Friday, December 14, 2012

A Pet As A Substitute

Image from Facebook site:
"Asian Mixed Kids"

I was waiting in a looong line at the bank when I noticed three couples of "Asian" females and white men. One couple had a toddler in a stroller, whom I peered around to have a good look at, and he looked Asian, but still had a certain undecipherable "white" look. I can imagine discerning Asians being able to see these discrepancies more clearly.

The guy right behind me was an Asian man. I debated about talking to him, but finally, I felt I had to say something.

"Hi."

"Um, Hi."

"I don't want to bother you, but what do you think about all these Asian women going out with or marrying white men?"

Silence.

"I'm really asking because I feel sorry for you Asian men. If your women are going out with men of other races, mostly white, then who do you have left to be with?"

"I have a pet dog," answered the man. But he wasn't smiling, or smirking. He was quietly matter of fact.

He went on to tell me that he was pretty well off, and that he worked in finance, and lived very comfortably. He wasn't bragging, but perhaps was telling me that the reason Asian women went with white men wasn't simply because of materialistic benefits, but because of the prestige of being with white men.

In fact, the white man with the Asian woman (she looked Philippino) was dressed in drab jeans and a sweat shirt. Wealth wasn't the image he projected. I would think that even East Asian women who can "catch" wealthier white men must settle with lowered expectations. I don't have a lot on which to base this assessment, except that many high profile Asian women who have married white men that I have reviewed (see my profile of fasion designer Vera Wang) end up divorcing these men, who either lived off their wives, or had inferior (to their wives, at least) jobs.

I said, "Merry Christmas," and stayed on the line, watching the Asian woman, her white mate and the toddler in the stroller, who would burst into undecipherable song once in a while. At least life for him now must be happy. But he only has to grow up to be a teenager, and I think that is when things will start to become difficult.

The couple knew I was watching it. It's strange, if someone was looking at me in such a hostile manner, I would ask what the matter was (provided it wasn't some mad person, and I look far from mad). Instead, both the man and the women avoided eye contact with me completely, and even stopped communicating with each other until they reached a teller. I am not surprised at their lack of confidence. They must know, underneath all the buoyant acceptance they receive in multi-culti Canada, that they have shaped their married life, and the life of their child (children - the woman looked pregnant), on faulty and even bad (evil) premises.

I have a solution to this problem. I have said this before: Asian and Asian/white mixed residents (citizens) of Canada and the United States should be encouraged to leave these countries and return to their countries of ethnic origin.

This could be through:

- Monetary incentive by encouraging these people to take up jobs with Canadian, American and Asian companies within those countries

- Educational incentives, by providing inter-governmental scholarships for post-secondary education to Asian countries, with the understanding that the scholarship recipients will stay and work in those countries for at least two years after they have completed their programs. This is done with the presumption that they will stay longer, and eventually permanently.

- Providing persistent cultural incentives promoting the benefits of these countries for Asian ethnics.

- The countries which would receive this "voluntary immigration" are China, Korea and the Philippines, which is where the majority of these Asians are from.

I think this might be successful. Asians constantly and continuously reach out for their ethnic origins, even those born and brought up here. One new trend I've observed is the coupling of "Canadian" Asians, where both the male and female are of Asian origin, but are "culturally" Canadian, at least through the English language that they speak. Once "Canadian" Asians start to return, they will pull more along with them. Then these countries won't seem intimidatingly foreign. It will be less foreign than living in a Canada where they have to battle, through multiculturalism, for their "place" in the society. These Asian countries may not be as accepting as I imagine, but stories of Asians who have traveled back tell of a positive environment. China and Korea do need the skill and connections they bring, and will most likely make their immigration, and consequent life there, agreable and easy.