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JULY 2, 2008
The New Love Boat
Is our country in danger of too much assimilation? As cities all around the U.S. diversify culturally, the process of becoming “American” becomes quicker and quicker. Not only are major cities diversifying, a growing number of immigrants are also settling in suburbia. As a result, growing up in a diverse environment, marrying outside of one’s race, and being more aware of other cultures is becoming the norm. All of these sound like good changes, but as we become further removed from our ethnic roots, are we also becoming further removed from our individual heritages? Or are we simply breaking ties with the old and solidifying a new American culture?
According to a study using the latest Census Bureau figures, the percentage of Asian women born in the United States who marry Asian men has declined from 59 percent in 1994 to 37 percent today. The proportion of American-born Asian men who marry Asian women has also dropped, from 65 percent to 52 percent. According to this New York Times article, some Chinese-American parents are hoping to reverse these marriage trends by turning to cultural tours such as the Love Boat. These parents are sending their children on the four-week summer program, designed to strengthen young people’s connections with their Taiwanese roots, race, religion and language. The Love Boat – officially called the Expatriate Youth Summer Formosa Study Tour to Taiwan is sponsored and partly subsidized by the Taiwanese government. The tour got its nickname from the many romances that occur between the young participants.
As New Audiences rise in our country, will they long to rekindle their connections to their countries of origin? The success of the Love Boat suggests that more programs like this one will pop up as new Americans find it harder to meet others of the same descent.
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COMMENTS (5)
Kristen you just happened to stumble upon a topic I often think about. As a fellow Asian American born in the United States I’ve joked many times about my “twinkie” status. I have to say that while I am not purposely trying to avoid or embrace a certain culture- I feel that I my upbrining and the people around me have influenced my preferences today.
Great post and I feel inspired to post a reaction on my own blog.
Posted by: Patrick Pho | July 2, 2008 at 9:43 PM
Hey Patrick, I totally agree with you. I don’t think children of immigrant parents deliberately turn their backs on their cultures - it’s environment they grow up in that motivate their preferences. It’s so cool most of us today go/went to schools with others of all types of diverse backgrounds. We’re able to participate in a mini-world tour without ever leaving our high schools! They thing I worry about is the risk of diluting the rich heritages we inherited from our ancestors if we don’t make a point to get in touch with our roots.
Posted by: Kristen Variola | July 3, 2008 at 8:50 AM
I have 3 sisters and we grew up with very traditional Vietnamese parents. My parents were great at helping us learn about our ethnic heritage while still enjoying American culture. Now that we’ve all grown up, my sisters all have kids and 3 out of the 5 are mixed. I have talked to my sisters about how we will teach the next generation about our heritage and we’re all nervous that we won’t do a sufficient job. I don’t want to teach them a diluted heritage but I fear that I was taught a diluted version. But hopefully, with my parents, aunts and cousins still around my sisters and I can all still learn from each other and explore more of my family’s rich past.
Posted by: Phuong Tran-Le | July 3, 2008 at 9:12 AM
Speaking as someone who’s original heritage (German/Irish) is now fully diluted into General American Redneck, I wonder if technology is causing the process to happen again even among US cultural groups. I mean, when I think about it, my family has unique foods, music, customs and a unique language (you try understanding my grandpa after three shots of Jack). But, having grown up fully immersed in television, and now living in a fairly cosmopolitan, Northern city like DC, I’m finding that I lost a lot of what made me a Southern kid - the accent, the food, etc. I can turn it back on when I want, but still - I sometimes wonder if I’ve lost something along the way. Great post.
Posted by: Corey | July 3, 2008 at 9:20 AM
Great post Kristen! I definitely think that the question you ask about the risk of diluting our heritage is something that a lot of Asian Americans think about. I’m really interested in Asian American films for that reason– there have been a lot that wrestle with reconciling two cultures. A recent example is the movie (based off a book) called The Namesake. Here’s another example I found interesting:
http://www.asianamericanfilm.com/2006/03/eric-byler-on-americanese.shtml
Posted by: Gloria Huang | July 3, 2008 at 9:46 AM
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