...stereotyping has led to the neglect of the development of student services and support for the many Asian-American students who are undereducated and have low socioeconomic status" (Kim & Yeh 2009).
Acculturation for first-generation Asian immigrants can be rooted in language obstacles, but the assumption of a lack of fluency can even plague those who do not speak their native language. Japanese-Americans, because of stereotypes of Japan, may be particularly pigeonholed as uncreative, wealthy, and 'naturally' hard-working and good at math, regardless of their personal attributes, given commonly circulated stereotypes about the Japanese nation. Again, the tension: to communicate in Japan, one must understand linguistic and cultural differences between Japan and other cultures. A lack of eye contact, a greater affinity for silence and vague language, is not viewed as a marker of mistrust in Japan, and regarding Japanese body language, for example, and a child of Japanese parents living in America may adopt such practices to some degree, which can be 'misread' in an American context (American-Japanese communication 101, 2009, WIN Advisory Group). But one cannot assume all Japanese-Americans, because of their appearance or background, operate according to the same ideals as a person in Japan.
Awareness must not lead to stereotyping, or the assumption a Japanese-American is fluent in Japanese or Japanese cultural practices. Additionally, because of the 'model minority' myth, it might be assumed that stereotypes about Japanese people are not 'bad.' But the presence of cultural differences between Japan and the United States does not excuse stereotyping in jokes, or qualifications of off-color jokes. This is despite the fact that the mainstream news media and business literature may seem to unintentionally confirm such stereotyping as acceptable by speaking of 'Japanese culture' as a homogeneous unit.
A final obstacle may be the forces Japanese-American women are subjected to -- on one hand, Japanese...
The 'geisha' stereotype in the West might suggest Japanese women are more submissive than American women, or that Japanese women need to be 'liberated.' This stereotype once again is not a complete picture, even while Japanese gender obstacles must not be ignored. "Japanese history shows significantly different developments from those of Western countries. These differences undoubtedly have had a great influence on the gender role development in Japanese people.... [Yet] Government statistics indicate that the number of women working outside the home has steadily increased over the past 20 years, and so has the number of married women keeping their jobs after marriage and childbirth (Yoko, 2002, p.2).
Works Cited
American-Japanese communication 101. (2009). WIN Advisory Group, Inc.
Retrieved February 14, 2009 at http://www.winadvisorygroup.com/AmericanJapaneseComms101.html
Murphy, Kevin. (2004). Review of John Dower, War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War. Orals reading list. 2004. Retrieved February 14, 2009 at http://www.kevincmurphy.com/dower.html
High context vs. low context cultures. (2009). ViaWeb. Retrieved February 14, 2009 http://www.via-web.de/273.html
Japanese culture. (2004).The Japan FAQ. Retrieved February 14, 2009 at http://www.thejapanfaq.com/FAQ-Primer.html
Kim, Angela & Christine J. Yeh. (2009). Stereotypes of Asian-American Students. ERIC Digest.
Retrieved February 14, 2009 http://www.ericdigests.org/2002-4/asian.html
Sugihara, Yoko. (2002). Gender Role development in Japanese culture: Diminishing gender role differences in a contemporary society. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Retrieved from FindArticles.com February 14, 2009. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_2002_Nov/ai_97728458
Diversity
