Comments on: Culture Bearer http://american-family.org/2009/03/03/culture-bearer/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:08:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Psychobabbler http://american-family.org/2009/03/03/culture-bearer/comment-page-1/#comment-103264 Psychobabbler Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:19:28 +0000 http://american-family.org/?p=2053#comment-103264 Great post - and thanks too, for the links which led me back to relevant earlier posts I hadn't seen. "Emergency Code Whitey" made my morning! Great post – and thanks too, for the links which led me back to relevant earlier posts I hadn’t seen. “Emergency Code Whitey” made my morning!

]]> By: Rhiannon http://american-family.org/2009/03/03/culture-bearer/comment-page-1/#comment-102968 Rhiannon Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:04:25 +0000 http://american-family.org/?p=2053#comment-102968 I have it pretty easy with the culture thing. Dad is very Chinese, hates American food, TV etc. Grandparents are non English speakers and only speak to the kids in Cantonese. We celebrate all the Chinese Holidays with family and friends including American holdays with a Chinese twist.... a steamboat Thanksgiving instead of turkey! lol We also celebrate Christmas as a family too with traditional Chinese food and family. They have tons of cousins who live close by who will be going through the second generation thing with them. I just feel bad being that I'm white, if they will feel like it's not fair if/when they do get teased by some little racist punk on the play ground...hopefully that will never happen! I have it pretty easy with the culture thing. Dad is very Chinese, hates American food, TV etc.
Grandparents are non English speakers and only speak to the kids in Cantonese.
We celebrate all the Chinese Holidays with family and friends including American holdays with a Chinese twist…. a steamboat Thanksgiving instead of turkey! lol
We also celebrate Christmas as a family too with traditional Chinese food and family.
They have tons of cousins who live close by who will be going through the second generation thing with them. I just feel bad being that I’m white, if they will feel like it’s not fair if/when they do get teased by some little racist punk on the play ground…hopefully that will never happen!

]]> By: Lilian http://american-family.org/2009/03/03/culture-bearer/comment-page-1/#comment-102946 Lilian Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:48:55 +0000 http://american-family.org/?p=2053#comment-102946 This is a great post and as an expatriate raising my kids Brazilian American kids I can identify. For me the hardest part is not giving them enough "Americaness" for fear of them losing their ties to Brazil, particularly to the language. I really try to hold off, but they seem to "crave" the "majority language and culture," especially Linton who is younger and really wants to blend in. Sometimes I practically have to "force" him to speak Portuguese. Hopefully the effort will pay off for all of us. This is a great post and as an expatriate raising my kids Brazilian American kids I can identify. For me the hardest part is not giving them enough “Americaness” for fear of them losing their ties to Brazil, particularly to the language. I really try to hold off, but they seem to “crave” the “majority language and culture,” especially Linton who is younger and really wants to blend in. Sometimes I practically have to “force” him to speak Portuguese. Hopefully the effort will pay off for all of us.

]]> By: Sister Carrie http://american-family.org/2009/03/03/culture-bearer/comment-page-1/#comment-102942 Sister Carrie Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:36:23 +0000 http://american-family.org/?p=2053#comment-102942 Good for Mr. A! I read the post on Harlow's Monkey and thought of you when she mentioned the book saying that "adoptive parents were disinterested in current modern, Chinese American history or politics." I know you've talked about that in the past and it bothers me too. I'm interested in hearing what Jacobson learned. Good for Mr. A!

I read the post on Harlow’s Monkey and thought of you when she mentioned the book saying that “adoptive parents were disinterested in current modern, Chinese American history or politics.” I know you’ve talked about that in the past and it bothers me too. I’m interested in hearing what Jacobson learned.

]]> By: rachel http://american-family.org/2009/03/03/culture-bearer/comment-page-1/#comment-102941 rachel Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:28:50 +0000 http://american-family.org/?p=2053#comment-102941 As a white-on-both-sides person of Chicago extraction, I've had a decent amount of enjoyment exploring the ethnicities within my whiteness. My Grandpa's Dutch heritage (he came over in 1907) my Irish great grandparents who had lived in cabins in Ireland with sod floors, the Bavarians who still spoke German in the 1930s and 40s and taught my grandparents to speak it. I can only imagine that your efforts to explore Chinese culture take up a lot of time and effort and might seem more interesting, but it's worth a ponder to explore your side of the equation too, if it appeals at all. White isn't the sole definition, there's a lot of complexity to delve into there. Altho I'm betting I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. When it comes to cultural/racial complexities, you've done a lot more groundwork than I in that vein. As a white-on-both-sides person of Chicago extraction, I’ve had a decent amount of enjoyment exploring the ethnicities within my whiteness. My Grandpa’s Dutch heritage (he came over in 1907) my Irish great grandparents who had lived in cabins in Ireland with sod floors, the Bavarians who still spoke German in the 1930s and 40s and taught my grandparents to speak it. I can only imagine that your efforts to explore Chinese culture take up a lot of time and effort and might seem more interesting, but it’s worth a ponder to explore your side of the equation too, if it appeals at all. White isn’t the sole definition, there’s a lot of complexity to delve into there.

Altho I’m betting I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. When it comes to cultural/racial complexities, you’ve done a lot more groundwork than I in that vein.

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