Being EA in Asia

[toyomansi]

Mostly on this forum we share our experiences on being EAs in a white society, and how people view us and treat us there.

But how do you experience being EA in Asia? Whether you live in Asia or have visited Asia, how does the society there see you and treat you? Do you experience more or less racism there compared to in the West? Do you feel like an outsider or more included? Does knowing the local language make a big difference? If you have been to several Asian countries, are your experiences different in each country?

[FreckleFoot]

I can't answer these questions, but wanted to say 'thanks' for starting this thread. I had been thinking about starting one myself on the same topic!

I wonder, do Eurasians born and raised in the east feel a desire to learn about their non-Asian parent's culture and background?

[Ganbare!]

I'll let more knowledgeable members reply to your questions since I have only visited the continent as a tourist. Nevertheless, the thing I can tell you is that "zeros to heroes" stories about EAs returning to Asia particularly the ones working in the entertainment industry are not uncommon, apparently being a looker is crucial but I might be wrong, please correct me if that is so.

[jefe]

I was born and raised in the USA, but have lived permanently in HK for 15 years. Before and after that, I had traveled / lived to a large extent in many other countries in the region, including China, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, etc. , spending 5 months in Malaysia, over 2 months in Japan and Taiwan, and have travelled to the philippines about 15-16 times.

I think Ganbare's interpretation is a bit romanticized. Sure there may be some of these Horatio Alger stories, but for the majority of us ordinary people, this might seem a bit like a fairy tale.

I do agree that 90% of the viewpoints here on EAN are as a EA in a western or white society. For example, when the term "ethnic" is used, they mean people who are not assimilated into the white mainstream. But, what does that mean in an Asian society?

For me, I felt rather alienated and isolated from both white Americans and Asian Americans in the USA - so much that I used to hang around new immigrants / foreign students (from everywhere, but particularly Asia) to an extent much larger than might be expected from a native born American. Maybe it was because they also felt somewhat alienated and isolated from both whites and Asian-Americans.

In Asia, I think EAs are mostly labelled as "Westernized", even "Westerner", ie, a westerner who just happens to have some Asian blood in them. Of course, I refuse to be accept the stereotypes that they might associate with those things, and will express that whenever I need to (even if it shocks some people). Also, where culture is perceived to follow racial lines, I think that EAs may lack some credibility in areas deemed to follow cultural lines. However, in most Asian metropolises, there seems to be a large number of westernized social groups with a mix of Asians and Westerners and Eurasians -- composed of either long term expats or western-educated Asians -- many Eurasians manage to mix into those groups well.

However, if EAs can break well into the local cultural barriers, they might be perceived as *different*, but perhaps more welcome than Westernized Asians (and Eurasians not typecast as Caucasian) in Western countries. I think of phenomenon such as the brothers' duo group SOLER -- Macau born of Burmese / Italian descent. They are not Chinese, English or Portuguese, but not only speak Mandarin, Cantonese, English, Portuguese (in addition to Burmese and Italian), but also appeal to a large area of local society in HK, Macau, south China and Taiwan. They were much more successful here than in Italy, and are even used as icons to represent Macau.

[Ganbare!]

I was not only refering to EAs breaking into the entertainment industry, I also had in mind that being EA in Asia is socially more desirable than being a minority in the West. The nature of racism is different, in Asia you're excluded because you're different as opposed as being rejected because you are inferior in the West, racial hierarchy is taboo but a reality nonetheless.

You probably won't find more comprehensive insights about this topic than jefe's (you should write a book about EAs, it could definitely sell, the literature on the subject is nearly non-existent seriously). To answer your question about location. It does matter, generally Singapore, the Phillipines and HK are considered EA-friendly while even if the following countries have sizable Eurasian communities Korea, Japan or Vietnam are less welcoming. Hope it helps.

[toyomansi]

^ Well, my questions weren't exactly ment for definite answers. I am just curious about people's own personal experiences whenever they are in Asia, especially now that I'm staying there myself (if people will share their experiences, I'll share mine too). Surely most people here must have visited Asia sometime, and had EA experiences there to compare with the West?

I always think jefe's insights and experiences are very interesting. Ganbare, since you have been to Asia as a tourist, you must have had some experiences to share?

[jefe]

The reason why Ganbare might suppose that HK, Singapore, Philippines are more EA friendly is because they have elements of society and large groups of people which are rather westernized, and to an extent, some European blood is mixed into a significant segment of the population.

To me, Philippines is quite thoroughly westernized. The first time I visited the Philippines (in the early 90s), I even thought I had traveled back to the USA. There are other elements which might remind you of Mexico. But it is like a 3rd world version of the USA. And Filipinos seem to be a bit less race conscious as neighboring countries. Many Filipinos have relatives that come in different shades and features, and that does not make them any less Filipino. They are a bit "color" conscious, but that is more like Latin America than like Asia.

Many Singaporeans are educated in English, and use English as their main language. It has definitely influenced their thinking and I often feel I am talking to westernized Asians when I talk to Singaporeans.

In HK, it is popular for some families to send their kids to international schools or to overseas for education, and even in the local tertiary institutions, education is primarily in English. You have the case in HK that the more highly educated you are, the more westernized you are. There is a large contingent of Western-educated people in HK, even if they speak in Cantonese mostly in their daily life.
Still, attitudes and stereotypes towards race mixing (similar to what you might find in China) does still permeate much of the society. I still think that such stereotypes and attitudes, whether perceived as positive, negative or neutral, are not good, and lead to discrimination.

[toyomansi]

Before, the only Asian country I had visited was the Philippines. And in our home island, most people knew I was mixed (mostly because they "envied" my lighter skin...). Whenever I visited bigger cities it was easier to "blend in" because people there would have much bigger variations in looks and skin colors (the Filipino look does vary a lot). This year some people would think I'm Korean (probably because of my hairdo...). When I came to Hong Kong I was surprised that people think I'm a local and speak to me in Cantonese. I never had this experience before, being able to blend in to the crowd completely. After living like that for some time, it's like I sometimes forget what my ethnic background actually is.

[Ganbare!]

I think it's important to mention that two individuals can interpret a analogous situation differently because of respective character, education etc. Location, looks, personal environment also come into play so I believe there no definite Eurasian in Asia experience, each of us might be treated differently based on these criteria.

That said my appearance and ways are not very Asian thus during my short stay there I don't think I was ever mistaken for a local. I generally found people to be helpful and polite but I can't tell if it was because I was a tourist or because I looked EA. My experience is not really insightful as I have not actually lived there yet so I'll let other members handle it.

[jefe]

^ I really doubt that people, in general, would be particularly helpful and polite because you are EA (unless they are hitting on you).

However, as some Eurasians have become recognizable, it might be attractive or at least interesting to a small portion of the population, but I don't think it is a general thing.

@t, I had the reverse happen to me -- it was in the Phils. that I had quite a few people mistake for local, and speak to me in Tagalog or Taglish, or thought I lived somewhere in the neighborhood (:-) In HK, I get a mixture of reactions, but close to half of the people think I am a "foreigner" who was born here or grew up here.

[Ganbare!]

Apr 8, 2010 13:34:22 GMT -5 jefe said:

^ I really doubt that people, in general, would be particularly helpful and polite because you are EA (unless they are hitting on you).

It might sound stupid but do you mean eurasians are the target of aggressivity or discrimination in Asia? I'm not specially informed about EAs' experiences in the East but from what I read here the past few years, they seemed to be globally more positive than in the West.

[toyomansi]

^ I really don't think he meant that EAs would be treated badly, but rather that they wouldn't give EAs special treatment just because they're EA

[jefe]

^Yes, that is what I meant. EAs might not be targetted for special treatment, but I don't think that they are the target of aggressive discrimination either.

Sometimes you can't easily classify something as merely positive or negative. Even *positive* things could become annoying and *negative* things could be simply ignored.

Just think a second about people saying EAs are intelligent or beautiful -- after a 1000 times, this could be downright annoying, or even infuriate you that they are labelling you for something that has nothing to do with your individuality.

[quiapo]

In the Philippines Spanish Filipino people have a defined sub culture, so belonging was not a problem. Being identified as EA would mean some social distance from other people, so I tended to always pass myself off as totally Asian, which is easy over there for someone of my appearance. The social distance would be because in my youth EAs tended to be more affluent. It was a good place to grow up, in terms of personal identity.

[nealtse]

My background is I was born in the US (US citizen) but grew up in Hong Kong. Apparently my partial Chinese blood was important enough to the government at the handover that they gave me and my siblings, and my Chinese mother 3 star residency status, my white father still needs a visa.

Socially speaking I've received little discrimination. I think that in generally they didn't expect much of me. There were some awkward moments with my broken canto wearing out halfway through a conversation, but I think they felt some kinship to me, but figured I wasn't local.