AAA Guide
Asian American Culture: Perspectives, Experiences, and Prospects
Unless one experiences Asian culture first hand it is hard to understand the perspectives, experiences, and prospects that are truly out there. Following this article there will be a couple of interesting links to articles written recently that will afford more of a look as to how Asian culture is being viewed and even portrayed in recent media. Long has Chinatown been our only perspective on the Asian American culture, but some are on their way to changing the very fold we seem to place Asian Americans in. Chinatown in California and New York are just a few of the Asian culture populations to study. There is much more than just Chinatown.

In Chinatown we have seen the poorest of the Asian culture, but that is not all. Chinatown is more than just immigrants without papers or immigrants who wish to keep a part of their Asian culture in America. It is a community of individuals who can feel like a large family.

They have a support network. Chinatown seems to be the place that should be envied by many because of the family oriented life that goes on there, but that is just one perspective. Experience does show that while there is support there are also other issues at hand that need to be resolved. Part of those issues is a lack of funds or prospects for some families. It is a mix of what America is truly about. You have those struggling to get out of Chinatown to find a better life. Then you have those that have power in the community that don't want to leave. There are also some that wish for revitalization of Chinatown. It is not just one thing or the other; it is a whole community.

There are other communities that are separate from Chinatown. These are families that have moved to mostly mixed communities or more white communities than Chinatown. In this you will see a different Asian culture perspective. Many of these families are living rather well with a higher education, the American Dream home, and jobs that support them fully and completely. The entire Asian culture in America is not poor or repressed. There are certainly communities that struggle and there is no question of that, but many have already been able to get their education and hold top level jobs in pharmaceuticals, health care, IT, research and development and other areas that pay very well. Asian culture is a mix of perspectives and experiences. There is no doubt of that.

The prospects for the Asian culture are growing. There are more universities accepting students of Asian culture. There are more jobs being offered as a result as well. The prospects are in politics and television, and film is also growing. The opportunities are not as limited as they were in the 1950's up until ten years ago. More and more is being done to make sure those with the money and power are helping to empower the next generation.

More Info -

http://www.asian-nation.org/second-generation.shtml
http://www.asian-nation.org/portrayal.shtml