Friday, February 7, 2020

Week 6- Sidney Siu

Sidney Siu
ASA 150E
Diasporic Experiences and Transnational Processes
Diasporic Experiences and Transnational Processes
Diasporic Experiences and Transnational Processes
Diasporic Experiences and Transnational ProcessesDiasporic Experiences and Transnational Processes
Diasporic Experiences and Transnational Processes

In Professor Valverde's chapter discussing overseas Vietnamese negotiating their cultural and political identity, the story of Madison Nguyen spoke to me. Winning the hearts and minds of a certain community is important in politics, as it can make a significant difference in voter turnout and diversity in a politician's voting demographic. When the reading mentioned the struggle Madison went through in trying to make all groups of the Vietnamese community happy with her decisions in renaming the business district in SJ, I realized how much of an impact ethnic groups make on an politician of color. It spoke volumes that her own Vietnamese community was not only not supporting her, but also tarnishing her name. It is generally from the beginning of an ethnic politician's political journey that they must direct a lot of their energy and assert their identity to a cultural-political agenda. You will never see an ethnic politician not using their race to their advantage. This strategy is smart, however, it is only morally correct if the politician is using this advantage to bring advantages to that racial community. One example of a politician using a specific ethnic group to their advantage is SF Mayor London Breed. From what I have personally seen through various events is that she tries to cater to the San Francisco Chinese community heavily, as she knows that they make up a large portion of the city's demographic. This is smart on her part and great for the Chinese community, but how is this problematic that she seems to focus more on influence in the Chinese community than the Black community in SF (she is Black)? 

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