Godfrey Gao

Identity & Awokening

Stages of Identity

Conformity: This stage is characterized by a trivialization or minimization of race and racial dynamics. Asian Americans want to assimilate into the White community and do not see themselves as racialized beings, often viewing the world as color-blind. Adopting a conformity worldview also involves an internalization of the values, norms, and beliefs of the dominant culture and a devaluation of Asian Americans and Asian culture, values, and norms. In this status, individuals do not progress until they are exposed to alternative worldviews regarding their racial identity or are personally subjected to racial discrimination.

When your young , you do not see the world as colored. Everyone seemed equal. “Asian” , “Black” , “White” were just words, not attached to complex meanings. But at this stage, it also means dissociating with being asian. Did you bring you rice box to school , but only wanted to eat sandwhiches because you were ashamed of eating Asian food? At one point , all of us tried to conform. We tried to be white.

It seems that most of us do not acknowledge that racism exists , or that we are seen as minorities , or outsiders. Some of us may legitimately not know , but some of us are purposely ignorant to the realities of the situation. The purpose of this book , is to ultimately enlighten you on the reality of being an Asian male , in hopes that you can leave the matrix, and take the pill.

Dissonance: The development of the dissonance status of racial identity begins to evolve as Asian Americans continue to encounter experiences that suggest that race may be related to the differential treatment of both themselves and others. Events such as witnessing acts of overt white racism, being the object of racial stereotypes, and gaining an awareness of Eurocentrism may act as powerful catalysts. This status is often marked by “anxiety, confusion, and racial ambivalence”. Asian Americans begin to reevaluate White norms and explore the Asian and Asian American communities. Individuals begin to question their inherent acceptance of White norms and their belief that all races are treated equally.

But then at some point , the racism of the world gets to you. You question why these events happen to you. You question why you are the object of racial stereotypes , over and over again. You question why you are asked “ Where are you really from?”, as if you aren’t american , even though you were born here. And why, always at the roots of racism is the implication that whiteness is superior , but you are not.

But to those who have been enlightened , who have experienced the troubles , the toils , the racism from being Asian , or by educating ourselves , we can see through the smokescreen of invisible cultural , legal , and institutional oppression instigated by the white supremacy. But what is white supremacy? That will be explained soon!

Immersion and Emersion: Cognitively, the immersion status is characterized by a dualistic racial worldview based on an idealization of all aspects of Asian or Asian American culture and a denigration of all white individuals and white culture. The emersion status is characterized by a sense of commonality and solidarity with Asian Americans and support for Asian American–related issues. Asian Americans in immersion and emersion typically educate themselves through Asian American studies courses, participation in ethnic organizations, or community involvement. In light of such racial worldviews, the emotional intensity of the immersion and emersion statuses may range from euphoria and pride in Asian Americans to anger and hostility toward whites.

One day , you realized that the world is not colorbind , and that everyone views people thru colored lenses. You realize that in your whole life , at one point or another , that your experiences have been colored by your race . So you take pride who you are , to fight against the daily doses of Racism , Stereotypes that you experience every day. You have Asian Pride. #PanAsianism. #AZNPRIDE.

Internalization: Asian Americans in the internalization status begin to develop their racial identity from a personally meaningful perspective rather than in response to socially imposed definitions of being Asian American. Alvarez described this status as striking a delicate balance between personal and group definitions while also developing a more critical perspective of their community. Whereas everything Asian American was seen as good and positive in the previous status, negative aspects are also taken into consideration, thereby providing a more realistic assessment of the community. Integrative Awareness: The integrative awareness status is the most mature status, in which the individual’s “sense of self-esteem is rooted in a self-affirming definition of oneself as an Asian American”. In this status, Asian Americans are also able to integrate multiple identities into their self-concept, such as their gender and sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status — into a holistic concept of self that is inclusive of the various facets of one’s personhood.

But then you realize , that not all is well with the Asian American community. It still needs work. You may realize that some Asians who seem to proud to be Asian simultaneously undercurrents of internalized racism. (What is that? Explained Later…) You may realize that even though we have Asian american activist organizations are devoted to a particular side of the Asian american community , but seem to avoid the other side……

The Goal

Asian Americans in the Internalization status begin to develop their racial identity from a personally meaningful perspective rather than in response to socially imposed definitions of being Asian American (Alvarez, 2002). Alvarez described this status as striking a delicate balance between personal and group definitions while also developing a more critical perspective of their community. Whereas everything Asian American was seen as good and positive in the previous status, negative aspects are also taken into consideration, thereby providing a more realistic assessment of the community. The integrative awareness status is the most mature status, in which the individual’s “sense of self-esteem [is] rooted in a self-affirming definition of oneself as an Asian American” (Alvarez, 2002, p. 40).

This is the ultimate goal. This is the mount Everest of the Asian American Community. You should have pride and be proud to be Asian, yet critical of both positive and negative points of the community. You should be proud of being an Asian Man or ( An asian women) . We face many troubles , but we are Asian , and our motherlands have long ancient histories that we should all be proud of. Our masculinity may be taken by the white male , but we can form our own definition of Masculinity that is uniquely asian , and better then the misogynistic masculinity of the white man.