My first year of college was very challenging because I shared a room with several female classmates who were all non-Asians and had grown up in the United States. I was the "newbe," as they called a newcomer to the group, and they had been living together. Upon my arrival, the accommodation staff had emailed them to let them know that I would be joining their group later in the day. When I walked into the room, they noted my Chinese last name and started making fun of me after getting the notice from the housing staff. They were able to write several jokes about me in a group text. They joked about me staying in the room all day, they also joked that I would go for a shower after all the other ladies are through with using the washrooms. Another joke was that I will always be sleeping at exactly 10 pm and I would never socialize with anyone of my age. They made a final joke saying that they should all transfer to another room and leave me behind and all of this was just because of my Chinese last name. Eventually, after introducing each other and understanding one another, we all became close friends. After sometime, they began telling me all the jokes and laughter that they used to make around me and the truth is, I was greatly disappointed with them. As much as I was disappointed, I could not hold it against them but instead I began explaining our culture to them which they loved eventually. I later realized that my identity was revealed through racism by American students on my first day in college.
Concept
Racism
According to Ladson-Billings (1998p.28), racism is to discriminate people based on ethnicity or their race. The ideology behind racist practices incorporates the idea that people can belong to distinctive groups that vary in social behavior and capacities thereby creating a rank of superiority or inferiority (Ladson-Billings 28). The use of an institutionalized racism resulted into the death of millions of humans because of their race and a classic example is the Holocaust. Social science considers race and ethnicity as separate entities but the two terms are equivalent in their application and in the older literature for social science. The use of ethnicity equates to the use of race hence Harris (2001p.18) defines ethnicity as a division in the groups of people based on essential qualities that may create any impact on the group. For example, the group could be sharing an ancestry or a particular behavior (Harris 18).
In general, racism and racial discrimination are frequently used to evaluate discrimination on a cultural or ethnic perspective. The United Nations Convention (UNC) believes that there is no distinction on racial discrimination between ethnicity and racism. According to the UN convention, superiority can be dangerous, unjust and false when it encourages racial discrimination. In both theory and practical, justification for racial differentiation is a mystery. The ideology of racism can manifest into various aspects of social life which include social actions, political systems and practices that supports the definition of dislike in discriminatory activities. Harris (2001p.23) defines racial discrimination as “any distinction, disqualification, constraint or choice based on color, race or a national background whose purpose is to abolish an exercise of human rights in a field related to public life for example, social and political field, economic and cultural field.”
Analysis
Racism against non-Asian students’ particularly Chinese students is increasingly becoming a social issue for many high-ranked education facilities. In the recent years, highly capable Chinese students have been massively coming into America partly because institutions take the advantage of foreign rates to make more money (Ladson-Billings 30). Another reason might be because the U.S would like to attract workers from foreign Asian countries and another reason might be the general academic achievements of the Chinese students. However, tension exist in the cultural difference between local students and Chinese students resulting into the creation of social circles by distant Americans and Chinese students.
Generally, such an issue becomes a two-way street because American students are not ready to embrace Chinese students in their society, Chinese students on the other hand, are maladjusted culturally to fit into American circles. Complaints that arise from many Chinese students coming into America include; these students study for a whole day, these students have rude attitude towards non-Asian students, they love to communicate in their language even in front of American students and finally, they lower the school’s social climate. Such comments are mostly heard from American students who fear because they have a feeling that Chinese students threaten them academically.
At the beginning, my attempts to socialize in college were met with disgusted, contemptful and arrogant attitudes from non-Asian students who were mostly American students which could at times discourage me from any further attempt in socializing. I decided to group with my fellow Chinese mates who were ahead of me in education levels before attempting to socialize again with American students. It is from such a perspective that I came to realize that Americans are truly racist towards Chinese people. In my opinion, it is easy to comment that Confucian behavior is adjustable in a Confucian community, likewise, western behavior is adjustable in a western community.
It is essential to have an understanding about cultural nature of educational surroundings and to be aware of the impacts that race and ethnicity define in sense of learning, of self and sense of education. International adult learners like Chinese students find difficulties when attempting a negotiation in the education environment that has been constructed within the beliefs, values and behaviors of a particular ethnic community (Ladson-Billings 32). It is unfortunate that the racial and ethnic demonstrations in the education process are often applied by learners and peers.
It is therefore not easy to modify, examine and identify the racial demonstrations, therefore, it is necessary for educators to try and make what is invisible to be visible in their areas of learning and in their own capacity as learners. Such an innovative idea creates an opportunity for the development of multicultural practices. In my opinion, racial discrimination can be eradicated especially in learning institutions. Educators can create a favorable learning environment for students from all races by balancing cultural norms. Educators may develop different learning styles like written, relational, and visual style. Discussion activities and collaborative tasks are also essential in discouraging racism.
Works Cited
Harris, Wilmott. Introduction: A Conceptual Overview of Race, Ethnicity and Identity. In H. W. Harris, H. C. Blue, and E.E.H. Griffith (eds.), Racial and Ethnic Identity: Psychological Development and Creative Expression. New York: Routledge, 12-56, 2001. Print
Ladson-Billings, Grodsky. Just what is critical race theory and what is it doing in a nice field like education. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 1998, 11(1), 7-24.
