Coming to America from a different country is never easy. One has to deal with discrimination, and peoples’ views and reactions towards them. One also has to deal with the differences between their home culture and the culture of the new country. In Ronald Takaki’s chapter, “Ethnic Islands: The Emergence of Urban Chinese America,” he discusses the ordeals that the Chinese had to face coming here and once settled, being discriminated against and segregated from mainstream American society and culture. Ronald Takaki begins his chapter with a section about Angel Island in San Francisco.
When news leaked of these “made in china” uniforms U.S citizens were outraged. Some U.S political figures went as far as to demand the uniforms be burned and replaced (Minter, 2012). This particular statement about “burning” China-made goods sparked a reaction from the Chinese government. Controversy about the uniforms began to create a feud amongst China and America. Although familiar with cynical political remarks from America over the years, China now felt that Americans were being hypocritical and bigoted.
The British government retaliated with much force, resulting in Chinese defeat, which then forth became the Treaty of Nanking. The Treaty of Nanking is labeled as one of the “Unequal Treaties” for many reasons. When Britain implemented the Treaty of Nanking, much of the life that China knew would soon be no more, the island of Hong Kong was forced over to British ownership and control, rights were taken away, tariffs implemented, and the destruction of Opium by Lin caused a six million dollar “refund” to England. Since China was a closed nation, with an old-fashioned way of life and military technology, this caused a great disadvantage for them, trying to fight against what British was doing to their country. China had no say or control to what Britain was doing to them, and no way of fighting back or retaliating.
This doesn’t change that fact that there are people who are discriminated against constantly because of their race. How many times in a day do you think that the average person in this city cracks a racist “joke” against the aboriginal people? Being a student in a “culturally accepting environment” I am aware of many cultures in our very own city, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, African and so many more. I could also tell you all the racially discriminating words that come with all these things. Like chinks, spics, pork, whops, micks.
Samuels’s innocence is corrupted when he becomes in contact with the city life and crime. When the corrupted policemen’s are looking for book in the Amish world they find obstacles. When John book moves to the Amish world and falls in love with Rachel, he faces many problems and suffers from confection because he knows he doesn’t belong there. We are shown that Samuel is in conflict with the world around him when he enters the city of Philadelphia and loses his innocent when he witnesses a murder at the train station. The director shows this by the sounds and angles of the camera during scenes and by the way many people talk at once shows the differences of life between the city and the peacefulness of Samuels home.
The reality in human nature, regardless of race, is that neglect breeds contempt. More and more Asian youths are not only breaking away from familial ties but also social stereotypes. Crime is a great way to break every Asian stereotype. Asian crimes, although not always studied correctly or accurately, are on the rise. The problem with the older Asian generations and the rest of American society is a long and painful past between their homeland and America.
He charged that there were 205 communist spies in the state department who were selling out the United States. McCarthy warned that there were communist traitors in American government and society that were threatening to destroy the United States. He declared: "When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within." McCarthy called for a "moral uprising" of Americans to drive these dangerous communists out of government and society. He also declared that the United States had lost ground in the world not as a result of foreign aggression, but “because of the traitorous actions of those who have been treated so well by this nation.” The corporate-controlled news media also shared the blame for McCarthy's ability to disseminate "great lies."
The spread of alien perpetrators gave domestic Americans a reason to fervently oppose arriving immigrants. Not all of the arrivals remained on the East Coast. Many of the fresh faces decided to move further into the nation, and with them followed strong opposition. One case of discrimination went as far as reaching the Supreme Court, where Chinese laundry operators were charged with violating an ordinance; the Supreme Court determined this to be a case of racial discrimination (Document E). It is shocking that discrimination reached such a high level with no authoritative figure to stop it.
Their first concern was to eliminate any threat from the 90,000 Chinese soldiers who surrendered. To the Japanese, surrender was an unthinkable act of cowardice. They looked upon Chinese POWs with a different view, viewing them as less than human, unworthy of life. The incredible carnage - citywide burnings, stabbings, drownings, strangulations, rapes, thefts, and massive property destruction - continued unabated for
A strident of anti-Asian element in the British Columbia society did its best to force the Japanese to leave Canada. In 1907 a white mob rampaged through Japanese sections of Vancouver to protest the presence of the Asian workers who threatened their livelihood. They lobbied the Federal Government to stop immigration from Asia and soon the prejudices were institutionalized into laws by British Columbian politicians. The Japanese were denied the right to vote and excluded from most professions, the civil service and teaching. Japanese Canadians were hired for the most menial and low wage jobs.