Chinese and Japanese Americans Rusty Ryan Hester Baker College When you ask an America to tell you

the difference between a Chinese American and a Japanese American you would normally get a very stereotypical responds. Normally one that speaks to the looks of both types being very similar physically. I personally believe its because of this trait and train of thought that most Americans do not, and cannot tell the difference between the two. If you ask them how they feel about China as a nation, and Japan as a nation you will normally see two different responds. Many Americans see China as a world power, that oppress its people, hides information by filtering the internet, and a place that is everything America isnt. They like to think that we are the opposite of each other. When you ask about Japan on the other hand you ether get great comments because they seem to idolize western culture, and that makes Americans at ease with them. Or you hear resentment about the acts of Pearl Harbor. Even though most people will feel differently about China and Japan, when it comes to Americans with ancestry from ether nation most Americans will lump them into one minority group. The view of Japanese started off bad during the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. Of course the responds of the US of the attack was carried out swiftly without much forethought. The Truman administration did not exhaust other alternatives to end the war, and considerations other than saving American lives placed an important part in Trumans decision to use the atomic bombs ( Hasegawa, 2011). In the aftermath the Japanese occupation had been carefully planned and implemented by relaying on the indigenous institutions and personnel (Hasegawa, 2011). And because of this a relationship between the United States and Japan started. The interesting thing is, even though Americans see them as the same, China and Japan are always at war with each other. During negotiations, China will constantly play war guilt card for maximum Effectiveness, placing Japan on the defensive and often extracting concessions. (Bedeski, 2003) America as a nation seems to always side with Japan in most matters, which Japan needs with China and North Korea always keeping an eye on them. North Korea has replaced the Soviet Union as the chief threat to Japanese security, and the American program of ballistic missile defense promise to provide needed security for the Japanese. (Bedeski, 2003). Its because of these threats that Japan and America are so close, which in turns assimilates their culture and allows for Americans to favor them over the Chinese. Here in America, like I stated above, Chinese and Japanese Americans are considered the same Group. Very rarely are they called Chinese Americans or Japanese Americans, but both are considered Asian Americans. It isnt just the Chinese or Japanese in this group, but Koreans are also seen as the same. The Japanese American community struggles to maintain its cultural identity while also paying homage to those who were interned during World War II (Schaefer, 2012). Today, young Japanese Americans and Chinese Americans are very ambivalent about their cultural heritage. The pull to be American is intense, but so are the reminders that in the eyes of many others, Asian Americans are

they not we (Schaefer, 2012). Many of the Chinese American youth is not part of the Model Minority, which to put it bluntly it would be easier to understand as A Good Little Soldier. Someone that conforms to what Americans expect of them, rather than strive to live outside the culture norms. This of course is considered a double edge sword. Some will see it as a way to move forward with their way of life. Go to schools, get an education, get a job, pay your bills, have a family, and live a normal life. When they dont try to be a part of this model they can then get sucked into the underground of this world. If they are born into the lower class, upward mobility is not in their future. Alienated, angry and with prospects of low-wage work in restaurants and laundries, they turn to gangs such as the Ghost Shadows and Flying Dragons and force Chinese American shopkeepers to give them extortion money. When asked why he became involved in crime, one gang member replied, To keep from being a waiter all my life. (Schaefer, 2012). This is part of many mandatories born into the lower class, and like African Americans it will depend on the person to choose the life they feel will benefits themselves.

Schaefer, R. T. (2012). Racial and ethnic groups. (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Bedeski, Robert E. "Chinese-Japanese Relations in the Twenty-First Century: Complementarity and Conflict." Pacific Affairs 76.2 (2003): 299+. Diversity Studies Collection. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. "Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, 9/11, Iraq." The Historian 73.3 (2011): 556+. Diversity Studies Collection. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.