Day 1

Day 1 - Introductions, Mapping, and the Model Minority Myth

01/07/2025

Ian Neblett

On our first day of J-Term2025: Asia and Asian Culture, we began planning and filling in activity slots for the next two weeks. 

After we finished planning, we split into groups of four to outline a map of the Asian continent and pinpoint places such as Central Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. This activity was meant to broaden our scope of Asia and show us the many countries within its borders. I personally didn't know where places such as Thailand were on the map, and I realized that as an American, I was pretty ignorant about the Asian continent itself.

Afterward, we moved on to our second activity, which was meant to expand upon the previous topic and discuss the diversity of Asian Americans. We split into groups ranging from Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on the national scale to Texas specifically and lastly to Houston and the surrounding counties. My group researched Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Texas, which was very interesting, as we found several facts ranging from history to modern diversity. I didn't know that Fort Bend is referred to as "The New America" due to its high diversity rate, which includes 20.8% Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the most in Texas.

After lunch, we read "The Model Minority Myth," which discussed the dangers of the idea that "Asians are what a minority should be," which results in the silencing of racism and issues against Asian Americans. It also discussed the problems with segregation, poverty, and a lack of equality for Asian women specifically as compared to men. The harmfulness in making Asians a "model minority" portrays them as superior or inferior to other racial groups, only contributing to further issues of racism. To me, this was very interesting to hear about and it broadened my idea of such issues as racism through the "upbringing" of other ethnic groups.

Lastly, we began planning for our Thailand trip during M-Term. This was a pretty short period that mostly consisted of open work. Eli and I mapped out and planned the first day already weeks before, so we didn't have to do much. Everyone else found prices for activities that consisted of Thai culture and religious centers. At the end of the day, we did the trash as our end-of-the-day job and were excited to continue our second day.