Was going to start quoting people but there are too many points on here that I would like to address.
Firstly – Harvey you are a either a racist (if white), or a complete a-hole!
Ignorant people will use the term “oriental” instead of “Asian” because they don’t know any better, like your mom or maybe someone that lives in the South, or Midwest. That is fine – those people are just ignorant. For you to come back with an etymological rationale of why “Asians” should be OK with the term “oriental” is neither here nor there. You seemingly understand that the term is not correct when referring to “Asian Americans” yet you continue to use the term “Oriental” in reference. Is this because you think you are better? That you have the power to start calling people things after knowing they don’t like to be called it? You are a complete a-hole and if I was at a party with you I would either (a) punch you in the face, or (b) feel bad cause someone else just knocked you the eff out. Would love for you to come to my hometown by Detroit and start throwing the N word around and continue to use it after throwing out the etymological root of the word – would be great!
Secondly, flu get off your high horse. Yeah I get that you volunteer in your kid’s school and that some parents can’t remember 4th or 5th grade math. So what! I can’t remember some of the stuff my 4th grader brings home either and I’m a god damn genius (ha)! To be honest, a lot of the s*it doesn’t matter. Being Asian American, what my role model parents taught me was that grit and self control are way more important. This being said, those kids in Carmel Valley will do fine. Why? Because either their parents are smart,(professionals who understand hard work, good role models (moved to area and paying extra rent so kids can be in a good school), rich (parents can pay for outside tutors), or all of the above. What you don’t understand are places like Detroit, Chicago, or Flint where the kids, teenagers, etc. don’t have role models, money, or smart parents. These kids are so disadvantaged that for them to get an 800 on their SAT would put them in the 95% percentile. Is it there fault? Does it make America a better country when these people fall into a perpetual cycle of poverty with no way out because they were never taught that you need to multiply and divide before adding? My opinion, but maybe you should think about things like this before being all hell bent on destroying any idea similar to affirmative action.
Your viewpoints may be based on when your family immigrated to the US. I understand that a lot of recent Asian immigrants came from educated backgrounds (eg. doctors, nurses, engineers, etc.) which could explain our differences in opinion. My father’s family immigrated from Asia over 100 years ago. Those that did faced many injustices, and worked very hard to fight through them; probably with some help through affirmative action and other social programs. Are they necessary now? Certainly not for some of the rich immigrants coming from abroad. Does it make sense for some new disadvantaged class? Maybe. What makes America great is the possibility that one can move from one social class to another through hard work and grit. With college education playing such an important part, I really think that not assisting those that are disadvantaged is not right and will harm us as a whole.
