Asian pride
Encyclopedia
Asian pride is an Asian-American youth-originated slogan
. The slogan is used as an appeal to the formation of a common, shared group-identity by people of East Asian, Southeast Asian and sometimes South Asian descent living in Western societies.
itself. This is greatly due to a distinctly low population of visibly non-Asian immigrants in Asian nations, thereby removing much of the motivation and incentive for an association with the term 'Asian pride' and its practices.
The term 'Asian pride' does not necessarily refer to an active political movement
, and therefore currently holds no true political influence in any nations in which it may be present and/or considered "active."
Much of the term's recent popularity among Asian American youth is believed to have stemmed from lyrics by a popular rap song titled "Got Rice?" The song, Got Rice?
, is an overlay of African American
hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur
's song "Changes
, and preaches, in American rap-style, the claimed superiority of Asian values over those of other ethnic groups.
'Asian pride' is known to be often employed by Asian American
youth to describe a sense of connection to other Asians, even if their countries of origin may potentially differ. The term 'Asian Pride' is often written in camelcase
and/or spelled in variant forms such "AZN Pryde."
In North America
, Asian pride is often exhibited by those with ancestry in East Asia
, Southeast Asia
or a combination of both. In Britain, the term appears not only with those whose ancestry originates from East Asia
, Southeast Asia
or a combination of both, but also by those with South Asia
n ancestry (as a result of a high South Asia
n immigrant population).
Asian pride is generally a phase of many Asian youth, particularly of middle or high school ages, when the urge to be 'part of something' is greatest. Typically, North American youth of Asian origin will outgrow "Asian pride", as such sentiment tend to be divisive and limited in the multicultural environment that is experience by most youth in university or in the workplace.
, Pakistani nationalism
, Chinese nationalism
, Korean nationalism
, and/or Japanese nationalism
.
In this particular sense, the peoples of each respective nation do not necessarily support the generalization and association with other Asian groups as normally advertised and accepted by overseas Asian pride groups. Furthermore, some disagreement is said to have stemmed from both current and former negative relations between Asian nations. (See Anti-Japanese sentiment
, Anti-Korean sentiment
, Sinophobia
, Indophobia
).
and social workers have interpreted the declaration of 'Asian Pride' to signify membership to gangs and a precursor to violence.
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
. The slogan is used as an appeal to the formation of a common, shared group-identity by people of East Asian, Southeast Asian and sometimes South Asian descent living in Western societies.
Background and usage
Modern usage of the term originated among Asian American youth and is not widely recognized and/or particularly endorsed in AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
itself. This is greatly due to a distinctly low population of visibly non-Asian immigrants in Asian nations, thereby removing much of the motivation and incentive for an association with the term 'Asian pride' and its practices.
The term 'Asian pride' does not necessarily refer to an active political movement
Political movement
A political movement is a social movement in the area of politics. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social group...
, and therefore currently holds no true political influence in any nations in which it may be present and/or considered "active."
Popularity among Asian American youths
Currently, Asian American youth are seen to be largest group of persons aware of the term, involved with the term and actively displaying characteristics related to the term and its respective practices.Much of the term's recent popularity among Asian American youth is believed to have stemmed from lyrics by a popular rap song titled "Got Rice?" The song, Got Rice?
Got Rice?
The phrase "Got Rice?" is a term that was coined by Asian American youth in the 1990s shortly after the original "Got Milk?" advertising campaign for the California Milk Board in 1993. The phrase has since come to be used as a symbol for the cohesiveness of Asian American cultural identity and...
, is an overlay of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
's song "Changes
Changes (Tupac song)
"Changes" is a hip hop song by the late Tupac Shakur, the song was originally recorded during his tenure at Interscope records in 1992. Changes was later remixed during 1997-1998. The song re-uses lines from another 2Pac song called "I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto" which was recorded during the...
, and preaches, in American rap-style, the claimed superiority of Asian values over those of other ethnic groups.
'Asian pride' is known to be often employed by Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
youth to describe a sense of connection to other Asians, even if their countries of origin may potentially differ. The term 'Asian Pride' is often written in camelcase
CamelCase
CamelCase , also known as medial capitals, is the practice of writing compound words or phrases in which the elements are joined without spaces, with each element's initial letter capitalized within the compound and the first letter either upper or lower case—as in "LaBelle", "BackColor",...
and/or spelled in variant forms such "AZN Pryde."
In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Asian pride is often exhibited by those with ancestry in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
or a combination of both. In Britain, the term appears not only with those whose ancestry originates from East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
or a combination of both, but also by those with South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n ancestry (as a result of a high South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n immigrant population).
Asian pride is generally a phase of many Asian youth, particularly of middle or high school ages, when the urge to be 'part of something' is greatest. Typically, North American youth of Asian origin will outgrow "Asian pride", as such sentiment tend to be divisive and limited in the multicultural environment that is experience by most youth in university or in the workplace.
Internal disagreement between Asian populations
Although the concept of "Asian Pride" is present in Overseas-Asian communities, those who have immigrated directly from Asia, as well as those who prefer to not associate themselves with the pride movement, are often unfamiliar with the term; however, generally do not show notable disagreement or hostility towards the term and/or the "movement." Most commonly, disagreement over the term 'Asian pride' and its most frequently observed practices, originate from ideologies of Indian nationalismIndian nationalism
Indian nationalism refers to the many underlying forces that molded the Indian independence movement, and strongly continue to influence the politics of India, as well as being the heart of many contrasting ideologies that have caused ethnic and religious conflict in Indian society...
, Pakistani nationalism
Pakistani nationalism
Pakistani nationalism refers to the political, cultural, linguistic, historical and religious expression of patriotism by people of Pakistan, of pride in the history, culture, identity and heritage of Pakistan, and visions for its future....
, Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in a unified country known as China...
, Korean nationalism
Korean nationalism
Korean nationalism refers to nationalism among the Korean people. In the Korean context, this encompasses various of movements throughout history to maintain the Korean cultural identity, history, and ethnicity.-History:...
, and/or Japanese nationalism
Japanese nationalism
encompasses a broad range of ideas and sentiments harbored by the Japanese people over the last two centuries regarding their native country, its cultural nature, political form and historical destiny...
.
In this particular sense, the peoples of each respective nation do not necessarily support the generalization and association with other Asian groups as normally advertised and accepted by overseas Asian pride groups. Furthermore, some disagreement is said to have stemmed from both current and former negative relations between Asian nations. (See Anti-Japanese sentiment
Anti-Japanese sentiment
Anti-Japanese sentiment involves hatred, grievance, distrust, dehumanization, intimidation, fear, hostility, and/or general dislike of the Japanese people and Japanese diaspora as ethnic or national group, Japan, Japanese culture, and/or anything Japanese. Sometimes the terms Japanophobia and...
, Anti-Korean sentiment
Anti-Korean sentiment
Anti-Korean sentiment involves hatred or dislike for Korean people, culture or either of the two states on the Korean peninsula.- Origins :...
, Sinophobia
Sinophobia
Sinophobia or anti-Chinese sentiment is the fear of or dislike of China, its people, overseas Chinese, or Chinese Culture...
, Indophobia
Indophobia
Indophobia refers to hostility towards Indians and Indian culture. Indophobia is formally defined in the context of anti-Indian prejudice in East Africa and Australia as follows: "Indophobia is a tendency to react negatively towards people of Indian...
).
Interpretations
Some counselorsLicensed Professional Counselor
Licensed professional counselor is a licensure for mental health professionals. The exact title varies by state, but the other most frequently used title is licensed mental health counselor . Several U.S. states, including Illinois, Maine, and Tennessee, have implemented a two-tier system whereby...
and social workers have interpreted the declaration of 'Asian Pride' to signify membership to gangs and a precursor to violence.
See also
- Pan-AsianismPan-AsianismPan-Asianism is an ideology or a movement that Asian nations unite and solidify and create a continental identity to defeat the designs of the Western nations to perpetuate hegemony.-Japanese Asianism:...
- Black prideBlack prideBlack pride is a slogan indicating pride in being black. Related movements include black nationalism and Afrocentrism.The slogan has been used in the United States by African Americans to celebrate heritage and personal pride. The black pride movement is closely linked with the developments of the...
- Brown prideBrown prideBrown pride may refer to the gang Brown Pride or the brown pride movement in the United States.-Description:The slogan has been used by mestizo Latinos to denote a feeling of self-respect, celebrating one's heritage, and being proud of one's personal worth...
- White prideWhite prideWhite pride is a slogan indicating pride in being white. The slogan has been adopted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations.White pride advocates claim that there is a cultural double standard in which only certain ethnic groups are permitted to openly express pride in their heritage, and...
External links
- Between Two Worlds: Born in the U.S.A. to Asian Parents, a Generation of Immigrants' Kids Forges a New Identity, a Time magazineTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
article from their January 16, 2006 issue - Asian Pride: Asians Fanlisting, a fanlisting for the Asian culture
- Asian Pride Calligraphy, Translations of Asian Pride / AZN Pryde in Chinese/Japanese/Korean