How Does Western Culture Cause Conflicts between First and Second Generation of Asian Immigrants - Assignment Example

How does Western Culture cause conflicts between first and second generation of Asian immigrants? Introduction As a result of the 1965 Emigration Act, which put an end to national origin quotas, large numbers of immigrants from Asia entered America. It was then that Asian Indians became a rapidly expanding ethnic group in the US. These new populations of immigrants had high levels of education, were fluent in English, and were educated in European educational systems. The ethnic group of Asian Indians entered the middle or upper-middle level of the professional structure; they became absorbed while maintaining a great deal of cultural distinctiveness (Gordon, 75; Saran, 1980). Strong educational qualifications and occupational skills aid their economic adaptation. Therefore, they rapidly entered into the economic mainstream of American life. A rapidly growing Indian community supported the continuation of their ethnic identification. Characteristics of the Asian Indian immigrants include: development of a network of community ties focused around religion and voluntary associations; participation in a complex social life founded on home, work, and community ties; and strong identification with religion and observance of rituals. Children of immigrants mature and carve their own personal, professional, and political spaces; their ethnic identity growth is essential to political action in American communities. Yet second-generation identity is a topic often too simplistically theoretical. Ethnic identity has many issues of cultural legitimacy that has a traditional edge sharpened by immigrant nostalgia and, as I will discuss later, continue to have a tangible impact on the second generation. Second Generation’s Adaptation to the Western Culture Easier than the First Generation The first generation Asian immigrated to the United States by choice. It is important to keep in mind that they left voluntarily for better economic opportunities and not out of cultural frustration. They brought with them an eagerness to adapt into the professional world and also a great sense of cultural preservation. A support structure developed around the Asian group in form of food stores, clothes stores, restaurants and institutions for religious practices that contribute to the diversity of some the states in US. Driven by the need for security, the first generation mainly focused on finding and creating a place for themselves within the boundaries of this culture. The look of identity of the first generation ranged from work identity, private identity, and economic status, to just being a human being going through life. Although most people did not use ethnic terms to describe their identity, the history of the last 30 years speaks for itself, every family socializes not only with their own ethnic but within their own religious group. Immigrants have to develop stable intended relations with their own religious group to build the social structure of an ethnic community. They did this "to preserve a sense of cultural identity and to facilitate the transmission of religious tradition to the next generation" (Fenton, 1988: 102). Aside from the work environment the first generation focused mainly on the preservation of their culture and religious traditions. Although they have lived more than twenty years in the US, many Asian of the first generation still dream of returning to their country for their retirement. This was the cultural setting in which the second generation was raised. The first generation is more 'cultured' simply because they have been more exposed to the culture and language and consider 'home' somewhere outside the US. The environment in the US is much more open to different ideas culture and beliefs. There is much ignorance about certain lifestyles that are not as common in the United States.  However there is more opportunity here, not everyone is given equal opportunity. Yet if one strives in the system here, one can dream and reach attainable goals. For example in Pakistan or India people are afraid of change, which is probably because they are not exposed to other perceptions and ideas. Second generation Asians assimilate more into the culture because it is what they have been exposed to most of their life. People with assimilated cultures have more of an advantage because they can take the best ideals and understand and incorporate it into their belief system.  Asians are very judgmental and believe their way is the best because it is preserving the culture. Americans are more open to other people and ideas because colleges in America expose individuals to diversity. America is a very metamorphic country with people of all beliefs and colors undergoing constant change. They do not understand people who have lives where they are content without change.  Second Generation More Educated Than the First Most other people who leave eastern countries go to Western countries in search for higher education; as a result the value education and knowledge a lot more because there is more opportunity to explore different fields.  For example many Americans go into anthropology which is a study of cultures, but even in America it is hard to find a job with such a degree; however it is more opportunistic than if an individual were in an eastern country.  The second generation was born into this country; they did not choose it. As they grew up they daily had to cope with different cultures, which confronted them often with opposing messages. They often relate better to their Asian peers because of the shared situations in which they grew up. Many classify their closest friends as Asians because of a better and deeper level of communication. Comments such as: "he is going through the same struggle I do" are not uncommon. Cultural conflict occurred when they entered the public school-system. Especially during their teenage years they often wanted to free themselves from the strictness of their parents’ control and assimilate more with their peers at school. They wanted to be accepted by their peers as one of them, but the authority of the parents still remained conserved. The Asian Indian youths have a very respectful relationship to their parents, and recognize their life experiences and more mature levels of judgment. “The high level of education of parents and ethnic bonds, which create incentives for youths to comply with community norms, preserve the authority of the parents and create sufficient resources to guide the second generations’ acculturation” (Portes, 1996: 241). Teaching values is very important for Asian parents. Portes states, “Mutual respect, especially respect for parents and elders, maintaining close family ties, being a hard worker, and having a high motivation for academic achievements were mentioned as some of the core values lived for and transmitted to the second generation. High divorce rate, high crime rate, teenage pregnancies, and drug use even among school children have resulted in a rather negative picture of a cultural stereotype of the mainstream culture.” Asian values are constantly compared with stereotypical images of the typical culture, portraying them as something in which they do not want to participate. Therefore it was not surprising when an Asian girl in tight jeans and a clingy sweater would look rather silly because she comes from a modest and culturally rich upbringing; one which gives her high standards and a sense of morality – something which is not evident in American culture. Asian youths see different reasons as the root of the society’s problems: the rejection of the family unit in America, the lack of responsibility by teenagers, the violence shown on TV and movies, and the lack of guidance from parents. Personally I think it is a lack of guidance and that comes back to the origin of the family unit. Parents are not home. Fathers run away, mothers run away so they are left without anyone to guide them so they fall into the trap of drug and alcohol abuse. Asian parents are protective and very strict with their children during their adolescent years. They watch closely with whom the children socialize, and they do not allow them to date before the age of eighteen, therefore, it is difficult for the youth to admit actions that would find disapproval from their parents. A twenty-one year old female college student said: “If they were Asians the first thing that clicked in my mom’s head was oh, academically strong, good morals, it was a total bias in her eyes. So of course as a child you are going to try to find friends that your parents approve of so that you can have a little bit more freedom.” Furthermore, she explained that in college she does not tell her parents anything of which they would not approve. She trusts her own judgment and wants to spare her parents unnecessary worries. If the educational level of immigrants is college degree, the Asian nationally take first place (Portes, 1996:62). Since high level of education is the ticket to economic stability for the first generation, they place high value on educational success and encourage their children to maintain high academic performance. Although all of the interviewees of the first generation stated that they left the choice of career completely to their children, the majority of the second generation explained that their parent strongly encouraged them to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or to go into the family business. Whereas different choices often are not tolerated, in some cases, students have to get a business degree first to then pursue what they really wanted to do. Parents expect their children to do well. All parents I interviewed saw their children ten years from now with very good education and in careers that granted them a comfortable lifestyle with no financial worries. They wanted their children to choose what they liked as long as the choice would guarantee enough income for comfortable living conditions and happiness through their achievements. Dropping out of education, having no goals in life, or coming into bad company such as the drug scene was perceived as the worst scenario. These values were widely internalized by the second generation. High achievements academically, goal orientation, but also, for some, a clear sense of contribution to the mainstream culture were among the goals of the second generation. Social Network of Second Generation Immigrants. Naturally, not everyone sees social obligations in their future; but the first generation was concerned with securing their living conditions and establishing a social network through which they were granted some degree of safety. By staying in their own ethnic group they felt that they had a more powerful weight in this society. The second generation, least bothered about this, is now operating from this secure basis and relying on their parents’ support. Although still insecure and burdened with conflicts, the second generation is trying to feel their way into the main culture by looking for ways in which they can contribute and shape mainstream America. Most of the first generation avoided the use of cultural language in their expressions of identity, but for the second generation life in two cultures was the biggest issue of their awareness of identity. Some of the responses were: ‘being confused, viewing identity as situational, being more American, being more Asian, being concerned about the loss of their culture for future generations, having an outside and inside identity, or seeing the great opportunity to express one’s individuality in the freedom of a multiethnic society.’ Some second generation kids state that they will not lose their identity: “Part of being well adjusted in America as Indo-American youth is finding the perfect blend between East and West. Why can’t we go hundred percent West? Because no matter what we wear or how we talk, we will always be Oriental from the inside” (a 22 year old Korean girl) Others are not so sure: “I have realized that I am not Pakistani.  I am a Muslim before anything else and that different cultures and values do not really matter to me because I am Muslim and I can see that even Pakistani culture does not follow the ideals of Islam. and I am Muslim before I am anything else.  After that I am American, and I am not ashamed to be American, and as most Pakistanis think, being American means being vulgar and out of control.  But I am in control of my emotions, my ideals and I like to pray 5 times a day. I like to read the Qur'an.  I have a massive social life. I love science. I love genetics and genes; I have two jobs because I don’t like asking my parents for money.  I have lots of friends from the opposite sex and I know that’s a taboo in Pakistan. It doesn’t bother me because I know I haven’t done any thing wrong and i'm not ashamed of it at all.  I love Islam, I love dancing, I love Pakistani music, I love shalwar kameez, I love desi food and weddings, and I love the company of people who aren’t Pakistani. But I am American.  And a third kind, can adjust to either culture: “I still don’t even know where I belong. I just kind of go and try to fit it wherever I feel most comfortable. I don’t think there is a definite [position]. I don’t think I am totally into the Indian culture; I’m totally not into it. I am directly between like right on the border. I can go either way. I can associate with the typical American lifestyle and I can associate with people who would be considered typically Indian.” (15 year Indian girl) Many Asian parents don’t even want their children to grow up American. They fear they will leave the traditional customs and beliefs for a "Western" way of life. So they encourage in their children in certain narrow-mindedness against the people and practices in American society. These children are forced to turn a blind eye to the exciting diversity of American culture and do not become a part of it. Parents’ energy should be spent more in teaching strong morals and values that are solid to even the greatest "corrupting" forces of modern society. As Americans, we have the freedom to express our individuality. Instead of being non-participating residents of this nation, we should cherish this liberty, and instead of criticizing society, we should become productive, socially conscious members of it. Conclusion Through their assistance as engineers and entrepreneurs, the first generation shaped their ‘mini-Asian’ world. In the private sector, they created a social network—by building a cultural support system through Asian newspapers, magazines, stores, restaurants, and religious centers. They established themselves firmly in America as a strong ethnic community and added significantly to the diversity of America, but they focused most on strengthening the ethnicity of their own culture. Aside from the work environment they interacted with Americans only in a limited way. The second generation was entirely different. Once they entered the school system, they were daily exposed to the larger context of the culture and its diversity. They found friendships among other ethnic groups and had to come to terms with opposing messages. Through their friendships with members of different ethnic groups, they learned that values presented by their parents were not necessarily Asian specific. They also understood that their friends did not necessarily fit the stereotype transmitted by their parents. In their struggle to find their identity, they went through different phases. As school children they often wished to avoid everything Indian to feel accepted by their friends and peers. But as they grew older they came to terms with their own cultural background of which they do not want to free themselves. As highly educated people they see themselves adding their own contributions, not only in the technical field, as their parents did, but also in the larger cultural environment. They willingly enter into inter-cultural conversation bringing to it the richness of their own cultural background. They realize that their identity is not fixed but reevaluated and re-formed with every new challenge.   Works Cited Fenton, John Y. Transplanting Religious Traditions: Asian Indians in America. Praeger, New York, 1988. Gordon, Milton Assimilation in American Life: The Role of Race, Religion, and National Origin. Oxford University Press, New York, 1964. Portes, Alejandro and Ruben G. Rumbaut Immigrant America: A Portrait. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1996. Saran, Paramatma and Edwin Eames ed. The New Ethnics. Praeger, Praeger Special Studies, Praeger Scientific, 1980. Saran, Paramatma The Asian Indian Experience in the United States. Schebkman Publishing Company, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1985. Maira, Sunaina. December 25, 1995. Making Room for a Hybrid Space: Reconsidering Second-Generation Ethnic Identity. Accessed April 24, 2006 http://www.proxsa.org/resources/sanskriti/dec95/sunaina.html Read More