1. yftoad

   Chinese-Americans typically grow up in middle to upper-class environments, where they are shielded from those situations because their parents (assuming they’re first generation) have worked their BUTTS off trying to provide for their family and give them a better life.  They then develop a sense of entitlement and presume their parents are going to pay for college, where they go “undeclared” for their first few years before they realize they had better apply themselves in school so they can get a decent job to provide for their own family.

   …but that’s just my cynical generalization.

   Jun 6th, 2007

2. tareshannon

   Not only are we sheltered, but often times Asian American kids are oppressed.  haha..

   I agree with Yee in that we’ve developed a sense of entitlement and are basically snobs.  We only associate ourselves with people who don’t seem dysfunctional on the outside and who seem like they have it all together.  Christians Asian Americans especially are afraid of being seen a certain way.  That makes us wussy because we find our acceptance, identity in how others view us rather than in how God sees us.  Its definitely for our own shame.  And its to our own detriment.

   Jun 6th, 2007

3. randplaty

   Shannon:  You are right.  Asian-Americans are oppressed and have their own SERIOUS problems that usually remain unresolved because nobody is willing to talk about them or deal with them openly. We put on a happy face.

   Jun 6th, 2007

4. NDESTRUKTX

   I have plenty of close relationships with people like that. The problem with Asian Americans especially in California and other heavily diverse cities is because the communities tend to hang out with each other as opposed to get to know other cultures. How many Asian families truly have close family friends with people from outside races? Asians are just as guilty as being racist and refusing to integrate as the next minority. I find it so strange that so many Asian people who were born here know nothing about American pop culture that all my friends in high school thought were 2nd nature. It’s ridiculously pathetic.

   Also, Christian Asian Americans don’t try to get to know the “world” outside. They just conglomerate amongst each other - saying that sinners should be avoided. How many times have you seen someone that’s somewhat sketchy feel uninvited and even avoided at church? Even people who are “looked up to” show favoritism and display politics with each other. Christians are a huge turn off sometimes.

   Jun 6th, 2007

5. yftoad

   Yep…”saving face” isn’t just an old-school mainland Chinese value.  It’s ingrained in our culture.

   You guys should come up to Seattle and check out our youth group on Saturday.  We’ve got people who struggle to make ends meet, do drugs, have casual sex, are homosexual, are single parents, drug dealers, gang members…one of our kids was even shot 11 times and now walks with a limp.  And lemme tell ya…the ministry is AWESOME.

   Jun 6th, 2007

6. tareshannon

   i don’t want to be a Christian that turns off unbelievers…

   Jun 7th, 2007

7. randplaty

   You know, I don’t mind if Christians turn off athiest professors or yuppie professionals, but we definitely should not be turning off people who are hurting and know they are hurting.

   Jun 7th, 2007

8. tomo127

   wow. yea… I just remembered that I had those kind of relationships when I was in college and I was a non christian. and then once I became christian, I surrounded myself with “good” people. but in seattle, I think I have more opportunities to interact with different people here.

   Jun 8th, 2007

9. coffeehead

   great conversation topic, dlowe!

   Jun 9th, 2007

10. justwatching

    i agree with everything you guys have said. i don’t agree that yuppie professionals or atheist professors should be turned off though. the biggest fallacy is that certain people don’t need Christ, and we fall into that when we are turned off by the behavior that says “I don’t need Christ” because its just another cover. if we forget that everyone needs Christ, we fall into the same cycle of being ashamed of our own needs.

    Jun 17th, 2007

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