Asian American Studies 197A
Winter Quarter 2002

Reflection Journal 1

"If You Think the System Is Working . . . "
By Aimee Pham

The changing class dynamics in Asian Pacific American communities affects the consciousness of students at elite institutions as their lives become increasingly disconnected from their community issues. The situation involves the growing number of Asian American students at elite institutions who come from suburbia where their parents hold professional positions and have little or no interaction with low-income workers in ethnic enclaves. Often, those students who acquire one of the few spots available at elite institutions feel that they are in fact socially superior to others who were denied acceptance.

Furthermore, this division of society into classes with varying levels of wealth, privilege and opportunity while at the same time convincing the majority that these unequal positions are the natural outcome of individual capacities and abilities is a form of manipulation and is also known as the notorious "divide and conquer"method.

While one realizes that this period is filled with more great dangers, one cannot help but also feel positively about the new opportunities that have opened up for Asian American students. I remember feeling alarmed the first time I asked my parents about their feelings on the class disparities in our own Vietnamese-community. I had never learned about them in my public school, but was curious about the history that all my textbooks seemed to leave out. My mother displayed a sort of nonchalant disregard for the more recent low-income immigrants, while my father was concerned but had no time to deal with the problems outside our immediate family. As I asserted that there must be some alternative way for our society to be, my parents warned me that although there are problems with our current situation, I should not concern myself with them because they did not concern me. I accepted this answer as my truth, but the issue still bothered my at the back of my mind.

During my freshman year of college, one of my professors put a quote on the board that stated, "If you think the system is working, ask someone who isn’t." I began to think about those people who were being "screwed" by the system. As I learned more about the growing class disparities, I was more and more confident that contrary to popular belief, those who are poor are not so by their own choice. Rather, they are the victims of a system that assumes that it is normal, natural and right for one class to acquire the wealth at the expense of those who actually produce the wealth.

If a person would have asked my viewpoint on this situation two years ago, I could have cared less. I just wanted to get a degree from an elite institution, so that I could be guaranteed a spot closer to the top of the ladder. Yet, when I decided to make Asian American Studies my second major, I realized my potential as well as the new responsibilities I have as an instigator for change. Instead of being a news anchorwoman like I wanted to when I began school, I have decided that I want to devote my life to educating the masses because while knowledge is power, it can be lethal if it falls into the wrong hands. Whether I decide to be a journalist or a teacher, I feel that I will be able to utilize my skills and talents to help others access power and resources and support the struggles of all people who are currently getting the short end of the stick.