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Chinese nationality should not define self

By: Michelle Hu <mhu@hilite.org>

On Nov. 5, one of the authors of Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt, wrote on his New York Times blog: “Economist Roland Fryer has done research on ‘acting white,’ i.e. the phenomenon by which black children who excel academically are stigmatized by their peers.

“Recently, he was in a New York City school and asked some of the seventh graders he was talking to whether they had ever heard the phrase ‘acting white.’

“The kids laughed at him and said, ‘Of course, but that’s old school. Now it’s called ‘acting Asian.’”

So I guess it’s out in the open now. Being Asian or even acting Asian construes someone who excels academically. Let’s really analyze this saying, though, by starting with the topic of this Acumen issue: identity.

There are two acronyms Asians-specifically Chinese people here-identify themselves by: ABC (American Born Chinese) and OBC (Overseas Born Chinese).

With that said, some Chinese students, like me, still have an identity issue because there’s no acronym of OBCA: Overseas Born Chinese-American. It’s why we have such a difficulty assimilating into American culture, especially since we usually don’t refer to ourselves as Asian-American but rather just Asian.

I was born in China, but moved here at age 2, so it’s not like I don’t fit in with Americans here. I don’t have an accent, I grew up watching Britney Spears knock on people’s doors in Hawaii and surprise them with a birthday party and I could recite all the “Miss Suzy” songs. You know, “Miss Suzy had a sailboat, the sailboat had a bell, ‘Ding ding!’” and so on.

But as time goes on, I’ve noticed more and more that we become what our stereotypes presume is to be. Certainly, not every Asian is the same, but we generally have the same characteristics. We have stacks of SAT prep or AP review books (mine are probably quadruple the amount of textbooks I use for school), we’re incredibly cheap (I’ve waited in line for 10 hours at Best Buy to get some awesome deals on laptops, such as the one I’m currently typing on that I bought for $250) and we love discussing school-related topics (I can’t remember the last time I spent a day without talking about a difficult class or test coming up).

Even though we basically grow into our stereotypes, I still can’t say for sure with whom Asian-Americans identify. As second-generation immigrants, we live, still, with parents who grew up during the Cultural Revolution in China. Parents who, in school, had their grades posted at the top of the board for everyone to see. Parents who worked hard their entire lives just to bring us to a better world. We’re not far enough down the line to live in a home that is, say, completely free of strange smells like dried mushrooms. We’re also subject to frequent calls back to China in late February, a.k.a. Chinese New Year, and most importantly, we have to live up to our parents’ expectations of grades and school.

So who exactly are we? Are we Americans that focus on just living life to the fullest, doing the best we can and having more goals in life than just shooting for that elusive 2,400? Or, are we Chinese who need to get into Harvard just to make our parents happy, freak out when we don’t score about a 97 percent on a test and become either doctors or lawyers?

Our identity issues are unique. Our parents have identities of immigrants that grew up in China and are living in the United States to provide better lives for their children. Our children will probably have identities of American kids who have at least one Chinese parent, might be able to speak Chinese, but overall, will be American.

Our generation is in a certain position of confusion. We honestly don’t know who to identify with, because there are different influences all around us. The influences are probably going to be there for the rest of our lives, which is why our identity issues will also exist until then.

When the chameleon loses its camoflauge

By: Jack Boeglin <jboeglin@hilite.org>

The concept of the chameleon has long fascinated me. The invisible observer; the hidden viewing everything around it. When I chose to pursue this course in my relation to the debate team, the team I am required to follow for the HiLite, I suspected I would be that hidden presence, that I would be unnoticeable.
I decided that I would go undercover, so to speak, and behave like a member of the team for one meet, but stay out of sight as much as possible.

As is the general rule with such well-formed, idealistic plans, nothing of this sort occurred. I had the mixed fortune of teaming with senior James Peng, team captain and one of the most impressive individuals I’ve ever met. The blessing was that James was the most skilled debater I saw in the tournament I attended, and he was my partner. The curse was that he was the most skilled debater I saw in the tournament I attended and I, completely and totally inexperienced, was his partner.

Any hope of remaining invisible is dashed when you are placed with the best person on the team. Whether the attention you are given is positive or negative, people are aware of your presence when you are the novice paired with the team captain. And with it went the prospect of being a chameleon.

The new goal became not to be hidden, but to be successful. I did research, I went to the meetings, I held long phone calls with James, I made note-sheets for preparation.

Of course, I lost all of my notes and research the morning of the meet. But that’s another story.

I don’t think that anyone, even someone more prepared, who had never debated before could have gone to that meet and kept pace with James. I certainly didn’t. After stumbling through my first four-minute speech, which I considered a general success, one of the opponents and I participated in a two-minute cross-fire. It was time for James’ first speech; he walked up to the podium with a few disparate notes he has scribbled on a half-sheet of paper and proceeded to tear apart our opponents’ points one-by-one, all the while effortlessly seaming in evidence, seemingly indestructible expert testimonials and heartfelt appeals.

It was one of the only moments of true mastery that I’d ever witnessed from a person of my age, and the impression it made on me was all the more impressive for it. Granted, I knew that James had gone to nationals for speech last year, but this was unprecedented. I took speech sophomore year. I was good at speech, but no speech I had ever seen given by a high-school student could come close to comparing with James’ extemporaneous talk, which he gave after a total of eight seconds, EIGHT SECONDS of silent prep-time.

It wasn’t until we reached this point that I realized what I had gotten into. I could not be as good as James, this much was clear. What wasn’t clear was how much my performance would bring him down. I decided that I would use every tool in my limited palette to not be the iceberg that would sink the Titanic that was James Peng.

The meet got increasingly competitive for us at this point. At some points it was awkward because about half of the kids from the other schools knew, or knew of, James, and no one knew me, but mainly it was just intense, a word I wouldn’t have used to describe debate before I actually went behind the scenes and tried to do it.

Anyway, after our fourth and final match, James and I had no idea of what our record would be, much less our placing, if any, in the meet. There were around 15 teams in varsity public forum, the largest competitive section at the meet, and only five would be awarded. We know we would have to have gone 3-1 at least to even have a chance at the top five.

After a seemingly interminable time in which the other categories were awarded, we reached varsity public forum. Fifth didn’t go to us. Fourth didn’t go to us. Third didn’t go to us. Second did…wait, what, CARMEL! TEAM OF PENG AND BOEGLIN!

Yep. James and I got second at the invitational at Logansport. When we got back our score sheets, it was obvious that James was the primary reason for this. He received 95/96 possible points. I received something like 85/96. It didn’t matter, though. I was so much happier than I ever could have imagined a debate meet could make me.

And that is when I realized that being a chameleon hidden in a tree is not half as fun as being second to the king in the jungle. Jack Boeglin is a perspectives editor for the HiLite. Contact him at jboeglin@hilite.org.

Students observe dual religious holidays

By: Tim Chai <tchai@hilite.org>

Lugging dusty boxes of ornaments from the basement, sophomore Jordan Metz carefully laid the various memorabilia in front of a large, barren evergreen tree. In the hallway across the hall, his parents polished their Hanukkah menorah. Like every past December, the Metz family will celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah this month.

“We’ve been celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah since I can remember. It’s a family tradition to do both,” Jordan said.

Metz is among a few students at this school whose religious identities are not clear-cut. While such a background is not common, it is occurring more often. According to a Msnbc.com article, an increasing number of people in the United States come from mixed-religious backgrounds.

According to Metz, his family has both Jewish and Christian roots. In order to keep their Jewish heritage, he said that they celebrate both Jewish and Christian holidays. Metz said he identifies himself as Jewish.

“When my parents married, they believed in different faiths,” Metz said. “I think that celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas is a way to keep both family traditions and heritage.

“I’ve never been pressured to choose one side or another. I chose to be Jewish because I believe in its ideologies more.”

According to the same article on Msnbc.com, the increasing trend of mixed-religious opportunities is caused in part by an increase in marriages between religions.

“We go to Temple sometime and worship during the major Jewish holidays. For Hanukkah, we light a menorah and open presents over the holiday period. For Christmas, we don’t go to mass or anything, but we do decorate the tree and open presents on Christmas morning.”

Metz is not the only student here with such a religious background. Sophomore Allison Stamer said that she is also in Metz’s situation.

“I actually know the Metz family pretty well. We celebrate some of the Jewish holidays together,” Stamer said. According Stamer, she celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah as well.

She said, “My parents are good about letting me choose my religious affiliation. If I wanted to Christian, that’s great. If I want to be Jewish, they support my decision. Whatever I choose, they’ll just support my decisions.”

On the other hand, sophomore Audrey Chambers said she also celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas. However, she identifies herself with the Christian faith.

Chambers said, “My mom was Jewish before she married my dad. Basically, when my parents got married, my mom converted to Christianity. We celebrate Hanukkah in part to keep my mom’s side’s Jewish heritage going.”

Chambers said, “We don’t see my maternal relatives that often. I think celebrating Hanukkah is a way to keep in touch with my mom’s side of the family. We light the menorah in addition to decorating the Christmas tree.”

Chambers said, “I think religion is a personal choice. I grew up in a Christian household, and I identify with Christian ideas. But, if I wanted to be Jewish, I’m sure that my parents would whole-heartedly support my decision.”

As for Jordan, he said that he will continue to celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah for the years to come.

“When I tell people that I celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, I usually get the response, ‘Wow, you get double the presents.’ And while that may not be entirely true, it is great to open presents over a period of a few weeks.”

Protesting the emasculated Beowulf

By: John Shi <jshi@hilite.org>

When I saw Zemeckis’s theatrical rendition of Beowulf last week in 3-D (the only way to appreciate it, in my opinion), I was disappointed to find that the glory, power and sheer testosterone-driven story was tempered by modern liberal influences that are clearly at odds with the masculine-dominated culture of middle-age England, the breeding ground of the original work.

Don’t get me wrong, much of the movie does great justice to the original poem. Fire-breathing monsters, remarkable feats of strength, beer and sexual innuendo constitute major elements of the plotline as they well should in accordance with the original piece. Beowulf himself (played by Ray Winstone) is a powerfully chiseled specimen of manliness, grunting his way into battle and showcasing his awesome strength by brutally destroying all that stand in his path in order to achieve gold, glory and women.
The values that the original poem represents are certainly contrary to post-Christian values of humbleness, charity and abstinence (virginity was also important during Beowulf’s culture–but only for women). And in that sense, the glorification of wealth, power, pride and self-righteousness is evident in the film; Beowulf is drowned in gold pieces after slaying Grendel, he becomes the king of the Danes and conquers the weak to advance his kingdom and estate.

Yet, the portrayal of these events is not quite parallel to what the original Beowulf poet would have intended in his work. The differences aren’t immediately obvious but are nonetheless important testaments to Hollwood’s and our society’s political and social views. For example, in the original work, Grendel is portrayed as the epitome of evil, contrasted against Beowulf, the embodiment of all that was celebrated as right and good.

But in a society and age in which masculinity is de-emphasized and revisionism looms large, the testosterone-charged story with a clear-cut good v. evil theme gets a subtle reworking by Hollywood. Gone is the clear dichotomy between darkness and good. Instead, we are encouraged to relate to the humanity of the monsters and conversely to sense the subtle monster in Beowulf.

There is a scene in which Grendel is crying to himself while being comforted by his mother after being given a vicious pounding by Beowulf; here, Grendel seems less like a monster and more like a big baby who has been unjustly injured by an unstoppable bully. And when Grendel’s mom cries out in despair and rage, the film asks us to understand her sadness and desire, to understand her quest to avenge her son’s untimely demise.

Our historic hero, Beowulf, also undergoes a character transformation more fitting of today’s liberal world-view. No longer the shining knight and crowning prince of goodness, we are encouraged to discover the darker side in the blameless man represented in the original work. He becomes seduced, is unfaithful, struggles with his morality and greed, and at one point even remarks that he is weak, something our historical Beowulf could never have said.

Our society might find this rendition of a more sensitive, less macho Beowulf to be apropos in light of our modern tendency to critique all history in an egalitarian light.

But I disagree. This liberalization of the original Beowulf story strikes me as unfortunate bias and a disservice to the image of the hero as the author originally intended. And even if we don’t celebrate the same values that Beowulf’s society did, I take issue with the revisionist interpretation of the original work. In the original poem, Beowulf slays Grendel’s mom in a powerful triumph of good over evil. But in the movie, Beowulf instead falls into adultery (even stranger, Grendel’s mom turns out to be highly endowed and attractive).

This discrepency sets the stage for an entire film that departs perhaps too much from the original work–a case of Hollywoodization gone awry. I can understand adapting a literary work to appeal more to modern audiences, but this isn’t about adding extra romance, action, or humor; what Zemekis has done is to fundamentally restructure the message of Beowulf in an effort to pander to today’s liberal mindset. That I take issue with. John Shi is a managing editor for the HiLite. Contact him at jshi@hilite.org.

Varied views on homosexuality give way to intellectual discourse

By: Meher Ahmad <mahmad@hilite.org>

Teagan Sachs, president of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) and senior, feels fairly comfortable talking about her sexuality. “I am a lesbian. Don’t hate me for who I love; I don’t hate you for who you love,” Sachs said.

The opinions on homosexuality of the students here, though not often voiced, are large and varying. Their beliefs shape atmosphere in the school today. But, according to those who oppose homosexuality, they treat their peers with the respect they deserve.

Kristina Hartman, counselor and GSA sponsor, said she often sees discrimination based on sexual preferences in the high school, but nothing out of the ordinary in comparison to other forms of teasing. “There is some teasing if students are aware of someone’s sexuality,” she said. “A lot of students aren’t aware. There is some confusion with their identity at this age, but even with students who are aware, they are hesitant to express themselves. High school is a microcosm society; it is hard to be different anyways.”

Elliot R. Smith, professor of psychology at Indiana University, said that the responses some have to homosexuals are uncontrollable. “Many people’s emotional reactions can’t be controlled. Even if they try and control it, they still feel that emotion. In some ways, people who have deep rooted feelings that cannot be turned off,” Smith said.

Many students who oppose homosexuality can link their opinions to upbringing and religion. Junior Morgan Parham is one of the many students who disagree with homosexuality. “It’s unnatural and against the will of God. God didn’t create people to be that way. It’s supposed to be a boy and a girl, that’s how God created people,” Parham said.

Senior Skylar Blackburn feels much the same way. “I don’t believe its right. Marriage and intimacy is held between a man and a woman,” said Blackburn. Religion plays a major role in Blackburn’s decision as well. “That is the big question, is it on the side of God? I believe it isn’t.”

Regardless of their beliefs, however, Parham and Blackburn still maintain their friendships with their homosexual friends. “I’m friends with them. They are people as well. I accept the fact that I can’t change the way they are,” Blackburn said.

Parham’s opinions are similar as well. “I have a couple of friends that are gay, and I don’t think any less of them. I just don’t think its right.”

Sachs feels that the discrimination gay students face in the high school is less subtle than what they may face outside of school. “It’s not obvious. A lot of people find something else to pick on once they know about your sexuality,” Sachs said.

In a school where individuality is encouraged, many wonder if students are doing enough to discourage discrimination. “Carmel is pretty typical of Midwest. The Midwest in general is fairly conservative, with the exception of a few towns and college campuses,” Hartman said.

Interestingly, Sachs finds that discrimination is heightened when she visits college campuses. “I don’t get a lot (of discrimination) here, but a lot more on college campuses. Someone threw something at me and my girlfriend when we were walking by and shouted something.”

Junior Fredrick Boyd has faced similar behavior in a college situation. “I’ve been yelled at, gawked at, called a fag. Pretty much everything,” said Boyd. “I don’t let it get to me though. You learn to build a wall around yourself, so it makes no difference.”

What some overlook, however, is the role of religion in gay life. “I am a Christian lesbian,” Sachs said. “The members of my church accept me for who I am. Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Boyd also studies religious texts such as the Bible frequently. “People see a couple of words and overdo it,” said Boyd. Sachs agrees with Boyd at this point. “People take the Bible very literally. But everyone is welcome to their own opinion,” Sachs said.

Hartman feels that this school has done a fairly good job at keeping discrimination to a lower standard than other Midwest schools. “I feel we are extremely lucky to have a GSA and an administration that accepts a GSA. I don’t see a lot of opposition from students. I do feel we have quite a few of students who support the GSA,” Hartman said.

The overall consensus of the students interviewed is this: agree to disagree. While many students feel that the homosexuality is wrong, they choose to ignore that fact when it comes to their friends.

Chinese middle class key to democracy

By: Tian Yang <tyang@hilite.org>

If the words “democracy” or “Tiananmen Square Massacre” are entered into Google.cn, the search results usually generate no hits if the user is in China. A miniature cartoon police man will also pop up on the screen reminding internet users to obey online policies. In addition to the list of banned sites are political blogs, BBC News and Voice of America, according to “Staring Down the Censors” by Oliver August in Nov. 3’s issue of Wired magazine. This is the state of censorship in China, the same that was present while I was there this past August.

While U.S. consumers continue to grow aghast by the number of lead-tainted products or poisoned pet foods reported from Chinese exports, the average Chinese citizen faces the same type of danger every day. I experienced first hand the fear of eating poisoned foods in a family friend I traveled with in China. Due to corruption in government departments there is no reliable regulation for food and drugs in China. Yet Chinese citizens have no political voice. Stories about public disturbances usually go through government filters, which censor them depending whether the government feels threatened.

The Communist Party feels so threatened by the dissemination of information via electronic communication that its surveillance tactics make the Bush administration wiretappings look tiny by comparison. According to August, China has recently added a new technology to its surveillance called “The Golden Shield” (the Great Firewall of China). He reported that this giant firewall consists of many individual firewalls with central computers and servers. The internet traffic is then filtered through the shield which blocks out the “banned” urls and punishes users who try to access these sites with a 30-second to 30-minute “time-out.” With this new filter, the Chinese government continues to try to control information.

This desire for control has even extended to the tracking of foreign journalists next year at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. An article from the Associated Press on Nov. 12, reported that the Chinese government has begun compiling a database of around 28,000 foreign journalists who are expected to be in Beijing next summer. This report apparently contradicts the promises of greater media freedom made when the Chinese government first made its bid for the Olympics.

But what is perhaps most alarming is that in Time’s “China’s Me Generation,” Simon Elegant reports that of the 20-some-year-olds interviewed in his story, none of them would discuss politics. One of these people, Silence Chen, was quoted as saying, “There’s nothing we can do about politics. So there’s no point in talking about it or getting involved.” Yet, Chen is not some oppressed citizen who has been forced to give up his political ideologies. He is an account executive with a successful advertising firm in Beijing. Chen, a member of the emerging new middle class in China, is rather apathetic about the current political atmosphere as long as the party continues to provide him with the current economic growth. While this seems to mirror the current apolitical atmosphere in the U.S., the difference lies in that the citizens in China do not currently possess our political freedoms. This current picture of the middle class does not paint a rosy picture for further human rights in China. Without a strong middle class backing, no movement for democracy in China will succeed.

Although these issues may not concern Americans, it is important to keep in mind that China represents a growing world power that may compete with the U.S. hegemony in the world sphere. When this does occur, I believe that the U.S. would prefer to work with a democratic China rather than an authoritarian one. The key to a democratic China is again, the new middle class.

But mobilizing the middle class isn’t impossible. This past year, August reported that the Chinese government caused an uproar online over its decision to ban eight controversial books. After vigorous protests by their authors and supporters, the books were put back on the shelf and the official who had censored them was fired. This proves that if there’s enough agitation to the middle class, it will protest and the government will accommodate rather than risk another social upheaval.

The key to mobilizing the middle class, however, is information. The reason behind the government’s heavy censorship of the Internet and other electronic means of communication is the power of the masses. E-mail, blogs and forums represent a means to quickly disseminate information to many users. More and more people are airing their grievances with the government online and some complaints have sparked action.

According to August, in 2003 the death of a young migrant worker in police detention in Guangzhou led his friends to protest on discussion boards, which then sparked a campaign for migrant law reform and police accountability. Gradually tens of thousands of Chinese and even the mainstream media, which is controlled by the government, joined in. It eventually led the government to revoke a law requiring all migrant workers to have special identity papers.

These incidents prove that democratic progress in China is possible, but it requires a broad support. This will only occur when China’s “me” generation feels that politics is an issue to address and when it becomes agitated by government restrictions, it will lobby for change. Tian Yang is the Acumen editor for the HiLite. Contact her at tyang@hilite.org.

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