My Newfound Interest in Biracial Issues
January 3rd, 2008 . by 21st Century Dad
When I started this blog, I had my preconceived notions. My situation isn’t unique, but it’s different enough to generate some curiosity. I didn’t want to do a niche blog about one of the topics I considered. 21st Century Dad gives me the opportunity to weave them together.
What I didn’t expect was the interest I suddenly took in the issues that biracial people face. It all started when I stumbled across Rice Daddies. I started to take more interest in my own background. The Korean side of me is waking up. It needs to for my daughter to understand who she is.
This blog is still evolving. The biracial topic is the only new one that wasn’t planned from the get go. I’m still doing plenty of writing behind the scenes here and at my other blogs. Stay tuned.
I am glad you are exploring this and wish you luck. I have thought for a long time that 2nd generation americans have a hard time with a balance of assimilation vs. cultural identity.
I’ve been struggling with that myself for the past decade. As a college student, I found out my mother’s mother was Jewish. Her parents were second generation Romanian/German and Russian Jews. They assimilated fully – to such a degree that I didn’t know about my Jewish background until I was 20….yep, 20.
I am in the 4th generation – and like some of my peers identifying myself as an American, but also relishing the diversity of my heritage is very important to me. Provide your daughter an outlet to experience her Korean heritage in and you will find your connection to that heritage as well.
Last piece, my mom, to this day, repeatedly notes that my friends growing up were ’so diverse’. I’ve always been like ‘uh, okay’. Her sentiments have never resonated with me – and it is entirely because I always saw all of my friends as American (except for one German).
We had far more in common than what we didn’t. Yes, we all looked different. Yes, we came from different faith and cultural traditions – but we all played atari, liked movies, tv, music and toys AND frankly were raised in an environment where we were explicitly told that those later materialistic things mattered a hell of a lot more than faith, culture, or race.
I can’t believe I’m saying it now – but materialistic consumerism actually did some good in my life.