriental Americans are in a no win situation. If these people try to merge with the other American people then they lose some of their heritage. Wu states that some Orientals are the targets of resentment from other orientals that accuse them of selling themselves out and being Americanized. Asian American students use the terms banana and Twinkie to refer to students who are yellow on the outside, white on the inside (Wu82). On the other hand if Asians attempt to live in accordance to their own cultures then they re scrutinized by white students.
These are very difficult circumstances for people to live under. They must find a good mix between being American and keeping their ethnic background as a part of their life. The United States can be referred to as the salad bowl. We are all part of this huge mix of people and we are all Americans, but, unlike the melting pot analogy we do not have to lose our individual identities. We can all be American and at the same time we can all be different.
One solution that Wu believes will remedy the problem of racism is to make it mandatory to take a class in college that deals with ethnic diversity. Wu feels that this will show the students that they are not as different as they make think at first. If students learn about where other people come from and what there lifestyles are all about ,then, Wu feels that they will have a deeper respect for other people s cultures.
This solution is not perfect though. The only problem is making it mandatory for all students might create a sense of hostility from those students who do not want to learn about others ethnicity. People, on the whole, do not appreciate when things are forced upon them. This will create even more hostility against these different cultures.
The only true remedy for this problem of ethnic diversity is anti-racism. People must learn to view other people as fellow human beings. The day when people begin to realize that it does not matter what color a person s skin is, is the day when these ethnic problems will cease to be a factor in today s society. This may seem like an unrealistic goal to many people, but, it is possible.