Loading ...Just because my race is Asian I’ve been contacted by three clubs trying to get me to join their racial solidarity / identity associations.
Don’t they realize these groups do more harm than good by emphasizing what divides us rather than what unites us? FYLs, and no, I won’t join.
Anonymous 9:49 am on July 26, 2010 Permalink |
I’ve known a lot of great people in some of those clubs and I think if they’re your sole social group you have a point about the potential for harm. But they can also be a nice way to learn about ethnic traditions and culture.
Illustrating both points, I took my adopted sister to an event by one such group once – she had expressed some interest in learning about her heritage but didn’t want to go alone. She loved getting to see some of the traditional dancing and clothing, not to mention learning a bit about the language, but she was also pretty upset at the racism present – not the least of which were some really direct comments and dirty looks because I was a white guy with a younger Asian woman.
Good and bad, like most things in life.
Anon 10:04 am on July 26, 2010 Permalink |
Dude/ette, while it is true that race is an artificial construct, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t common experiences and cultures that can be celebrated within such groups. Being in such a group is only limiting if you let it be, and if anything, they can be important vehicles for dialogue and cross-cultural celebration…you’re obviously a hella lot more than your skin color/ ethnicity. But to each their own, and if you don’t identify with these groups, there’s also absolutely nothing wrong with that either. Just let people be.
Oh my 2:52 pm on August 3, 2010 Permalink |
“while it is true that race is an artificial construct, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t common experiences and cultures that can be celebrated within such groups”
I stopped reading this comment because my nihilism meter just exploded.
?? 4:33 pm on July 26, 2010 Permalink |
What divides us? I don’t think cultural groups encourage division at all (it does happen but that’s not the point of any group). Just celebration of CULTURE (something you apparently lack or don’t care about?) in an environment that has been historically opposed to such diversity. Like the post above says, just let people be. If you want to be “cultured”, cool, if not, that’s cool too. Don’t make it a FYL though for people welcoming you to their community. FYL for being so shortsighted.
really 8:13 am on July 28, 2010 Permalink |
The main reason cultural groups exist to get upset whenever anything remotely politically incorrect gets said on campus and promote a sense of victimization.
you idiot 8:05 pm on July 31, 2010 Permalink
You’re just plain ignorant.
oh prefrosh 9:42 am on July 27, 2010 Permalink |
Obviously you aren’t even at Yale yet. If you were, you would know that there is really nothing anyone can do to divide the student body. Everyone comes together for something, in one way or another. For example, the cultural groups serve super delicious food. EVERYONE shows up for that! And that’s when everyone learns a little something about culture. Do you have something against your ethnicity or something? Because that will change when you get there. As will the rest of your prefrosh misconceptions about life.
anon 3:05 pm on July 27, 2010 Permalink |
I completely agree
Y2010 6:00 pm on July 27, 2010 Permalink |
Geez, who wants everyone to be the same? Cultural groups aren’t about divisiveness. I’m sure just about any of them would let in anyone who wanted to join, not just people of that specific background. It’s about celebrating the unique aspects of their background. Pretty much every other part of Yale is a celebration of being a White American (and I mean that in a good way! Reading great works of Western literature, time off for Thanksgiving, frat parties, you name it), and it was nice to be able to accompany, say, my Filipino friend to Kasama events and be introduced to new foods, holidays, arts and traditions.
They also function as informal extensions of the cultural houses and ethnic counselor programs, and so are a source of support when you’re facing some of the unique dilemmas of international/minority students. Parents of a certain background might not want you to date a white person, be gay, major in Italian, whatever. Friends from these cultural groups can empathize and help you navigate those kinds of conflicts and the difficult emotions they can stir up. It’s also a safe place to go when you’re fed up with the widespread ignorance, and occasional prejudice/racism you might face.
br'10 6:39 pm on July 27, 2010 Permalink |
If you are South Korean, you can learn to play Starcraft with all your brethren! EN TARO ADUN!
Anonymous 8:18 pm on July 27, 2010 Permalink |
really 8:43 am on July 28, 2010 Permalink |
Many cultural groups exist to promote a sense of victimization and get upset whenever anything remotely politically incorrect gets said on campus. This will lead to special privileges for that racial group in the future (not mention leadership positions you can put on a resume and talking about how you ‘fought the good fight’).
I do not mean, of course, that all cultural groups do this, but I would be wary.
And especially since you are Asian I would be wary. One of the great ironies of multiculturalism and this whole diversity establishment is that they set up policies like affirmative action which hurt Asians (a real minority group) even more than whites.
Anonymous 4:27 pm on July 28, 2010 Permalink |
While I agree that cultural houses do have a place in celebrating culture on campus, I do kind of agree with the OP. I don’t enjoy being targeted (receiving letters, facebook messages, etc.) to join such and such activity at “my” cultural house. I understand that students of a certain ethnicity are probably going to be more interested, on average, in a specific cultural house. However, when I receive cards with Spanish sprinkled in it when I don’t speak the language, it frustrates me. Even then, I might be ok with it if I received an equal number of solicitations from all the cultural houses, but I don’t. If the point of the houses is to promote culture at Yale, why don’t I receive more invitations at all the cultural houses? At the most, it’s “come to our show.” Maybe other people have had different experiences, but I don’t like groups assuming that I’m interested in something or that I speak a certain language based on my ethnicity alone.
Latino '13 3:23 am on July 30, 2010 Permalink |
I’m glad to see other people understand the points of the cultural houses better then others on this board.
Firstly, the reason you are getting “targeted” by the Latino Cultural Center is because you must of put that you were Latino on your application. That is the only way that La Casa can get your information to contact you.
The point of the cultural centers are not to create a microcosm of Yale within them. That’s the point of the RCs and basically everything else at Yale. The point of the cultural centers is to receive students who might feel like they need a place that will remind them of home – a place where they might feel comfortable should they not feel comfortable at Yale as a whole. Or if anyone does want to find people to speak Spanish/Chinese/Japanese/Korean,etc. they might be able to by going to their respective cultural center. Or should you want to find people who are “like you” for whatever purposes, you can. Of course, the doors are open to everyone, and this isn’t an empty message. However, the cultural centers aren’t going to target everyone – that’s impossible and frankly besides their purpose.
If you are getting annoyed by e-mails, e-mail the director of the cultural center and asked to be removed from their panlists. It’s simple. They will forget you exist, you will continue ignoring their existence and everyone will be all the happier. Or you can just ignore them as well. Cultural centers do have some amazing events with REALLY good food indeed and I would LOVE to have one less person there.
br13 1:44 pm on July 29, 2010 Permalink |
solution to your problem: just don’t go to their events. no one’s forcing you to be a part of an ethnic community on campus.
and bitching about how cultural houses promote divisiveness seems to be a lot more divisive than, say, having an cultural dinner at la casa to celebrate a mexican holiday (in which people of all backgrounds are invited).
also, if you acknowledge that students who SELF-IDENTIFY ON THEIR APPLICATIONS as latino are more likely to A) speak spanish and B) be interested in the latino cultural center, i see absolutely no reason why someone asking you (who presumably identifies as latino) to join their group would be unenjoyable or frustrating. the cultural houses aren’t just about inviting as many people to events as possible, they’re about creating a community for students who need it. if you don’t need it, again, just don’t go…
Anonymous 7:02 pm on July 29, 2010 Permalink |
^This.
Anglophone 9:04 am on July 30, 2010 Permalink |
You say that all people are invited, but it’s not very inviting or welcoming when most discussion occurs in a foreign language that very few speak well. If these groups wanted to promote intercultural understanding, they would conduct their events in English, the lingua franca.
BR10 10:42 am on July 30, 2010 Permalink
Every cultural event I’ve been to has mostly been in English, and if there were components in another language, the group was taught what they needed to know. The only exception was a Spanish/Portuguese poetry reading at La Casa…and then everything was in English except the poetry. So I don’t know what you’re on about.
quit lying. 7:05 am on July 31, 2010 Permalink
yeah, i get the sense that you’ve never actually been to a la casa event, which are conducted in the English (as they are at the AACC, the Af-Am House, and the NACC).
what? 8:20 pm on July 31, 2010 Permalink
You are just so so wrong that it’s sad.
mmhmm 1:04 pm on August 21, 2010 Permalink
yeah… because it would be feasible to hold AACC events in Asian. i’ve personally always felt welcome at all the cultural house events. (i’m not a regular attendee, nor heavily involved with any of the groups.)
that said, i understand where the OP is coming from and i used to feel the same way. i still do about some groups, but it’s nothing to complain about.