Annie Xiong - Week 6 Blog

In the reading, Transnationalizing Vietnam, by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde, the overall idea revolves around Vietnamese and its diaspora. Since the US and Vietnam have formed a good relationship since 1975, anitcommunist actions and stories are controversy and threatening to Vietnam’s government, leaving many Vietnamese and its diaspora suppressed. This affect the SEA American community because other southeast Asian Americans, such as the Hmong and Mien are suppressed and traumatized from the secret war. Thus, if it is not allow to expressed ones own experience and story, it'll be harder to know what their histories and roots are as well as appreciating other people’s political views, like Chau Huynh.

One current event outside of class that connects to this week’s theme was the ban of Muslims under President Trump. Its controversy had videos and Facebook statuses flooded on my newsfeed. One particular video that I saw was an Iranian, US citizen man who teared up during an interview at the airport because his brother was being deported back. He stated that he came to the US from Iran and now the land he is hopeful of is turning its back on him and his brother when they haven't done anything wrong. This connects to the readings for this week because during the Vietnam War, there was the separation of the Vietnamese into two groups consisting of  the North Republican of Vietnam and South Republican of Vietnam, each having its own political views, actions, and experiences. Some Vietnamese who lived in the US during the Vietnam War have been punished by the US government. Similarly to these people, not all Muslims are considered terrorists. One bad apple shouldn't affect the entire race and especially those who are citizens of the United States. Thus, they should not be punished and silenced.

Question: How can we handle the situation differently in regards to Vietnamese and its diaspora, of Vietnam not wanting to ruin its good relationship with the US, yet suppressing some Vietnamese individuals?

Sources:
1. Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora. 2013. Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde.
2. YouTube. "Iranian-American man crying at the airport his brother deported back." Online video clip. YouTube, 31 January 2017. Web. 11 February 2017.