Blog #16

When the author was in his early teens his mother and grandmother gave him good and bad advice. The good advice that he received was the marry a Mexican girl. Throughout his teenage years he spent his time daydreaming about his future with a Mexican wife, while he searched for her all around town. Eventually the author falls in love with a Japanese girl and this worries his mother and grandmother. Different ethnicities have different interests and standards which effects how people get along. The main character became worried that his fiancé's family wouldn't match that of his own, especially in the aspect of social class. I agree with Gary Soto that family background is just as important as ethnicity because they both have certain factors that change how we relate to one another. 

Marrying someone of a different cultural background has advantages as well as disadvantages. We relate to one another through common interests and similarities. Being from a different background changes the way you view things. Being on the opposite end of the economic spectrum changes the way you live your life and think of your future investments and decisions both good and bad. Things such as religion or traditions also change how you would raise a family and create your home. Tension can occur because of disagreements. 

A different perspective would be that you can learn a lot more from people of different ethnic backgrounds. Their religion, food and celebrations can all affect you. The cultural differences can improve your knowledge and broaden your interests. Certain normal standards also vary from country to country, changing certain experiences. If you really love someone, their race or culture should effect your decision of being with them. 

First Love

Our multicultural literature book contains many different types and of memoirs because we learn from experiences. We as individuals cannot always experience the things that people of other cultures ad backgrounds can, so we read about them. Memoir writings help express the different cultures because different authors share their own unique narrative. Each story has a different theme separate from the next. Reading literature from authors of different cultures brings a new perspective to the readers attention. Today there are many different reality tv shows that people watch regularly. People learn from other people's past situations and experiences. By watching their lives on television we can relate to their situations and events that happen to them. We watch these shows and read these stories because it is part of our culture to connect with one another through our interests. 

Blog #14

In today's society it's easy to judge and use stereotypes. People are stereotyped based on anything ranging from their interests to their ethnicity. Its so simple to generalize and make assumptions about others. Being a teenager, I know what it's like the be stereotyped. People speculate that all teenagers cause trouble and have bad intentions because of their age group. The media displays negative information that fuels the assumptions that all teenagers are disobedient and irresponsible. Nobody really concentrates on the kids that focus highly on their goals. The news doesn't always broadcast the people that do volunteer work and get good grades, rather they have the latest stories of crime. 

I think that people automatically unconsciously stereotype others whether its meant to be judgmental or not. Everyone has done it, including myself, because its natural to categorize.  Although stereotyping isn't always meant to be disrespectful it can have negative affects on people. Stereotyping is how we see and group each other and this can affect the way people view themselves and how they fit in with their culture. Labeling people can eventually cause them to think lower of themselves and diminish their self esteem over time. These generalizations also contribute to negative reputations and how people are viewed by others just because of their differences. 

Blog #13

Throughout the story the author refers to race as the "whack color game" meaning that people base their beliefs and judgments of oths strongly on their race. The whack color game is almost like a game of identity, how race determines people's conceptions of others. Within he story the main character explains his inner conflict with his identity using his hair as an explanation. His African/Japanese hair is a strong factor in how people view him, which changes how he views himself. In America we judge heavily on appearance and first impressions. Ethnicity happens to be one of the first things we notice whether we realize it or not. Often times we assume that people of certain races have a certain appearance, such as a black man having curly hair. This has a strong impact on people in society because it causes people to struggle with who they are and who they want to be seen as. "I am angry too, but, in a sick kind of way, excited that my hair is such a visible sign of my heritage. My hair is a symbol of my identity. My hair is my pride. My hair is- an answer." (P.112)  This shows that the author took himself out of the whack color game in a way, he chose not to change his hair or himself as a person.

Blog #12

Mona attempted to find her place at school by doing everything she could to fit in and resemble her peers. In the beginning of the story Mona told her classmates a lie, saying that she knows karate hoping that she could impress them. Mona's friend Barbara explained that to be popular you must have big boobs, a credit card and a boyfriend. Soon enough a new Asian was assigned to Mona's class and it became her job to show him around. Mona tried to find similarities between the two of them and eventually feelings developed. In a way Mona judged him for his notebook having a kitty on it, but unlike Mona, he didn't lie about who he was to try to fit in. I think the narrarator's experiences helped her find her way by making her realize who she really is. Throughout the story she began to understand that she is Asian American, she is part of both cultures. Both backgrounds make her who she is, it's not a switch between one or the other and it's not something she can choose. Your culture is not something that defines your rank of popularity and relationships.

"Aliens in America"

Kaitlin holds a grudge against her father not only because he is cheap but because he is also passive aggressive and dominant. Her feelings toward her father originated from the fact that he was always marrying different women after her mother passed away. He spends little money, so little that it became an embarrassment to the family. He doesn't seem to prioritize or put the family first. Kaitlin continuously feels this way about her father even ten years later because he does not change.
Throughout the story the author shows a sarcastic sense of humor when describing her fathers habits. Although she is affected by his decisions, she doesn't portray her feelings as strongly as Kaitlin does. Within families there will always be indifferences and separate opinions that don't always go along well. People can simply find common ground by communicating and forgiving. Ten years down the road Kaitlin shouldn't have still held a grudge toward her father. She should accept the fact that whoever her father chooses to share his home with is his decision, and that will always be her home and her father.