Why do college kids hang out with their own ethnicity?

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>I hate responding to these kinds of claims, because there's no way a WASP will ever understand what life for most minorities is like. Nevertheless:</p>

<p>Most minorities live entirely different lives than their white counterparts. Things you should've learned in school, like White Flight, etc. still haunt minority communities. Laws created 50 years ago to support segregationist sentiments still create loopholes that allow for severely underfunded minority schools, systematic poverty, etc. The resulting characteristics of people who've been victimized by this kind of system is what white people tend to see as self-afflicted. In actuality, minority societies are more like drains: you are lucky if you escape the suction. I know this, being a black male who fought damn hard to get into a #1 ranked college.</p>

<p>The high school I attended was 97% black. The school down the street was 80% white, and they got bucketloads more money than us. How? Because our school used to be white. When minorities moved into the community, the white people took their children out of our school and put them in the school down the street. With them they took community boards, action committees, etc.</p>

<p>How's my life harder than yours? Have you ever had to work 40 hours a week while holding down AP courses? have you ever gotten off of work at 2 am, ad sepnd 2 more hours squeezing in what studying you can for an exam the next day? Have you had to support yourself for the last three years? no? That's the life many minorities live.</p>

<p>The minorities you see ( if you do see any) in your daily life are either a: the white-washed kids who grew up outside minority communities, or b: the kids who figured out how white society works, and used that knowledge to their own advantage. This is why though I now live in white society ( I go to a white school), I don't consider myself a part of it. We have different outlooks on life, and few of them understand how growing up black can actually be quite difficult.</p>

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<p>People from the same background just tend to have a lot more in common. Being considered "white-washed" by my Asian friends, I can definitely see this from the white-majority and the Asian-minority perspective.</p>

<p>If I start making references to Seinfeld, for example, my Asian friends will look at me like I'm from Mars. When I make a joke with reference to the Chinese culture, my white friends will be confused. It's very uncomfortable when nobody understands what you're talking about (and vice versa), so I can understand why people would self-segregate.</p>

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<p>"This is DEFINITELY an issue at Boston College. It happens especially with many of the Asian students. They are friends with only each other, and they have their own seperate group for everything.."</p>

<p>I definitely agree with this statement as well and i see the same thing at my school. I go to NYU Stern, and i have have never seen a more homogeneous group that Asians...I dont understand it</p>

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<p>
[quote]
If I start making references to Seinfeld, for example, my Asian friends will look at me like I'm from Mars. When I make a joke with reference to the Chinese culture, my white friends will be confused. It's very uncomfortable when nobody understands what you're talking about (and vice versa), so I can understand why people would self-segregate.

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Your Asian friends are a bit unusual. Asian-Americans (except for maybe recent immigrants) have pretty much exactly the same viewing habits as the (white) American populace.</p>

<p>Plus, in many parts of Asia – shows like “Seinfeld”, “Friends” and “Sex in the City” (not to mention Hollywood films and American pop/hip hop) are hugely popular.</p>

<p>
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I definitely agree with this statement as well and i see the same thing at my school. I go to NYU Stern, and i have have never seen a more homogeneous group that Asians...I dont understand it.

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Really need to differentiate among the Asian student body.</p>

<p>First of, there are assimilated/Americanized or “whitewashed” Asians who primarily or only have white friends (w/ many not having any Asian friends or not wanting to hang out w/other Asians).</p>

<p>Second, there are Asians who grew up in largely ethnic areas and they very often only hang out w/ Asians from their own ethnicity (i.e. – Chinese w/ Chinese, Koreans w/ Koreans, etc.).</p>

<p>Third, there are assimilated Asians (i.e. – grew up in white suburbs) who find it exciting and empowering to no longer be a tiny minority and associate largely w/ other Asians who have grown up the same (tend to be more pan-Asian than broken up into ethnicities).</p>

<p>Fourth, there are Asians who comfortably switch from one group (white friends) to another (Asian friends).</p>

<p>Fifth, there are Asians who associate primarily w/ blacks/non-white Hispanics (unfortunately, this tends to be a very small minority).</p>

<p>And if anything – out of all of the various racial/cultural groups – Asian-Americans, overall, are the most assimilated.</p>

<p>Yeah, there is a lot of self-segregation on college campuses for a variety of reasons (doesn’t tend to happen as much at small LACs – where there often aren’t enough minorities of a certain group), otoh, a BF friend of mine pointed out to me why does “assimilating” always mean minorities assimilating into the “white” crowd?</p>

<p>How often do we see white students go to Asian, African or Hispanic cultural performances at colleges (granted, Asians don’t go to African or Hispanic performances and vice versa) or otherwise join in on the various ethnic/racial organizations, groups, social gatherings (aside from guys who have an Asian fetish who crash Asian social gatherings)?</p>

<p>In my experience – and from what I have heard/read about – not many.</p>

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<p>it is indeed true that racial segregation exists on college campuses. but my question is...why do you people always tie minority to having to work 40 hours a week such as one poster idicated? There is a good amount of minorities who are not poor, but still thrive off the scholarships and programs specifically inteded for minorities. (who are presumed to be poor)</p>

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<p>There are more poor white people in America than poor minorities. While whites might make up some of the richest people in America, they also make up some of the poorest.</p>

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<p>ok, thats just b/c of the pure number of whites in this country..but if you were to look at it percentage wise..the majority of minorities, something like 65 percent are below middle class (dont know the exact number but you can find it on the census bureau) while about 70 percent of whites are middle class or above.</p>

<p>"out of all of the various racial/cultural groups – Asian-Americans, overall, are the most assimilated."</p>

<p>this is just completely false...</p>

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<p>That's because the white man is keeping minorities down, especially by offering racially based scholarships and implementing affirmative action.</p>

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<p>Affirmative action is a joke and they way race scholarships are set up is so that the Black or Hispanic student who grew up in the "whitest" environment, sans any of the culture of the country of there ancestry recieves the award. Its basically money for leaving behind one's culture, on most cases.</p>

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<p>Venkat89.... wow
Im just not even gonna touch that one. Ignorance is a funny thing.</p>

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<p>Both Venkat89 and ixjunitxi are right.Facts</a> and figures on poverty in the United States | By Sarah Kraybill | Grist | Counter Culture | 13 Feb 2006 How is he being ignorant? Why don't you touch on it a little bit?</p>

<p>How are those scholarships set up for the ones in the "whitest" environment? How can they distinguish how "white" they are through their grades and test scores? No culture? So blacks are supposed to be all african and stuff? seriously what are you talking about</p>

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<p>CM you are probably the biggest WASP I have ever seen.</p>

<p>what tdanielle means is that the minorities most likely to get merit scholarships are those who grew up in higher-income families, and have greater means of achieving academic success. he/she believes they are being given money to leave their culture behind. Though I dispute that claim, I can understand where it comes from. I have met many minorities who benefit from merit scholarships whose parents make upwards of 100,000/year - the whitewashed minorities. Quite frankly, it makes me angry: they are the minorities who need it the least. fyi, CM, grades and test scores directly correlate with income.</p>

<p>At the same time, however, i've seen poor minorities win merit awards as well. I don't think it's done for the purpose of getting minorities to "give up their culture"; rather, the system simply seeks talented minorities. I think the merit scholarship issue is one that transcends race.</p>

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<p>First of all, I'm not a WASP. </p>

<p>rl.hill I understand what you are saying and it was along the lines of what I was previously thinking. tdanielle makes it seems like those that want to better their future for a reduced cost are basically ditching their cultural ties, which isn't true in many cases. So going to college makes you "whiter"? You can still maintain your culture in a different environment. Also, there are people of all races who get merit aid and don't really need it, but they technically earned it.</p>

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<p>I apologize then, for the WASP comment.</p>

<p>Still, it's not a fair competition if competitor A has $5,000 for an SAT-Prep course, while competitor B has nothing. Competitor A shouldn't be given a merit award for an "accomplishment" that was the result of privilege.</p>

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<p>What is the need to maintain any type of culture, it is a fact that our generation is the least in touch with our culture. Seeking higher education does not reflect how in tune you are with your culture.....and Merit aid is rewarded for exactly as it states, MERIT.</p>

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<p>can you not, however, see where competitors are at a disadvantage? If the system is rigged, it's not a fair game. So it shouldn't be called "merit aid" if certain people are more apt to receive such aid, while others are left in the cold.</p>

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<p>Our generation is forming a new culture, just as past generations did. Who says you have to hang onto your culture? I myself cannot attest to having a specific one from being from such a mixed background, but I live my life the way I want and enjoy it. I consider myself a part of the American culture, whether I like some aspects of it or not. I am white though and many claim that white people essentially have no culture.</p>

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<p>Yeah and about the aid...life isn't fair...education equality is improbable but we can keep striving for it...theres always those rural white schools with horrible teachers and the inner city schools with horrible teachers and resources...hopefully this changes</p>

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<p>Chamilitary Mayne, I agree with you that "culture" is at best an antedated concept, but whether you like it or not, culture is still relevant. For minorities, trying to assimilate into white society produces culture shock, so they resort to what they know: the social norms of minority societies.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
There are more poor white people in America than poor minorities. While whites might make up some of the richest people in America, they also make up some of the poorest.

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</p>

<p>Otoh, blacks, (non-white) Hispanics and Asians have a HIGHER poverty rate than whites in the US.</p>

<p>
[quote]
"out of all of the various racial/cultural groups – Asian-Americans, overall, are the most assimilated."</p>

<p>this is just completely false...

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</p>

<p>Sorry - but it is true.</p>

<p>Not going into the US census data or studies by film studios/Madison Ave. advertising agencies - what other group has as many slang terms for Asians who "act white" (whatever that means) - "banana", "twinkie", "whitewashed", etc. - even applies to the Asian homosexual community (i.e. - "potato queen")?</p>