My last blog wondered about the impact of anti-immigrant feelings, worsened by economic conditions, on international adoptees and their families. In that blog, I quoted from the book Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture. This blog will be a further review of that book. The first thing I should note is, as I said last time, that the word “Orientals” is deliberately used by the author to demonstrate negative stereotypes of Asians as too irreconcilably different by nature to ever fit into American society. Do not use the word “oriental” when referring to people today. Use Asian-American if you need … Continue reading →

I just wrote a blog about my disbelief at the atrocities experienced by African-American students at Little Rock Central High School. This is so far out of my own experience that I tend to forget it can happen today. In fact, I took my Korean daughter to Little Rock and thought nothing of it, even when I was standing in front of Central High. Actually, we noticed a fair number of Asians in Little Rock. But there are unexpected times when it rears its ugly head. I think it’s happening a bit more often now in conjunction with an anti-immigrant … Continue reading →

I’m an idealist. I go to church and sing of peace and tolerance; I come home and get teary-eyed every Memorial Day and Fourth of July reading about American ideals. How then do I wrap my brain around the fact that there are people in this world who would throw acid in a child’s face because she has the same gorgeous cappuccino-colored skin as my daughter? I’ve been reading Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High, by Melba Patillo Beals, a journalist who was one of the “Little Rock Nine” who were … Continue reading →

In recent blogs I have talked about my reaction when my four-year-old daughter said she didn’t like her skin; she wanted my skin. (She is Korean and has light tan/beige skin, I am Euro-American and very pale with pink undertones.) The first thing that came into my mind was a segment on the Sesame Street video “The Best of Elmo”. (Note: this is different from the “Best of Elmo’s World” videos.) One segment guest-stars Whoopi Goldberg. Elmo tells Whoopi that he likes her skin, and then says he wishes he could trade his red fur for Whoopi’s skin and hair. … Continue reading →

Part One of this blog told of the apologies being offered by some Koreans, Korean-Americans, and adoption agency officials in Korea expressing shame that a Korean-American student could massacre students at Virginia Tech. Many of us wonder why someone would feel the need to apologize for or feel shame because of the behavior of someone they don’t know. I believe there is a cultural difference, at least in degree, between “majority” Euro-American culture and some other cultures. America is a society that really values individualism, individual rights, freedom. Other countries have more of a communal outlook, I think. Of course … Continue reading →