Thursday 31 March 2011

Asian Fetish - Unhealthy Personality Traits

Delving into the minds of Asian fetishers and their unhealthy interracial relationships
An article entitled 'Deconstructing Asian Fetish,' pulls together some of the ideas I have discussed before...but from a Personality Psychology perspective. Their website does not allow comments, so it is pasted below for discussion.

Asiaphiles, both male and female (i.e although its predominately White men with an Asian fetish that date or marry or befriend oriental women) are typically characterised by one or more of the following personality traits

Sensitive nature or fragile ego
In East Asian/Southeast Asian cultures, people are less likely to criticize others openly. This cultural trait of masking potential disagreements makes sensitive people feel more at ease. One of my Asian sources mentioned meeting a black professional who could not handle anyone disagreeing with him or suggesting something contrary to what he wants even in an amicable, constructive way. This ultra-sensitive man happened to be married to a Korean woman.

A common expression of the 'ego-in-need-of-boosting' is the kindly condescending non-Asian (usually white) person who tries to attach himself to Asian immigrant circles so he could take on a 'teaching role' and show them the 'American way'. In some cases, these people give helpful practical advice to new immigrants, but it should also be noted that more often than not, they come to teach and not to learn. They have little or no interest in learning about the immigrant culture beyond superficial things like food and celebrations. The underlying assumption is that while they have something valuable to teach the immigrants, the immigrants have nothing as valuable to teach them. Their 'helpfulness' is ultimately self-serving. They need to place themselves in the position of 'expert' and 'guide' to shore up their fragile egos, they use East Asian/Southeast Asian immigrants as tools to serve this purpose.

Know-it-all attitude
"Know-it-all" behavior, which maybe an expression of the "fragile ego", also occurs quite often among non-Asians who gravitate towards Asian friends. I have observed among non-Asians who date/befriend Asians at least five instances of the kind of person who always acts like s/he is an expert on every topic s/he is talking about and rarely, if ever, admits ignorance. In the worst case, the individual is ignorant and arrogant; he tries to put down everyone who happens to know more than him on any random topic. He is an insecure middle-age white man who happens to have married a Thai woman. Most Americans would have called him on his crap, but he has cleverly sought the company of people from a very forgiving culture.

In another case, the 'know-it-all' white boy was somewhat less obnoxious, but he had to pass himself off as knowledgeable about every conversation topic, framing phrases in big words and complex phraseology, he got away with this highfalutin by surrounding himself with Asian immigrants whose command of English was below his. He happened to be dating a Chinese woman who was competent in English but not to the point where she could meet him on his level of discussion. She put up with his bad behavior and clung on to him even though she was upset he openly cheated on her on an ongoing basis because she was dazzled by his 'knowledge' and 'scholarly demeanor'.

Friends who are highly literate in Chinese have told me that a regrettable aspect of their culture is that people emphasize academic success to the point that they sometimes value brains over character. The Imperial-era satire titled "The Scholars" (available in English translation) provides a glimpse into a centuries-old values system that has men rushing to marry their daughters to cruel, cowardly, selfish young men just because the potential son-in-law aced the Imperial Examination.

Verbally competitive, always has to win the argument
Some East Asian/Southeast Asian cultures emphasize conflict avoidance.  I know of a few rather verbally combative women who happened to marry/date East Asian men. But just because the examples given here happen to be women does not mean that the verbally competitive, "I'm always right" type of person is always female.

In the examples I came across, when the non-Asian women start an argument, the East Asian men often take the initiative to apologize to the women before things really get 'out of hand'. This does not mean that the men really think they are wrong. For the East Asian men, who is 'right' in a disagreement is less important than harmony in a relationship. So they back off. (The Chinese have a saying, "take a step back and the sea will become wide and the sky will become empty.") For one of the women, such exchanges with her boyfriend were more of a cultural misunderstanding.

In another case, the woman was cynical and liked cutting others to shreds. Her basic approach boils down to "if you don't think like me, you're a bad person and you should change." She had a tendency to largely limit herself to people of the same gender when it comes to telling people off. Perhaps her spouse's East Asian trait of preferring 'tolerance' over 'truth' in conflict situations is what preserved her marriage so far. The New Scientist article Westerners and Easterners see the world differently provides some insight into this cultural difference.

Don't you wonder which of these personality traits Asiaphile Tory MP Jeremy Hunt has?

Uncommon selfishness
The "selfish type" is based on the idea that she will do all the housework and he would not have to do a thing. A Thai woman told me about how her black male friend wanted to date her because he had seen his brother's Korean wife take care of *everything* (he emphasized *everything*) around the house without troubling his brother. Now why would a man want a wife who does *everything* around the house unless he is a lazy, selfish person who wants to do *nothing* at home?

These non-Asians-who-love-Asian-culture-and-people may have spent years dabbling in Eastern religions, typically utilizing Buddhist meditation to get the physiological "feel good" benefits. Yet they picked up none of the Buddhist values of understanding, tolerance, compassion and consideration for others. They remain very selfish and unable to see beyond their own interests. Indeed, their whole interest in Eastern religions (and people) is all about "me, me, me", e.g. using meditation to feel good about themselves instead of actually transcending the self.

Even more extreme is the individual who thinks the whole world should keep him happy. One example is a white boy who rips his company off and neglects his work. His lack of integrity also extends to his personal life - he takes things from friends without returning them. When people point out his specific acts of dishonesty and irresponsibility, the white boy turns around and call his accusers 'evil' and 'cruel' for 'persecuting' him, i.e. for holding him accountable, instead of admitting the damage and harm he caused to others.  Often, such individuals do not fare well with many East Asians, as East Asian cultures highly prize reciprocity in personal relations, i.e., "if you take, you better darn well be ready to give back".

On the topic of tolerating 'non-crucial' flaws in others, I had an interesting discussion with a Japanese friend who could not understand why many Westerners are so quick to cut ties with people who have negative traits. For example, a few women I knew got angry with their families of origin for making racist comments about their birth children from a mixed marriage or their adopted children. They cut off contact with their families rather than put their children in a hostile environment. Another woman told a long-time friend who insulted her parents to never call her again. The Japanese woman could not understand why these people made such 'radical breaks' with their families and associates. Part of this difference in attitude can probably be attributed to a difference in East Asian vs Western views on social interdependence. The BBC article Different view for East and West describes this idea much better than I can.

Tendency to externalize problems
Another recurring trait among some folks who are drawn to East/Southeast Asians is a tendency to blame others for their problems. Very often, these people are social misfits in some way. They blame Western society for not accepting them and they have an escapist fantasy about finding acceptance in Eastern cultures. There are usually two components to their misfit status. One is society's unforgiving attitude towards certain neutral traits a person might have, e.g. American culture tends to devalue quiet, shy types with intellectual interests. The other component is the person's own bad character and poor behavior. Typically a white boy who possesses the character flaws mentioned in the previous sections blames white America for 'rejecting' him, but he never really asks himself if it is because of any bad behavior on his part. He claims he likes Asian people better, presumably because they 'accept' him. But do they really? It is easy for him to fantasize about an idealized East where he is accepted and honored.

Article in full: http://www.colorq.org/articles/article.aspx?d=2005&x=deconstruct

Monday 28 March 2011

Death of the British Chinese Takeaway?

Death of The Chinese Takeaway?


Normally forgotten, lonesome and unreported, the British Chinese Takeaway couldn't keep out of Britain's news columns during the month of March.

At the start of the month, it was reported that the UK will have its first British Chinese musical, set in a Chinese Takeaway.
http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/31320/stratford-east-to-stage-british-chinese

Then followed the long awaited news of the government's plan to clamp down on Chinese chef migrants as part of their comprehensive policy to reduce economic migration, this could force Britain's Chinese takeaways to close.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/13/immigration-damian-green-new-restrictions

Throughout the month, there was an avalanche of (UKBA) UK Border Agency raids on Chinese takeaways and restaurants up and down the country, most likely acting on tip-off's, with fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker, one business is set to face a total fine of £50,000.

24th March Norwich
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/five_arrested_in_norwich_takeaway_raid_1_840108

22nd March Dorset
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/8923743.Illegal_immigrant_swoop__Recent_border_agency_busts/
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8891321.Five_illegal_workers_discovered_after_raids_in_Dorset/


16th March Lincolnshire
http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/crime/Takeaway-employed-illegal-staff/article-3333695-detail/article.html

7th March Dartford Kent
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford_messenger/news/2011/march/7/illegal_workers_at_takeaway.aspx

There are wider implications of this witch hunt. Given the cliquesque race orientated nature of the Chinese catering industry, it is improbable Chinese would 'tip-off' other Chinese, rather it is the local white community who tipped them off.  At the bottom of the newspaper articles, there is a hot line number to call anonymously to tip-off illegal workers, this mob mentality is a propagation of a general vendetta against persons 'the big society' deems not worthy of being British nor worthy of entitlement. These publicised raids will be used to justify a continuing demonisation of the Chinese community and its catering businesses, anti-Chinese press sentiment reached a fervourous peak during the Foot and Mouth Crisis in 2001.
(http://bbczeitgeist.blogspot.com/2010/08/self-hating-chinese.html)

On google,  there are pages upon pages of news articles detailing crimes committed against Chinese catering workers and their businesses. Min Quan published a report in 2009 examining the extent of racism against the Chinese community, it stated that '61 per cent of their respondents had been targeted for incidents or crimes simply because they were Chinese.'

The following are extracts from the report...

"Most of my friends in the takeaway business have encountered racist incidents. One of my ex-employers had been harassed for several decades; it was not until he retired that racial harassment stopped."
"Customers do not pay bills, complain about food hygiene, pay bounced cheques, snatch food being delivered, smash shop windows, cause troubles in the shop, and more and more."
"Owners and staff of takeaways and restaurants were often targets of verbal
abuse. For example, after refusing to reduce the price of a set meal from £5 to £3, a Chinese takeaway proprietor was shouted and spat at by a 20-year-old white man."
Police were generally ineffective dealing with incidents or crimes against the Chinese, there are examples of Chinese takeaway owners being arrested for protecting their own premises whilst the perpetrators were 'let off.' The latest development in encouraging people to 'tip off' Chinese businesses is just another chapter in the long history of victimisation.

Often perceived as an pariah in a white community, what does the future hold for the Chinese takeaway? Will the Chinese takeaway gradually disappear or will they be staffed and run by non-Chinese similar to many Chinese restaurants on the continent?

Thursday 24 March 2011

David Cameron's Big Society & its British Born Chinese Architect

Big Society Tsar Lord Wei, Nat Ming Yan Wei 韋鳴恩勳爵
Ben Chu’s Independent article is a poignant story about the Chinese Housing Association 'Tung Sing' and Chinese charity 'Wai Yin' and their role in resettling his Chinese grandmother (who cannot speak English) in Manchester.
Non-profit organisations such as Tung Sing, Wai Yin and the Chinese London Law Centre (CLLC) rely heavily on government funding to provide services for the British Chinese Community, however they have become the latest to be hit by the governments cost-cutting 'Big society.'
http://www.chineselibdems.org.uk/en/article/2010/436808/fundraising-for-central-london-law-centre

"Tung Sing is grappling with the consequences of reductions to the "Supporting People" budget, a central government grant to local authorities designed to help vulnerable people, such as the infirm elderly, the disabled and people with learning difficulties, to live independent lives.”
But there is more to the ‘Big Society’ than merely austerity cuts, there is a darker ideological side, as Ben Chu explains...
“Some have a different objection to organisations such as Tung Sing and Wai Yin. By providing translators for people whose grasp of English is shaky, these bodies promote cultural segregation, discourages beneficiaries from ever learning English and fosters ghettoisation."
"Right-wing pressure group the TaxPayers' Alliance, wrote on the ConservativeHome website last year: "It's time we stopped spending taxpayers' money on a policy which keeps the different elements of our society separate rather than bringing us together." Proponents of this "translation-bad" view have had the wind in their sails since Cameron proclaimed an end to "the doctrine of state multiculturalism."
Little Englander’s have a natural aversion to these ethnic associations, any inkling of a person's ethnic heritage isn’t palatable to British society unless they have assimilated and show fluency in English. For example, look at how white washed the ethnic Tory MP's are, that is what it means to be British. Thus, the ghettoisation blame game is heavily ladened on immigrants for their failure to integrate as opposed to the indigenous population for not wanting to live next door to them.
http://bbczeitgeist.blogspot.com/2010/08/racial-and-political-landscape-of-uk.html 
What is amiss about this story is that the architect behind the Tory ' Big Society' is not Caucasian Prime Minister David Cameron, but a Chinese, to be more exact a British Born Chinese - Lord Wei, (Nat Ming Yan Wei 韋鳴恩勳爵) the youngest and the first BBC peer in the House of Lords and the third Chinese peer in total (after Baronness Dunn who resigned to avoid paying domicile tax on her global income and the late Baron Michael Chan)

Lord Wei explains the 'Big Society'  is about giving, not taking, philanthropic capital as he calls it. At face value, there are similarities with Hong Kong, in economic textbooks, Hong Kong is defined as the archetypal free market economy with small government and a strong emphasis on charity fundraising, donation and community. Indeed, Lord Wei’s ethnic heritage is Hong Kong Chinese, but that is where the similarities end. His influences are not Chinese but American, he admires George Bush's theory of Faith and the Community. Again, the UK draws inspiration from the USA, rather like Anthony Gidden's and the Third Way, the precursor of which was American Communitarianism.
He explains, “Faith is important to me, and being part of the church meant that unlike other Chinese children I was exposed to lots of people from different backgrounds,"
His background is not exactly orthodox BBC, Oxbridge alumni, his father is a pastor from Hong Kong, his wife is Chinese (on Facebook), however for some reason, one cannot stop making comparisons with those types of FOB Chinese Christian women who usually marry White men and then try to convert their local Chinese Association Chinese female friends (who are Taoist Buddhist) into joining the local Christian group. 
Chinese Confucianism doesn't just revolve around duties to your immediate family but also your extended family, but the west doesn't follow this model of thinking, it’s grandiose to expect westerners to help the community if they are unwilling to help their extended family first. Modernity demands individuals adhere to the nuclear family model and that 'career must come first.' For example, why doesn't Ben Chu himself with a cushy job as a lead writer for the independent newspaper, spare a few hours or offer financial aid to help re-house his own grandmother? Why doesn’t she just live with him instead? Why does she need to rely on the Housing Association for housing or local charity for language translation? It is because modernism demands the state or private or non-profit sector should assume responsibility for care for the elderly rather than their own family. It is also the consequence of miscegenation. The difference between having grandchildren who are pureblood Chinese and having mixed race grandchildren such as Ben Chu, the latter cannot speak Chinese, therefore cannot help their elders with translation duties. His father should have considered his grandparents needs before embarking on an interracial marriage that ultimately failed.
Its normal for many BBC's to  have parents and/or grandparents who cannot read or speak English, many parents of traditional confucian thinking reproduced children with the expectation  and a filial duty placed on them that they will care for them when they're old. BBC’s have to perform regular translation duties  accompanying elders to dentists, doctors, interviews , filling in forms etc, all manner of tasks that involve the English language. The status is technically a part time carer, yet many BBC's never consider themselves as that, it is not just a responsibility to look after elders, it is in fact a filial duty. 

The process of translation is far from easy not knowing medical technical terms in Cantonese, quite often one encounters condescending White doctor’s who say...
“How long have they been in the UK.  Why they can’t speak English after all that time? Do you have to translate everything for them?”
 Their eyes are awash with a sea of disgust when encountering patients that cannot speak English and haven’t fully assimilated to the required standards of what it means to be British.  
Many BBC’s perform these tasks that other people take for granted, BBC’s receive no credit, no accolades, no peerages, they are already performing the role of the state by providing unpaid translation. If people looked after their elders rather than dumping them on the state, that would relieve the pressure on the state, but of course nobody wants to follow the traditional extended family model, it is incompatible with modernity, that is why these ethnic Associations play such an important 'filling' role for the British Chinese Community.
Sources: Lord Wei Blog Big Society:  http://www.natwei.wordpress.com/ 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jun/22/nat-wei-big-society-adviser-conservatives"



Sunday 20 March 2011

Asian American & British Chinese Stereotypes - Which Asian are you?

An 'urban slang' glossary of Asian American Youths, caricatures stereotypes
Slightly dated, but still relevant and can be tweaked to apply to the British Chinese Community, although comparatively, there is considerably less Oriental cultural diversity in the UK. Still, take a look at the list, which Asian are you?

http://community.livejournal.com/british_chinese/45479.html

Young Asians come in many forms. It is sometimes possible to be a combination of 2 or more.

Twinkie/BANANA:
Your significant other is not Asian and never has been.
You have few Asian friends, if any.
You are embarrassed at family events because you cannot speak your language and everyone has to switch to English to communicate with you.
You have no idea that the other types of Asians on this list even exist.
You think Hello Kitty is dumb and do not know what Sanrio is.
You are the only Asian on this list that does not know what Bubble Tea is.
You drive a Ford or some other domestic car and if you drive a Honda, it is stock.


Asian-American  British Chinese:
You claim yourself as Asian, but real Asians think you're whitewashed and non-Asians see you as a foreigner. You fit in nowhere.
You have heard of Bubble Tea but have never actually had any.
You are confused about your cultural identity and express this frustration through spoken word performances at your college.
You read A. magazine and think it's great.
You do not know who Leon, Aaron, Sammi, s7even, or Kangta are.
You are only vaguely aware of the other Asians below.

YAP (YOung Asian Professional)
You are in one of these professions:
a) Medicine/ Pharmaceutical
b) Engineering
c) Finance
d) Investment Banking
e) Accounting
-You go find fellow YAPs and meet up on Thursday nights
-You did exactly what your parents wanted you to do and as a result your life is hella boring
-Your parents always talk to their friends and relatives about how much money you make. If they don;t then you're a disappointment.


Fob (Fresh Off the Boat):You were not born in America  UK.
You know who Leon, Aaron, Sammi, s7even, and Kangta are. In fact, you have seen them in concert recently.
You speak your native language fluently and so do all your friends.
You do not have any non-Asian friends.
Your parents do not speak any English.
When you speak English, you like to make everything plural.
You get extremely good grades in school.
You cannot dance.
Your fashion sense comes from whatever country you're from and you incorporate nothing from western fashion into your wardrobe.


SuperFob:
Your command of the English language is minimal and you don't care.
You like dim sum chicken feet.
You do not own a single CD, VCD, Video game, or DVD that isn't bootlegged.
Your only hangout is Chinatown.
All the lights in your house are fluorescent.
You dry your clothes outside your window.
You need a haircut.
You either smell like cigarettes or food.


Fobabee:
You are an Asian-British or Twinkie/Banana who has recently "awoken".
You have a newly found fetish of Asian girls/boys.
You have taken the Asian Studies course at college.
You are trying to learn as much as possible about your culture to make up for your lifetime of trying to be white.


Gangsta Fob:
If you are lucky, you will grow to become Fobulous Gangsta Fob.
You have shot another Asian.
Your favorite hangout is a pool hall.
When you talk, you sound like a cross between a Fob and an urban black kid.
Your hair looks silly, but no one will tell you because you'll shoot them.
You have a serious gambling problem.
You are a Rice-boy, but your mods are cheap and are never painted to match the rest of your car.
No one tells you your rice ride looks cheap because you'll shoot them.
You want to have a Tab girlfriend.


Tab (Trendy Asian B*tch):
You shop at A/X, Bebe, Banana Republic and Club Monaco. (sorry cannot find the British euivalent)
You only wear black and will occasionally wear white to "mix it up".
You do not weigh more than 105 lbs.
You have never paid for dinner at a restaurant in your life.
Platform heels are your favorite.
You are a makeup expert, in fact, you appear completely flawless.
You do not smile in public.
You are the object of desire of all Asian men and you know it.
You smoke.
Your cell phone is completely customized.
On the inside flip of your cell phone is a sticker pic of you and your man.
Somewhere in your purse is a Sanrio item.
You only date Asian and will only date a boy with a nice car.
You are often seen with Rice-boys.
You never travel alone. You are either in the company of other Tabs or your Rice-boy boyfriend.


Hoochie Tab: You are an import car model.
Your boobs are not real.
There are naked pictures of you floating around on the internet somewhere.
Stiletto heels are your favorite.
Your role models are Francine Dee and Kaila Yu  or Tila Nguyen (I think they are more 'famous' in America)
Your boyfriend is a Gangsta Fob.
You cheat on your boyfriend.
Unlike most Asians, you do not do well in school.


Rice-Boy:You drive an Asian import. Usually a Honda or Acura.
Your souped up car (known as a Rice-ride or Rice-rocket) is unrecognizable from it's original stock form.
Your exhaust pipe is big enough for your head to fit in.
The spoiler on your car looks like it was made by Boeing.
The interior of your car also looks like it was designed by Boeing.
You always drive like you are racing someone.
You are not afraid of dying in a crash, but you are afraid of speed bumps and parking lot on-ramps.
The only other person besides yourself who can sit in your car is your 105 lbs Tab girlfriend. If anyone else sits in your car, the entire bottom of it will be touching the ground.
Even though your car is a Honda, it goes faster and is worth more than a Lotus Esprit.
If you drive a Civic, your dream car is a Supra. If you drive a Supra, your dream car is a Skyline (which you can never have).


Fobulous:
You speak perfect English and you are fluent in your native language.
You have Asian friends as well as non-Asian friends.
You listen to Asian pop as well as American music.
You are equally aware of both popular American culture and Asian pop culture.
You are a good dancer.
You date Asian by choice even though you could rock the opposite sex of any other race.
You are a good designer and have superior HTML skills.
You have an Apt107 page AND an AA page and the guest books in both are packed.
For you, FOB stands for Fabulous Oriental Being.
You have lots of Asian pride.


Friday 4 March 2011

Mixed Race Chinese & those of Chinese Descent


Alexa Chung is of Chinese descent but who actually considers her to be Chinese?
A controversial discussion on Eurasian Mixed race Chinese and those of Chinese descent and their relationship with the British Chinese community.

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/18/race-identity-britain-study)
“[In the UK] 9% of children are of "mixed or multiple heritage" - that is, they live with parents from different ethnic groups, or they are themselves of mixed ethnicity. Over the past 14 years the number of children of... Chinese heritage with one white parent has risen from 15% to 35%.”

With a 133% growth over a 14 year period, is this a sign that Britain has finally embraced miscegenation and multiculturalism? What are the implications for the British Chinese community?

The statistical figures are tangible, one can physically see it in Britain's city schools, international schools and in Chinese Sunday schools there are more and more Mixed Race enrolled, yet nobody dares to question the implications. Reading the partial views of inter racially married Chinese writers on British Chinese website - Dimsum.co.uk, miscegenation is incontestable, there is no adverse critique.

Seemingly spellbound and infatuated by those who are ‘mixed race and/or of Chinese descent,’ like some unique exotic specimen, they exclaim “there are no ugly Mixed race Chinese babies,” as to imply a physically beautiful child is a form of justification for interracial breeding and marriage. Mixed race Chinese baby fetishers believe such an offspring is the apotheosis of perfection, amalgamating the best features of both races. 

The beauty argument is a double edged sword. On the one hand, a ceaseless stream of  successful beautiful celebrities with Chinese blood (i.e Keanu Reeves, Alexa Chung, Kristen Kreuk, Naomi Campbell etc) helps to perpetuate this myth, but then theres Gok Wan, he is considered below the standard of beauty. An article appeared in the Daily Mail last year of a British Chinese Male White Female couple who had TEN children. yes...TEN. I saw the photograph for myself, the kids differed in natural hair colours, some western looking with blonde hair, some looked a little Chinese, they all looked different, as nature intended, there is no guarantee of a beautiful child. One has to feel pity for those who fail to meet the stereotypical mixed race beauty expectations, its as if they failed to justify the reason why they're born. With the upside comes the downside, 'mixed race' are disproportionately judged on their appearance.


"You don’t look English? You don’t look Chinese? What are you? Where are you from?"

Even though British Born Chinese are probed with these questions too, their treatment differs from Mixed race. When a FOB meets a Mixed race who manages 5 words in Cantonese, the FOB will take a positive view..."Oh you can speak some Chinese, that's amazing!" Mixed race are not considered Chinese, its rare for them to speak the Chinese language, so the expectation is low. However, if a BBC (full blood) speaks Cantonese at a higher standard than a mixed race but not fluently, a FOB will say..."Oh your Cantonese is not good." Full blood Chinese are expected to speak it fluently, thus expectations are determined by physical appearance and mixed race are somewhat ambiguous.

In terms of identity, Mixed race can be in an very advantageous position. Their ambiguous ethnicity allows them to manipulate equal opportunities policies. Those with identity issues can metaphorically conceal their 'Chinese blood,' so they can simply claim to be...

  1. ...'White.' If that fails,  they can then "play  the race card" by jumping on 'ethnic' bandwagon by claiming to be...
  2. ...'Chinese.' In fact when that fails, they can try again a third time by claiming to be...
  3. ...'Mixed race/Other' In theory, they have three bites at the cherry, whereas a  full blood Chinese is limited to one.

This begs the question, are these successful 'mixed race' paving the way for the full blood Chinese or are they merely blocking them by stealing their opportunities?


Take  this recent example, http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/latest/view/item114698/Stratford-Eats-Takeaway 
"Britain's first British-Chinese musical, a hip hop version of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing...tells the story of Eddie Woo, a youthful dreamer and wannabe ladies’ man who works day and night in his father’s Chinese takeaway."

http://www.stephenhoo.com/HOME.html  

The leading actor in the role is Stephen Hoo. Perhaps conveniently he doesn't say where his parents are from, merely 'being proud of his heritage.' Visibly, his facial appearance screams charlatan, he is not Chinese, rather he is mixed race. Have you ever seen a Chinese White mixed race person working in a Chinese take away in the UK? Restaurant yes, takeaway no. (Gok Wan's father owned a restaurant and Tita Lau too http://www.titalauofficial.com/ ) Yet theres one playing the leading role in the musical about a Chinese Takeaway. The Chinese take-away is an iconic of representation of British Chinese culture, yet even that is not represented by a full blood Chinese.

I have been asking the same question for two decades now, why are there no famous British Born Chinese people who were born and raised in the UK (to parents who are both pure blood Chinese) and still live in the UK? (Stevie Hoang, but he's not exactly famous).


There are established factors, i.e Chinese parental discouragement, industrial discrimination of Chinese, class factors or...could it be that the few limited ‘ethnic’opportunities that arise for Chinese in the UK are all purloined by the mixed race and other non-BBC Chinese? Reading the biographical backgrounds of relatively famous British Chinese people, most are either born overseas, raised overseas, have emigrated or are mixed race (This issue will be explored in my next blog). Being optimistic, someone will come through eventually....or won't they? They now have to compete with a 133% rise in mixed race children.


Consequences of miscegenation - Genocide, Cultricide and Linguicide


In general, there are three routes.
  1. Hegemonic Western Cultural Assimilation 
  2. Multiculturalism/Biculturalism 
  3. Sinocentricism
It is common for mixed race children to enter a phase where their identity is questioned, even within a multicultural society they theorectically still have to choose which way they go. In practice however, their future is determined at birth.


Hierachy of ‘Chineseness’ (i.e how culturally Chinese you will be 1 = most 5 = Least) 
  1. Far East Raised FOB's
  2. Far East Raised emigrating Overseas
  3. Western Raised BBC's Born to Foreign Raised Parents
  4. Western raised BBC's Born to Western Raised Parents
  5. Mixed Race
The most culturally Chinese are those raised in the Far East. The least culturally Chinese are Mixed Race.  There isn't a British Chinese mixed race culture to envelop them in, so on probability, mixed race will assimilate into local hegemonic culture or 'turn native' by default.

Hierarchy of Chineseness For Mixed Race Chinese and White

1.      Chinese father, White mother
2.      White father, Chinese mother

 The least culturally Chinese will be a Mixed Chinese White baby born to a White father Chinese mother, based on personal experience, more so if its a girl than a boy.  A self-hating inter racially married Chinese female whose life ambition is to obliterate her Chinese bloodline should pray that she gives birth to a daughter.

If the Child has a Chinese father, his Chinese surname can act as a gravitational pull towards a Chinese identity, 'carrying the family name' along with its obligations is a reminder of their heritage, at least for Chinese males (females have different obligations), so it cannot be enforced by a White Father or his Chinese wife...as she has a tendency to follow her husband's culture. However, there are limits, a mixed race child is a tabula rasa, it is devoid of heritage or cultural responsibility and if it is raised in the UK, it is highly unlikely to be sinocentric. If the child doesn't become westernised in the home during its early years, it certainly will be by the time it spends a year in nursery or studying in a British school. These establishments will do their utmost to white-wash the child via socialisation and assimilation, it is not uncommon for Chinese parents to be instructed by the school or nursery not to speak Chinese in the home, it is said that speaking an alternative language to English impairs the Child's development in school causing him to lag behind in class. Consequently, servile BBC's who complied with this white-washing route are well educated, mastering Latin and French, yet they can't speak their own ethnic Chinese language. Generally, by raising a child in the west,  the overall odds for racial, cultural and linguistic preservation are poor, irrespective of ethnic parenting variations.

It gets worse. Statistically, according to 2001 census, mixed race are more likely to marry inter racially than any other race, its not uncommon for their partner also to be mixed race like themselves but not necessarily the same mix nor Mixed race Chinese. Its  rare for a mixed race Chinese to marry a full blood Chinese. There are exceptions of course, Jamie Cho whose partner is British Taiwanese chef Ching He Huang. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Cho


Posterity 

British mixed race Chinese are barely Chinese, neither in physical shape, cultural form nor linguistically, if they themselves are incapable of upholding their Chineseness, then their offspring are certainly not going to do it.


A topical example, Polly Samson (of Chinese descent).   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_Samson 
The mother of Charlie Gilmour who was arrested for his part in the student riots in London late last year. There is nothing Chinese about her or her son, if it wasn't reported in the press, nobody would know she had Chinese blood.  

And...if a full blood Chinese has an child with a half White half Chinese partner, the child will be 75% 3/4 Chinese. Will a 75% Chinese uphold their Chineseness? There is a famous example, Alexa Chung. Alexa Chung's father is 75% 3/4 Chinese,
"I'm 3/8 Chinese 5/8 English. A very silly fraction. Less than a half,more that a quarter."  http://twitter.com/alexa_chung/status/3368205919 
Her father did not marry a Chinese, he married a White woman. How Chinese is their '3/8 Chinese' daughter? Alexa Chung is basically a White woman who will marry a White guy or a non-Chinese mixed race.

It is puzzling as to why mixed race are 'considered' part of the British Chinese community. Mona Hammond who played Blossom Jackson in Eastenders has a Chinese father,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Hammond yet it is doubtful a Chinese person would consider her to be Chinese, but Black, she has never played a Chinese role in her life. Maybe exceptions are made for Alexa Chung et al because She is mixed race Chinese and White Caucasian and has White skin as opposed to Black skin. Or perhaps the fact there are no famous British Born Chinese people (full bloods raised and live in UK) with celebrity status, so mixed race are the next best thing, rather like clutching straws. Chinese people really do wish that Alexa Chung can speak Chinese so they can proudly claim "She's one of ours and she's an A-list."

However, merely being mixed race or biracial or of 'Chinese descent' flatters to deceive, it doesn't follow that a half White half Chinese person will be bi-cultural,  they will rarely reflect 50% British culture and 50% Chinese culture, culturally its likely to be nearer 90% non-Chinese 10% Chinese, whereas their children in the next generation (as in case of Alexa Chung i.e who has a pureblood Chinese grandparent) will be culturally 0% Chinese. They cannot speak Chinese, they do not look Chinese, they do not follow Chinese culture, they do not identify themselves with other Chinese people, their social or dating circles are not Chinese, nor do many Chinese people perceive mixed race as being Chinese. In the west, miscegenation is the start of a slippery descent into multi-generational cultricide, genocide and linguicide, it is extremely unlikely the following generations will re-breed with Chinese and yet amusingly they can claim to be Chinese by virtue of a Han Chinese relative high up the family tree.