Asian Americans

A Racial Campaign To Win: The Last Gasp Of Mitt Romney

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With the changing demographics of the American population, 2012 is the last time that a Presidential candidate will be able to run a racial campaign to unite whites, and have a chance to win the election with such an appeal. The growing Hispanic-Latino population, along with the African American and Asian American population will forego such a low level, gutless campaign of that style ever again, so the Republican Party is undermining its future by what it is attempting this year.

Mitt Romney will need to win 61 percent of the white vote to win the election, and he is making every effort possible, by bringing up the “Birther” argument, and also making the false accusation that Barack Obama is gutting welfare work requirements for benefits, a totally conjured up charge that should be seen by the former Massachusetts Governor as shameful.

But Romney has no shame, and is running a “slash and burn” campaign that is an embarrassment to the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln and the Radical Republicans who pursued a racial equality agenda at the founding of the party in the 1850s and 1860s.

The National Geographic Bee: What It Tells Us!

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Today, the National Geographic Channel had the finals of the National Geographic Bee, one of the scholarly competitions that need to be promoted much more than they are.

The ten finalists, nine males and one female, comported themselves extremely well, and made anyone proud that we have some extremely brilliant students of 13 and 14 years of age to give us hope for the future.

But when one saw people on the streets who were asked very basic questions on American geography and history, the response was absolutely pitiful, as compared to the difficult questions on World Geography, which required sophisticated knowledge by these young scholars.

And also noticed was that the vast majority of the ten finalists were of Asian heritage, with most from Indian heritage, and one of Chinese heritage. Only two of the ten were so called Anglo Americans!

This tells us that Asian Americans far outshine the average young person of any other ethnicity or race, and this is clearly due to the parental influence in Asian American families, over whites, African Americans, and Hispanic and Latino Americans.

This should be a clarion call for parents of all backgrounds to get to work, promote learning, and stop blaming teachers and schools for the failures of their children to excel, as the best educators are really parents, who are motivated to promote their children’s intellectual ability!

If only as much attention was paid to academic pursuits as to sports, this would be a far better nation!

Meanwhile, let everyone salute these ten very outstanding young people who make their families and themselves proud!

America’s Future: A Majority “Minority” Nation! Time To Adjust To Reality!

Ronald 2 Comments

The US Census Bureau has made it official: America is on the way to becoming a majority “minority” country , which will occur by the 2040s, no matter what the white majority, which has dominated America, wishes.

This is so because, for the first time, a majority of children being born are non white by definition, as in the twelve months ending June 30, 2011, 50.4 percent of the births in America were to Hispanic and Latino, African American, and Asian American parents.

Only 49.6 percent of births were to white parents.The economy, politics, and identity of the nation is changing rapidly, and we will never be the same!

Whites are no longer the majority in four states, and in such cities as New York, Las Vegas and Memphis. About 350 counties nationwide have a majority of nonwhites, and about double that number when one considers young children.

And the baby boomer generation, now aging, was vastly white, and now sees a younger generation growing up which is going to be majority nonwhite, a cultural clash already showing up in the fact that senior citizen whites are overwhelmingly Republicans, who are fighting the future, but represent basically the past that is quickly dying out before their eyes!

While whites still represent 63 percent of all Americans, the average median age for whites is 42, past prime child bearing age, while for Hispanics and Latinos, it is 27, and more Hispanic children were born in America in the past decade than Hispanic immigration to the United States in that period.

So minorities were 92 percent of all growth in the past decade, an astounding figure!

This reality is creating tensions between white elderly and minority young, particularly in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and California.

This is a growing crisis particularly regarding education, as only 13 percent of Hispanics and Latinos have a college degree, only 18 percent of African Americans, but 31 percent of whites.

Education is the future for the nation, or else we will have a lot of minority young who cannot make a living and sustain the elderly whites who are retired and receive Social Security and Medicare.

This is the major social crisis of the future, and the political parties need to come to grips with it, and not only think about how the situation is at present. A vision for the future is essential!

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day: A Reminder Of The Threat Which Remains

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Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the commemoration of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in World War II, is a somber day annually.

President Barack Obama marked the occasion this morning by calling for greater efforts against Holocaust denial and anti Semitism, and vigilance against current and future atrocities.

There was also commemoration at the Pentagon and at the US Capitol, and the President will visit the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC on Monday with Holocaust survivors.

It is not just Iran that is seen as a threat against the Jewish people. Worldwide, and in the United States, there are groups that celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday, which ironically is today, There are also right wing militia groups which promote hate and prejudice against Jews, as well as other minorities, including African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.

Particularly in Florida, the location of the third largest group of Jews and Holocaust survivors after New York and California, Anti Semitism is a major problem that is of concern every day.

But the commemoration reminds us of what happened 70 years ago, and it must not be allowed to be forgotten when the last Holocaust survivors pass away in the next ten to twenty years!

Major Landmark In Education: Over 30% Of Americans Over 25 Have Bachelor’s Degree

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For the first time in American history, over 30% of Americans over the age of 25 have a four year bachelor’s degree from a college or university.

As of last March, 30.4% of Americans have a bachelor’s degree, and 10.9% have a graduate degree.

Women are nearly equal in attainment of bachelor’s and graduate degrees for the first time, and will soon surpass men in attainment of college degrees.

Asian Americans remain the most educated in our society, with 50.3% having bachelor’s degrees, and 19.5% having graduate degrees.

Whites have 34% with undergraduate degrees; African Americans 19.9%; and Hispanics 14.1%.

Somewhat surprisingly, science and engineering degrees are the largest fields with college degrees on the bachelor’s level, reaching 34.9% of the total of all degrees. The percentage of women in these fields is up to 45.9% among the age group 25-39. And more such majors are found on the east coast in the District of Columbia and Maryland, and on the west coast in California and Washington. The lowest percentage in this field are found in Southern and Great Plains states.

It is better for the long range future of America that more of the population is attending and graduating with a college degree. And it is not only for economic reasons, but also, a better educated citizenry is good for improving one’s life and the understanding of the world we live in!

Reality Of America’s Future: The Growing Role Of Asian Americans

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In the midst of “Linmania”, the rise of Jeremy Lin to stardom in the National Basketball Association, we are seeing people promoting humor about Asian Americans, specifically in the case of Jeremy Lin being Chinese, but we are also seeing the ugly tone of racism rearing its ugly head.

The fact that Asian Americans of all nationalities are high achievers academically is causing resentment among other racial and ethnic groups, which in itself is a sign of racism by people who have themselves experienced racism.

And of course, whites who are uncomfortable with the growing diversity of America’s population are alarmed at what this means, although hopefully, the number with such feelings is miniscule. But face the facts, that there are those who are nativists and racists and join paramilitary organizations determined to keep America’s white Christian population in control of the future.

But it must be recognized by all Americans that the growing role of Asian Americans of all backgrounds is the reality of the future in this nation.

While smaller in numbers than Hispanics and Latinos on one hand, and African Americans on the other hand, the Asian American population is rapidly growing, and will be an influential part of America long term.

The average American is certainly not aware that Asia is the largest continent with THIRTY percent of all land on earth; that Asia contains SIXTY percent of the world’s people; and that six countries have EIGHTY percent of all the population of the continent (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan); and that if Pakistan and Bangladesh had not separated in a civil war 41 years ago, the combined Pakistan would be larger than Indonesia.

The future of the world is in Asia, and the defense and economic growth of America is based on what happens in Asia, as well as the growing Asian population in America. No wonder Barack Obama has said that our focus must be on Asia in the future, not the Middle East as the priority, as it has been, even though much of the Middle East is actually in Asia. But he is referring to East and South Asia, where the major population countries exist, not West Asia, also known as the Middle East.

And remember that our wars in the past century have focused on Asia, with Japan the enemy in World War II; North Korea and China in the Korean War; North Vietnam and China in the Vietnam War; and the Soviet Union, a Eurasian power our enemy during the Cold War years. And wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are also Asian wars, although not technically in East or South Asia.

So we must as a nation learn more about and understand Asia, and specific nations and cultures in Asia, and understand the role and significance of Asian Americans in our country’s future.

There is no room for the kind of discrimination visited against the Chinese and Japanese in the past, as well as generalized nativism against Asians of all backgrounds that expresses itself even today, and even with the success of Jeremy Lin. It is time for enlightened understanding for our country’s economic future and security and safety!

Jeremy Lin And Racial Stereotyping: The Ugly Tone Of Racism Against Asian Americans Renewed!

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New York Knicks basketball player Jeremy Lin has become an overnight sensation, in just the past ten days, coming out of obscurity to lead the Knicks to seven straight victories. He is the sensation of the National Basketball Association!

Instead of rejoicing over the first basketball player of Asian heritage, specifically Chinese from the island of Taiwan, to become a big success story, instead of just “Lin Mania” occurring, we are also seeing the ugly tone of racial stereotyping rearing its head, including some African Americans ridiculing or rejecting his success. Hate mail and Facebook and Twitter expression of racism is showing how far we have to go, even in 2012, to overcome the ignorance and jealousy of many.

Asian Americans in the past have been victims of discrimination, racism, and stereotyping, with the infamous anti Chinese riots of the 1870s and 1880s and the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II just the best known examples, along with the banning of Chinese immigration from 1882-1943 and of Japanese immigration from 1924 to 1965.

It seems the more we see great accomplishments by an ethnic or racial group in this great country, there always has to be a backlash by people who themselves are often the victims of racism previously.

When will we finally accept people for their accomplishments and celebrate their ethnicity without jealousy or resentment by others of other racial and nationality groups? Obviously, it is a long time in the future, despite the education and progress that has been made from the great depths of darkness of the past!

Meanwhile, congratulations to Jeremy Lin, and all of us should be very proud of his accomplishments!

Census Makes Future Clear: America Is Becoming Much More Hispanic And Latino. So Get Used To It!

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The latest Census Bureau statistics add extra evidence to the reality that America is becoming much more Hispanic and Latino, so the rest of America, particularly the Anglo white majority, down to 64 percent, had better get used to it!

One out of six Americans are now Hispanic or Latino, more than 50 million!

Hispanics and Latinos are having children at a much faster rate than any other group in America, and many young Hispanic and Latino students will be eligible to vote over the next decade!

The issue of discrimination against Spanish speaking citizens is coming to a head, and the reality is that IF the Republican Party continues to sow the seeds of hatred and prejudice, which they have been doing in many parts of the nation and in Congress, with the most obvious example being Arizona, they will soon discover that they are going to lose the future of American politics!

Republicans are fighting a rear guard action, which will boomerang against them in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and other states that are seeing a massive increase in Hispanic and Latino population!

The Democrats have an excellent chance to control the future of American politics by continuing their open mindedness and reach out to not only Hispanics and Latinos, but continued understanding of the African American community, and appeal to Asian American groups.

White supremacy is rapidly on the decline, as by the mid century, the majority of Americans will be minorities, although the Anglo whites will be the largest minority in an all minority country!

64th Anniversary Of Jackie Robinson Breaking Major League Baseball Color Barrier: The Battle For Civil Rights For All Americans Goes On!

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Today, in the year 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and started all major league sports toward full integration!

Sixty four years later, the battle for civil rights goes on! There is still discrimination, much of it hidden, against African Americans.

But also, we have widespread discrimination against Hispanics and Latinos, as well as against Muslims, and gay Americans! And there are still remnants of prejudice against Jews and Catholics as well!

Native Americans, Asian Americans and women also still face prejudice and denial of equal opportunity!

So as we celebrate Jackie Robinson on this anniversary, which revolutionized major league baseball, remember that the battle for civil rights endures in a nation where too many people still have no problem with racial, ethnic, gender, religious or sexual orientation discrimination!