what counts as asian/pacific islander?

<p>**** affirmative action, ive had absolutely no disadvantages growing up and actually many more advantages than most people because of the area i live in, but i will possibly have a disadvantage or advantage depending on what college i apply to because of some microscopic protein in my body <_<</p>

<p>I love threads like this. Great way to pass the boring days of summer.<br>
urmnigga~ any of you guys notice anything wrong with the username?
He is a new member and basically here to start a fight.</p>

<p>Wow this thread has exploded since yesterday.</p>

<p>blah123: Lol what?! I think Pacific Islanders are people who live on an island in the Pacific Ocean.. Well I guess it might be the middle of nowhere to people on the other side of the world. =P</p>

<p>And to the person whose username was several pages back and I'm too lazy to go back and find it.. =P who talked about if Taiwan and Japan would count as Pacific Islands, I personally don't think so. I've usually looked at Pacific Islanders as those living in Southeast Asia, and then those who live in Northeast as just Asia. So it made a lot of sense to me to have them grouped together.</p>

<p>And to the OP: Lol no that wasn't what I meant when I referred to OJ Simpson. I was talking about how his defense lawyers somehow explained away the Simpson DNA and blood found at the scene and on the objects seized for investigation. Just trying to make a metaphor between your verbal skills and theirs. Do whatever you want, but just know you'll be majorly screwed if you're found out. Yes, the big if, but what goes around comes around. I for one wouldn't want to be friends with you. =P Yeah you wouldn't care less, so whatever.</p>

<p>Go ahead and lie urmnigga. Chances are colleges will not catch you, but I would not be willing to compromise my integrity.</p>

<p>From wikipedia:</p>

<p>"The Pacific Ocean has an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands; the exact number has not been precisely determined. These islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania (although Oceania usually also includes Australia and New Zealand), and are traditionally grouped into three: (1) Melanesia, (2) Micronesia, and (3) Polynesia. Inhabitants are sometimes referred to as Pacific Islanders.</p>

<p>Melanesia means black islands. These include New Guinea (the largest Pacific island,which is divided into the nation of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya), New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands</p>

<p>Micronesia means small islands. These include the Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia.</p>

<p>Polynesia means many islands. These include New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, the Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island.</p>

<p>There are also many other islands located within the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean, but these are not considered part of Oceania. These islands include the Gal</p>

<p>"the island nation of Japan, which includes the Ryukyu Islands; Taiwan; the Philippines; the South China Sea Islands; and most of the islands of Indonesia. However, it should be noted that the inhabitants of these islands are not considered to be Pacific Islanders and are usually identified with their nearest continent."</p>

<p>So they would be Asian? I mean, Taiwanese and Japanese consider themselves asian as do most Indonesians. I'm pretty sure some Taiwanese kids I know would get an autoreject had they put down African American. I'm a bit unclear though what your main point was. Are you classifying the Phillipines with the likes of Taiwan and Japan?</p>

<p>Why on earth do so many people regard Wikipedia so highly? That whole thing is rubbish.</p>

<p>yea filipinos would be asians</p>

<p>well wikipedia is not the most credible but it does show something...if you can find a site thats more credible and say something different than that by all means do it</p>

<p>I have a friend who is Chinese, but looks completely Mexican. If she were to hang out with Mexican people, identify with Mexican culture, and face the trouble that Mexican people face, would she become Mexican? NO!!! </p>

<p>I think the part that you're not getting, urmnigga, is that you can't CHOOSE your nationality/ethnicity - you're born into it. It does not matter if you look black, act black, and face the same obstacles as black people often do; it does not even matter that you feel black - you're still not black. </p>

<p>You're also making a parallel between being sexuality and ethnicity, when, simply, there isn't one. If you feel you are attracted to only males, then you are gay. If you feel that you identify with black culture, then you are not necessarily black. Race/Ethnicity is not the fluid concept you deem it to be, even if you wish it were, and even if you think it is.</p>

<p>I think it's interesting how urmnigga has said the adcom would understand that "the concept of ethnicity is quite fluid" yet refuses to post stats or anything that would identify him. Maybe he knows that if adcoms found out, he'd totally be auto-rejected? XD</p>

<p>Oh yeah, just wanted to mention .. . I meant to say this before... On commonapp.org, for the ethnicity part, under Asian-American, there's a drop down list and 'Phillipines, the" is listed. and don't you think if your parents thought of you as asian your entire childhood, including 2 years into hs, you should just stick with what is identified on your passport or other forms of identification? </p>

<p>because if you don't and they check that way, you're screwed. and remember, we're telling you this for your own good really.</p>

<p>boring summer...these are fun.</p>

<p>okay.....</p>

<p>FIRST OFF, wikipedia has good information but some may feel skeptical because wikipedia isn't all that credible. But, to me, as a proud Filipino...the info on there sounds pretty right. Although the islands of the Philippines are located in the Pacific Ocean and whatnot..they are not necessarily considered 'pacific islanders.' Now if you still don't feel wikipedia isn't all that accurate...check in ANY encyclopedia ("The New Book of Knowledge", "World Book", you name it..). Look under "P" for the Philippines, of course, and you'll see that its location will most likely read SOUTHEAST ASIA. What is that last word? .....ASIA!!! Also, when one actually pays attention to what they're reading, they'll be able to see things like, "The Philippines is the only ASIAN country with a Christian majority" or "As an ASIAN country, blahh, blahh.." you get the point. Yes, there may be siginficant differences in the culture of Filipinos compared to those other cultures of Asian descent, such as surnames come last in Filipino culture as opposed to the surnames coming first in other Asian/Oriental cultures. I don't know, but info from an Encyclopedia seem quite credible to me since encyclopedias are actually PUBLISHED, and everything in an encyclopedia is pretty much SET IN STONE (permanent, if you know what I mean).</p>

<p>Still not convinced? Well, I'll just give some of MY personal opinions. I know some Filipinos are VERY prideful and say things like "Filipinos are not asian, they're not pacific islander, they're FILIPINO.." or whatever, right? Well, they're entitled to their own opinions...as am I. It's cool and all how some filipinos and other ethnic groups try and classify themselves as their ONE OWN GROUP. But, in the real world...it's not like that..I'm sorry to say. And if you don't really like reading all that professional, encyclopedia educational stuff, then here's some of my opinions. Some may be factual, some not really. But hopefully you'll know what I'm trying to say here:</p>

<p>Philippines as an ASIAN culture...
*what's that one white grainy thing that filipinos (and other asians eat?) oh yes, it's called RICE. Rice is the most important food crop in the Philippines, as in most other asian countries (that's fact!) Also, Central Luzon Plain, located in the Philippines is known as the nation's "rice bowl."
*I really want to get a welcome mat when I have my own house one day that'll say, "Take off your shoes before entering." (if that'll all fit somehow). As a sign of respect and need for cleanliness, it is common for Asians to remove their shoes before entering a home. This isn't any different for native Filipino or Filipino-American families (generally, i'm not stereotyping..but all you other pinoys/pinays out there know what i'm talking about).
*in the SCHOOL SYSTEMS of Asia all students wear they're required uniform...even in public schools. It's a common thing over there. I KNOW and I'm POSITIVE that the students of these Asian countries wear uniforms...Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, and yes The Philippines as well.
*Asians love to BARGAIN, and they're pretty damn good at it. My Chinese friend and I like going to Chinatowns and other places like that and we bargain like PROS. My mom taught me all I know about bargaining, and she's a wonderful Filipino woman. Can't argue with that.</p>

<p>Some Things I'd Like to Point Out...
*people may consider Filipinos as 'pacific islander' because of how some filipinos look. Sometimes, filipinos are considered the "dark" asians. Honestly, the brown color of some (or most) Filipinos are due to the friendly MR. SUN. Farming and working outdoors in the rice fields, plantations, and whatnot cause the tan look of common filipinos. If you look at the people in Manila (the major, big city of the Philippines..and the country's capitol) you'll see that the residents of that area are mostly light-skinned because those living there don't work out in the hot son all day. ALSO, if you have any Filipino buddies that are brown-skinned or "dark" (if you wanna call it), check out their baby and little kid pics...and let me tell you, they are white AS HELL. I mean, they're light-skinned. Know why? B/c they haven't been out in the sun yet. And Filipinos tan easily, that's what I truly believe. heh. Yeah, it sucks. sure, there may be naturally dark-skinned filipinos...but think about the majority of what i'm talking about here.
*the reason why filipinos may not look like the typical Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans) is because of our Spanish, and American influences. The Spanish came a long long time ago, so did the Americans, and their was a lot of intermixing involved.</p>

<p>Well, these are my thoughts AND facts. They may be my opinion, they may not be. Also note that some of my thoughts may be stereotypical of the "Asian/Oriental race," but I'm just trying to get my point across. Those who were unsure about the consideration of Filipinos as pacific islanders or asians, hopefully you have somewhat of a better understanding.</p>

<p>*I know this topic was called "what counts as asian/pacific islander?" and everyone kept talking about Filipinos, and me..as an AWESOME filipino =P (hilarious, I know). decided I should give my full thoughts. thanks.</p>

<p>As a Filipino/Canadian raised here in the States, I have come across many of Filipino blood that consider themselves "Pacific Islanders." While randomly checking my own friends profiles, I see the same thing occur ever so often. It is really beginning to pull my hair out because the first and last time I checked, Filipinos' are "Asian." So before anyone goes into some overemotional blur and response to correct my opinion, please consider what I have come across based on research.</p>

<p>Argument 1. "The Philippines is a cluster of islands located in the Pacific Ocean, therefore people of the Philippines are considered Pacific Islanders." According to the most accessible and free online encyclopedia Wikepedia, a "Pacific Islander" refers to "people having origins from any of the indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race or races as 'Native Hawaiian', 'Guamanian or Chamorro', 'Samoan', or 'Other Pacific Islander', or wrote in entries such as Tahitian, Mariana Islander, or Chuukese." It goes on saying this... "Inhabitants of the Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Philippine, and Indonesian islands, although technically located in the Pacific Ocean, are not considered Pacific Islanders and are classified as 'Asians.' "
(Check the source. <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/pacific-islander%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.answers.com/topic/pacific-islander&lt;/a> )</p>

<p>Okay. So why do the Japanese people that I have associated with have not called themselves Pacific Islanders? Well, they too can use the argument of a pacific island in the Pacific Ocean. No. They are asian, and so are we. If you are a Filipino with roots to Guam, then no argument against you. You have every right to claim being a Pacific Islander. </p>

<p>Argument 2. "The Philippines is the only country in Asia that is Catholic, therefore we should not be considered Asian."</p>

<p>This is the dumbest fallacy I have ever, excuse my language, ****ing come across. Religious affiliation and history DOES NOT change GEOGRAPHY! Here is a map of what is considered the Pacific Islands. Pacific Islands Go to your search engine, and look for a map of Asia. In that map of Asia, The Philippines is there. I don't know what else to tell you.</p>

<p>Argument 3. "We do not look like the rest of Asians. We look more Pacific Islander." </p>

<p>Ummmm, we look like almost EVERYBODY in Southeast Asia. I personally have been mistaken for being Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Laos. It becomes pretty difficult to seperate a Thai person from a Filipino sometimes, if you ask me. Our Spaniard blood is not anymore special than the Vietnamese-French blood. It does not make a Filipino an Islander. Now, we can get into skin color. The amount of melanin in a filipino skin ranges from dark, like African dark to light, similar to a Scandinavian. Skin color is irrelevant to being Asian or Pacific Islander. Get over it. The slave days are over here in America. Yes, in the Philippines they still do have maids, and it is considered better to be light skinned, but be lucky that in America you can be any color, and still be considered beautiful.</p>

<p>Argument 4. "When I fill out forms and a box asks me for my nationality, Filipino has it's own box, or is separate from the Asian box."</p>

<p>When we fill out forms, Filipino has its own box to be checked because there is an overwhelming amount of Filipinos here in California. And I never figured out why filling out a form would define a persons' heritage. That is completely proposterous. </p>

<p>So my hangups with the issue are simple. Why is the Filipino American so ashamed to be considered Asian? Many Filipino Americans with parents that were born and raised in the Philippines, I asked them what they consider themselves. They say Asian. It seems that it is my generation that is fighting the war against being defined an Asian. What is the shame? My visit to the Philippines was a life changing experience, and they were so proud of their country. In the Philippines, the people identify with Asian. So, it is either that the U.S. filipinos are stupid, or the ones that live in the Philippines. It seems that most of my filipino friends here in the states check the "Pacific Islander" button, and the ones in The Philippines check the "Asian" button. I'm confused. Is there something I'm missing? Who is wrong?</p>

<p>So please, if I am wrong, please prove it to me. Back it up with resources, and not just your opinion. I would love to hear what you have to say. </p>

<p>TO SEE MORE OF THIS, check my MYSPACE TO FOLLOW MY BLOG AT <a href="http://www.myspace.com/msmamoni%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.myspace.com/msmamoni&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Skin color should not be a defining factor for determining a persons ethical background. Remember that being "asian" includes India, Turkey (parts of it), Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and ALL of these, including the Chinese range from the darkest dark, to the lightest light. When I visited the Philippines this last May, I saw every shade on a Filipino. They were darker than the blackest people I know, and as light as my Scandinavian friends. PLEASE do not define yourself by your skin color! It is a beautiful thing that The Philippines possesses so many colors, and these skin colors are also in Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Indonesia. It seems a very uneducated conclusion. Please learn!</p>

<p>This entire thread really reminds me of Malibu's Most Wanted. LollerskateZzz.
Btw, I'm 1/2 Asian and 1/2 White, but I don't think I'm African American. I have no African American in my genetic background, therefor it is fraudulent to classify myself as one, whether or not I may "feel black" sometimes. Just throwing around what race you most identify with is very wrong, and you shouldn't be doing that. Your genetic background is Philipino, and which is precisely why you should identify yourself as that, no matter what you "feel" you are. Oh, and btw, just because you wear "black" clothing and are attracted to African American women, does NOT mean you are African American, I know many African Americans that would be highly offended by this entire ordeal. To conclude, I must state that I think you are an utter buffoon. Theendkthnx.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Human life originated in Africa, so aren't we all African American?</p></li>
<li><p>Isn't a rich URM with a fair history of relatives going to college different from a poor white/ORM with 0 relatives in or graduated from college? why do colleges look at race and give rich minorities similar status as poorer ones? i think the true way to promote diversity is economic diversity. i can understand a college wanting to have more than whites and asians attending, but shouldnt lower their standards to admit URMs. </p></li>
<li><p>When will americans no longer consider race and just accept people for who they are as humanbeings instead of categorizing them as "black" "white" "Asian" etc</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I'm not African American. I don't care what theory of humanity anyone comes up with. My ass is American first, German second, and Irish/English third (about the same amount).</p>

<p>Just to show how ridiculous this whole thing is becoming. My son is Russian (very white, to be sure) who was born and raised for 6 years of his life in Siberia, which geographically belongs to Asia. Technically that makes him Asian. Russian culture is arguably a mixture of asian and european influences, but not quite either. So, which box should he mark?</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure Russians count as Caucasian/White.</p>

<p>Ok, I'm full-blooded Filipino (parents emigrated in the late 70s, early 80s), so I'll weigh in.</p>

<p>We're Asian with a Pacific Island flair. We're ORM's when the colleges don't have a special "Filipino" box, URM's when they do (Stanford). Pacific Islanders are from those obscure islands in the Pacific that nobody's heard of (Samoas, Guam).</p>

<p>For the record, I've been called Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Mexican. The people who call me Filipino at first sight I give high fives.</p>