| Overseas " Chinese Bananas" | |
|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2007 05:01 | #41   |
 | It is really hard for a kid living a Finnish-speaking country to retain the Chinese national identity. It will be very likely that your kid will become another "Banana", yellow skin, white identity. |
| Sep 21, 2007 12:03 | #42 |
| Katrina, I am sorry to say, but You are right about that. It is not possible to fly every other weekend to meet their family in China. Nevertheless, I think only real problem about that is among people, who think about my (and other´s) kids as a "banana". About national identity, if teach children to be proud of their origin, in this case Finnish and Chinese, they have all possibilities to decide themselves, how they want to profile in future. Finnish, Chinese, Fin-Chin. |
| Sep 24, 2007 02:22 | #43 |
| Gryokan> you articulate our position very well. Caught between two cultures - culturally and physically - but not feeling at home, or allowed to feel at home in either, overseas born Chinese or bananas, especially us guys, get screwed both ways |
| Sep 24, 2007 02:26 | #44 |
| Your parents were smart Chynagirl. I'm sure they probably had to drag you shouting and kicking into the Chinese lesson at the time, but when you leave high school and start to realize the value of your Chinese heritage, you realize that they did you a favour and are glad they taught you. Especially with China's rise to prominence nowadays, right? If we could all be so lucky |
| Sep 25, 2007 02:00 | #45 |
| Stevecn, Ouote: " Caught between two cultures - culturally and physically - but not feeling at home, or allowed to feel at home in either, overseas born Chinese or bananas, especially us guys, get screwed both ways" Steve, I think you should be proud of living in such a cultural aura. because you are immersed in two different culture which provides an opportunity for you to experience the subtle or distinct difference between East and West. I have ever wished I would have lived in such a family. |
| Oct 22, 2007 04:56 | #46 |
| "Banana Chinese", this term is only used to refer to the " the ABCs". In a totally strange environment, it is hard for ABCs to inherit the national identity from their parents. America's greatness lies in " the capacity of it melting port". No matter who you are, Asians, Hispanic, Persian, the melting port will take in completely. |
| Jan 1, 2008 22:02 | #47 |
| GUESTCBA | Is it proper to use " banana" or "mango" to address "overseas Chinese"? Judging from my personal experiences, most overseas Chinese have a strong curiosity for the culture their parents were from. As globlization develops, the whole globe is becoming a melting port. China itself takes in lots of foreign nationals every year. The problem is: the melting port does not functions very well at every corner of the world. Many immigrants are actually marginalized instead of being assimilated. This phenomenon is common in North America. |
| Jan 2, 2008 21:08 | #48 |
| I'm a 23-year old Chinese American born in Seattle but grew up in Santiago, Chile until I was five then moved here to the United States. My cousins in Chile call themselves Chilean and can speak Chinese, English, and Spanish. They have been completely assimilated into the Chilean culture but are familiar with American and Chinese culture because one, they went to an American school, and two, they speak Chinese at home with their parents. As for me, I was completely assimilated into American culture until I started going out with this guy from Taiwan, so although I am here in the United States, I did a lot of the things he did. I don't think it matters where you are but who you associate with and what you choose to come in contact with. On another note, my identity has been a source of confusion for me, and it has taken me some time to sort it out. I have come to terms with the fact that I will forever be in the middle - not fully American and not fully Chinese. - moondollars http://community.faithvine.com/ |
| Jan 3, 2008 20:00 | #49 |
| "The problem is: the melting port does not functions very well at every corner of the world. Many immigrants are actually marginalized instead of being assimilated. This phenomenon is common in North America. " Oh, I understand that's why some people named the American-born Chinese as "banana". This term is new to me, but I have heard some people adress "ABC" hybrids. I prefer "Banana". It is more vivid. "Externally yellow, internally white". Moondollar, you are in-between of "banana" and "mango". |
| Jan 4, 2008 01:51 | #50 |
| Yes, I am also confused about the term "bananas" at first. But bananas have more white stuff than yellow stuff. Young "bananas" might be a pain to their parents. You know my meaning, right? |
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