The readings and videos this week focused on Asians who live in Los Angelos and the experiences they encountered with the different cultures and lifestyles mixing in such a large city. Many of the reading suggested that Asian Americans living in L.A. were isolated and not treated fair.When reading "Home is where the Han is" they explained that the Korean culture took the word HAN very serious. HAN is a word the translated loosely to mean the sorrow and anger that grew from accumulated from the experiences of oppression.When people die from han they describe it as a disease called hwabyong a disease of frustration and rage following misfortune. This word intrigued me because this one word shows how relevant it is in the Korean/Asiam American culture. Asians have created a word that describes the effects of the racial injustice as a diseases of rage, frustration and misfortune. This mean far to many people and families are suffering from the racial segregation and attack of minorities in America. The reading "Home is where the Han is continued to discuss in depth the psychological affects the Asian Americans suffered in Los Angelos during the horrific riots, following the Rodney King beating.Blacks and Latinos felt as though the riots were an up rise and a tactic to fight the in-just treatment of minorities in America. however Asians fell in between, not seeing the riot as an uprising, but they did not consider it a riot, so they name it Sa-i-ku.In Lois Angelos following the Rodney King incident the riots destroyed majority businesses in Korea-town. Koreans were not only hurt, angry, and sad, but they lost everything that they came to this country and built. While reading the article i was stunned to find out that African American community leaders were attacking Koreans. They claimed that Korean American merchants were foreign intruders who were purposely trying to stifle the economic growth of African Americans. How can two different groups of minorities who face the same discrimination attack each other in such devastating times? Not only did African Americans attack the Korean American store owners, but the Chinese and Japanese disassociated themselves with the Koreans; making the claim: in the past they have always gotten along with African Americans. This is the biggest problem that i see amongst minorities. We are all in the same boat, but yet we find a way to be prejudice towards our fellow minorities. The superior and powerful people already makes it hard for minorities to be in power, then minorities are always thinking that they are in a better position than another minority and instead of joining together to fight injustice, we separate into our own ethnic groups and try to fight for change. Change comes with numbers, knowledge, plan, and action!
After reading this article i can see why the word HAN is so relevant in the Korean culture. Koreans lost their business, respect, way of living and those who can relate the closest to them (Chinese and Japanese) have disowned them. the pain that a Korean suffer is great because they may feel like they are not accepted by anyone. Today there are no riots, but the effects left on the Koreans are still there. Anytime Los Angelos becomes a little crazy store owners from different generation relive that incident and the isolation they felt. I do not think any one deserves to be treated like that
Today the same accusations can be made, however the city has incorporated more Asian culture into the city to make Asian Americans feel more at home. Los Angelos have China town and Korea town, along with other Asian culture incorporation. I think this is important because in a way the city owes it to them to welcome them after a time of such isolation. These videos and the website links include examples of events that are held to bridge the gap between the different cultures in L.A.
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