Cultural Similarities - Research Paper Example

? Cultural Similarities Cultural similarities With a lot of literature being compiled on the racial attitudes between various races in the world, it is of immense importance to understand the varying stereotypes that exist regarding each racial group. Additionally, it is imperative to understand the changes that have taken place regarding the stereotypes and the noticeable changes that can be identified in the population at large. In the work of Henry & Sears (2002), it is evident that racism exists in various groups and perceptions among these people changes as they coexist and as they age. This paper shall assess the similarities between the African Americans and the Asians, what makes me feel at ease whilst interviewing a person of Asian origin, an assessment of the positive traits and attributes that person displays and finally discuss the changes I would have instilled in the Asian if given a chance to be friends. Being an African American, I selected Asians, for the reason that, we have both undergone discrimination from persons of the European culture since time immemorial. As evident in the work of O'Neil (2006), Asians and Europeans have been through racial tensions; thus, the theme has been of interest to both sociologists and psychologists. Of essence, the individual in question struck my attention, as he was concerned with the kind of treatment they received during their stay in the country. I developed a form of attachment to him, as I in numerous instances, identified myself with the kind of treatment and racial discrimination that he was experiencing. According to O'Neil (2006), African Americans and Asians share similarities in terms of assimilation and acceptance in the society. This explains why a majority of them do not intermarry especially with the Americans. With constant rejection by the society, O'Neil (2006) explains the reasons behind constant tension between the two races and the Americans. In this case, the ethnic symbols clearly explain the distinctness between Asians, Americans and African Americans. It is these ethnic symbols that create a form of ethnic unity by the other ethnic groups, as they share the same pleas as ‘outsiders’ (O'Neil, 2006). This grouping creates a form of boundary maintenance between the ethnic groups (O'Neil, 2006). The same applies for Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and European Americans. I was at first not at ease in the course of my meeting with my interviewee, since he looked held back and I could barely make out the reason behind it. Later on, I realized that my interviewee shares the same outlooks as I do. My interviewee was open, and happened to be very saddened with the racism in the country. In fact, what made me more at ease with him is that he was happy to share his sentiments with me, and was more of the main speaker in the conversation. With this frankness, I realize that the Asians are also affected by the discrimination in the society. As the discussion ensued with my interviewee, I realized that he strongly upholds the virtue of close and strong family ties. As Fong (2002) also emphasizes, family ties differ between the Asians and Americans. My client evidently explains to me how wrong it is for him to leave his family and become independent as they believe in close family ties. In relation to my client, this allows the younger generation to learn from their seniors while in the same family unit. Extended families are very vital for the Asians. I admire and support the fact that Asians are social beings as opposed to the Americans who live as individuals. My client was keen to mention how they pay attention to other persons and I realized that Americans are too individualistic. Despite the fact that Asians have been treated with a lot of discrimination, it is evident that my client is comfortable with his personality and compares himself with the whites as an equal. It is his high self esteem that motivated me, as prior to our meeting I always held the perception that the Whites were superior to Asians. Though the work of Fong (2002) clearly explains that the behaviors of an individual are solely dependent on the racial stereotypes, my client proves that notion wrong by associating these stereotypes to the minds of a few. This is to mean that he is confident of his survival and success in a racially mixed country despite the forms of discriminations in the U.S.A. If I had the chance to be friends with my interviewee of Asian origin, we would have a lot to change in our lives. Being of races that experience discrimination, we need to be the agents of change in the society. This would probably begin with replacing the seeds of racism with morality, respect and love of the other person. As evident in the work of Myers (2005), mutual respect and love should be the tradition of our society so that children can blossom having the opinion that all persons are born equal and that they have their right to live and enjoy their rights equally. Myers (2005) also argues that it is of essence to pursue opportunities that value diversity. In this case, I would encourage my friend to attempt enrolling in schools and look for jobs in institutions that value diversity. This would allow us enjoy the benefits of interacting with other persons who would be of help to our lives. I would like if we smiled at racist jokes or even apply the assumption way of dealing with our race. This would allow us live peacefully with our neighbors, school mates, and friends. Retiring the vocabularies used to make jokes on our origin, would automatically create the opinion that we are not affected by the opinions of others. In the long run, the other races would accommodate us and find the best of the time we share with them. Conclusively, it is justified to argue that racism is purely in the mind, and that with all races willing to accept the other races; racial stereotypes would be a complete past. References Fong, F. (2002). The Contemporary Asian American Experience: Beyond the Model Minority, 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Henry, J. & Sears, D. (2002). The symbolic racism 2000 scale. Political Psychology. 23: 253-283. Myers, K. (2005). Racetalk: Racism Hiding In Plain Sight. NY: Rowman & Littlefield. O'Neil, D. (2006). Nature of Ethnicity. NY: Palomar College Behavioral Sciences Department. Read More