Asian pride

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Asian pride is a term that encourages celebration of Asian ethnicity and culture, with various interpretations and origins.[1] In international relations, it can involve advancing Pan-Asianism and critiquing the West. In the United States, it has roots in counter culture, rejecting stereotypes and empowering Asian Americans. The term gained modern use through hip hop culture, promoting a positive stance on being Asian American. The phrase "Got Rice?" emerged as a symbol of cultural identity and pride, often tied to Asian Pride. It humorously references rice as a staple food in Asian cultures. The term was adopted in T-shirt campaigns and seen as a way for Asian Americans to define their identity and counter stereotypes.

International usage

Asian pride is a broad term that can cover several topics. Within the international relations context, Asian pride can be seen within Asian politics as advancement of Pan-Asianism through heavy criticism of the West.[2][3]

While 'Asian pride' is a term often associated with international relations and the advancement of Pan-Asianism, its significance resonates within the Asian American community as well. This concept serves as a bridge between the experiences of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in the United States. It reflects the shared journey of individuals who have migrated to the U.S. from diverse Asian countries and their descendants, who have grappled with questions of identity, belonging, and cultural pride.[4]

For many Asian Americans,[5] the notion of 'Asian pride' represents a source of empowerment and cultural celebration. It emerges as a response to historical discrimination, stereotypes, and a sense of 'otherness' that many Asian Americans have faced in the United States. By embracing 'Asian pride,' individuals within the Asian American community reclaim their cultural heritage and assert their unique identities.

United States

The pan-ethnicity Asian American concept is not embraced by many Asian Americans in the United States.[6]

Yellow Power

In the United States the term has older roots within the

yellow peril" used the term Asian Pride, along with "yellow power", to advance empowerment of Asian Americans.[1][7]

Hip Hop culture

A more modern usage of the term "Asian Pride" (also spelled AZN pride) the

politically correct pornography parody to present Asian Americans in a positive light compared to their portrayal in late 20th century mainstream media.[13] Sometimes this arises due to being made to feel different from the prevalent culture surrounding the Asian American youth.[14]

The term is often used negative connotation, being used to describe individuals who prefer only to have Asian American relationships, a stance supported by the majority of Asian Americans, with the exclusion of potential diverse relationships.[15] It has also been criticized as being primarily a marketing gimmick that "is wide open to model minority accusations." and allows for racial name calling.[16]

The term has been adopted by a few

Filipino American gang members in Los Angeles, who used the term to assist them in their construction of their ethnic identity.[17] It has also been used as the name of a gang in Florida[18][19] and Colorado.[20]

Got Rice?

The phrase "Got Rice?" is a term and an image artwork that was coined by

Asian American youth, Jonny Ngo, in the 1990s shortly after the original "Got Milk?" advertising campaign for the California Milk Board in 1993.[21] The phrase has since come to be used as a symbol for the cohesiveness of Asian American cultural identity and cultural pride, especially on the Internet. It's usually mentioned close to the Asian Pride slogan.[21]

The humor is derived from the fact that rice is a staple food in many Asian cultures. The slogan can thus be viewed as an Asian American cultural response to American media and advertising.[21]

There is also a parody song called "Got Rice?", often referred as AZN Pride, which samples

The Fung Brothers released a modification of the song in 2010.[26]

T-shirt campaign

While the phrase itself presumably began as Asian American slang, the first notable usage is the T-shirt campaign first started by the Asian American magazine Yolk.[27]

Soon, other Asian American organizations began promoting the phrase and selling similar T-shirt designs. The organizations and their proponents intended for the T-shirts to be a fun way of promoting Asian American cultural heritage:

"Political identi-tees don’t all have to be so in-your-face. The Japanese American National Museum in L.A.’s Little Tokyo offers an array of kinder, gentler tees commemorating aspects of Japanese-American heritage both fun and serious. Among the most popular designs, a line of adult and baby tees feature the rallying cry of the lactose liberation movement, "Got Rice?" [28]

Many in the Asian American community viewed the design as evidence of significant progress for the viability of Asian American culture and identity; whereas before identity may have been enforced on Asians via stereotypes from the dominant society, the "Got Rice?" shirts were an attempt by Asian Americans to define their identity and to take back those symbols used to stereotype them.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-317-47729-7
    .
  2. ^ Langguth, Gerd (1996). "Dawn of the "Pacific Century"?". German Foreign Affairs Review. 47 (4). Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  3. ISBN 9780754634461
    . Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  4. ^ Lee, Erika. “A Part and Apart: Asian American and Immigration History.” Journal of American Ethnic History 34, no. 4 (2015): 28–42. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerethnhist.34.4.0028.
  5. ^ Takaki, Ronald T.. Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans (Updated and Revised). United Kingdom, eBookit.com, 2012.
  6. ISBN 978-0-674-00576-1
    .
  7. ISBN 978-0-415-80081-5
    .
  8. ISBN 978-1-4381-0633-5
    .
  9. ISBN 9780813547572
    . Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  10. ISBN 9780313350672
    . Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  11. ISBN 978-1-4381-0633-5
    .
  12. ISBN 9781442209244
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0-8047-8220-3
    .
  14. ISBN 978-1-4758-0135-4
    .
  15. ISBN 978-0-674-00576-1
    .
  16. ISBN 978-0-8135-4757-2
    .
  17. ISBN 9780759101760
    .
  18. ^ "Asian Pride Gang Member Gets 33 Years". St. Petersburg Times. 6 November 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  19. ^ Jamal Thalji; Kameel Stanley (15 May 2009). "Judge criticized for gang member's low bail in murder case". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  20. ^ "27 Members Of 'Asian Pride' Gang Indicted". KMGH-TV. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-0-313-35066-5
    .
  22. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8147-7690-2
    .
  23. ISBN 978-0-8223-8983-5
    .
  24. ISBN 978-1-61069-550-3
    .
  25. ISBN 978-0-8135-5041-1
    .
  26. ^ "An Ode to San Gabriel Valley Easts". Angry Asian Man. Blogger. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  27. ^ Olivia Barker (March 22, 2001). "Eastern Influences Become Icons of Popular Culture". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  28. ^ S. D. Ikeda. "Identi-tees: Stereotypes, Abercrombie & the Chest as a Battlefield". IMDiversity.com. Archived from the original on 2006-03-16.
  29. ^ Heike Berner. (2003) Home Is Where the Heart Is? Identity and Belonging in Asian American Literature. Ph.D. Dissertation, Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

Lee, Erika. “A Part and Apart: Asian American and Immigration History.” Journal of American Ethnic History 34, no. 4 (2015): 28–42. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerethnhist.34.4.0028.

Further reading

  • Perry, Justin C., Kristen S. Vance, and Janet E. Helms. "Using the people of color racial identity attitude scale among Asian American college students: An exploratory factor analysis." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 79.2 (2009): 252-260.
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