The Han of the United States

I thought that this was an amazingly powerful article. I always find it enlightening to read about different places and the racial strife that happened there due to the fact that I grew up in an almost all white town. There was never really any discussion on race. Also, I was never really aware of the '92 riots, and the effect that it had on korean and African American reltionships.

One part of Kim's essay that I though was very important was in the fifteenth paragraph. I think that this paragraph deals not just with the integration and acceptance of Korean Americans, but with every racial group that has attempted to make an in-rode into mainstream America. Kim points out the fact that becoming American requires that one take on the centuries of racial divide that have ocurred before them. I think that what she is trying to say here is that, though unjust, every culture that has come to America other than the original western settlers has had to deal with the prejudice and hate of being "new." Because, to think back to the Irish, they were from the western culture, yet they too had their time of persecution and time as the "outsider."

I was also struck by the first full paragraph on page 510. This paragraph, I believe, sums up the reason that we have had problems with racism for so long in this country. I see the mainstream media as a force that could do so much good for the country, but that uses its power to paint a certain picture. As Kim points out, the media never gave coverage to tall of the positive things that happen toward reconciliation of alienated peoples, yet as soon as a fight erupts between two cultures, the media is there and shining the worst light on it that it can. I think that this is tied to one of Kim's earlier thoughts where she expresses that interethnic conflict, as portrayed by the media, takes the real focus away from where it should be placed. The media's focus should be on the institutions that continue to perpetuate a system that is unequal and full of hate, rather than highlighting the differences that naturally occur between people of different beliefs.

I thought that a very poignant part of the whole essay was the part where Kim writes about the hate-filled reactions, and statements of solidarity that she received after writing for Newsweek. I find it extremely appalling how many people responded to Kim with a backlash of hate. It was a sharp contrast to those who wrote her quiet, peaceful letters of confirmation of her thoughts. I also found it interesting to note how many of the letters that were "hate-mail" came to Newsweek, and how many of the letters of support came directly to her. It raises a question for me of the mindset of the two different groups. The "hate-mailers" did not even take the time to find out about her, to find her personal address from her departments website, while the people who agreed with her, took the time to look farther and establish a more meaningful letter.

Finally, I found the last paragraph of page 515 (left side) very interesting. In this paragraph, Kim talks about the problems that she has with cultural nationalism. I agree with her very strongly when she writes that it "fosters intolerance and uniormity of thought while stifling self-criticism." I thought that this was a very powerful statement and embodies what all post-colonial writers, and "contact zone" writers want. I think that these writers are pushing to break these norms. They are trying to push people to a point where they can see their own faults, and can see things from a point-of-view that is not their own. That statement is the truth that many people are afraid of facing, which the news reporters refuse to show us, and the truth that needs to be changed in the world that we live in today. That statement is the "what is," and now it is only a matter of time until people will finally awaken to the "what should be."