<p>i don't think the uncomfortable-ness has to do with ethnicity. like...ok ya there's a difference between white americans and dutch people raised in the netherlands, or french, or italians. but the fundamental difference is between western and eastern cultures</p>
<p>there's a HUGE difference there. western culture is socratic, based on the classic greek and roman world, and judeochristian worlds as well, were as in the orient, it's a completely different culture (no matter what ethnicity, it's separate from the west, there's no doubting this). That's where the tension comes in. Even in class, asians (fob's and people who's families are recent arriivals), especially in humanities/social sciences get a bad rep because the style of teaching/learning in the west is much different than that of the orient. So for example, in the west, the professor/teacher is a mutual worker in the education of the mind, one questions, challenges and receives a response, but in the orient, the teacher is an authority, you sit, shut up, and listen. doesn't mean there's not thinking going on, it's just not socratic.</p>
<p>this is one example, but one that highlights why a lot of westernized peoples (hispanics, whites, african americans, europeans, euroamericans) don't really click with asian brothers and sisters. It's different, and doesn't realy mesh with western educational tradition so it's weird for us non-asians to be exposed to it. that's where the uncomfortable-ness comes from.</p>
<p>but asians who are more westernized, or act so, are accepted and hang out with more non-asians than their oriental counterparts. same goes for white doods who like asian **** (anime and all that jazz), they're quite alienated from other westerners, but have tons of asian friends.</p>
<p>I really think it's less racial, and more a cultural line.</p>
<p>there's a cool NYT article on this.</p>