immigration

Media, Ethnicity, Conflict...

It is interesting to see how the media had impacted an ethnic group to hate another ethnic group. As we all know, the media has a great impact on our lives. Prior to Koreans coming to the United States, they watched American films that portrayed the lives of African Americans. The films portrayed African Americans as criminals and “gangsters.” Koreans carried these types of images of African Americans with them when they arrived in the United States.

More on Chinatown's development from Peter Kwong

 Last year, Peter Kwong (the author of today's readings) answered reader questions in the New York Times online. I'm posting this link because it helps us understand how the processes he described have shifted since he published his book (1987). For example, he notes that competition from China has almost killed the garment industry in Chinatown. He also discusses the continued gentrification of the area and his belief that Chinatown will eventually cease to exist.

The Us and They

  New York City is known as the melting pot where people from all different nationalities live within a close vicinity of one another peacefully.  To the outside world New Yorkers seem that way, yet in reality New Yorkers just tolerate one another.  Although New Yorkers pride themselves for its diversity, we really aren’t diverse at all.  Each neighborhood segregates itself with the same type of people, almost closing itself off to new visitors or ‘different’ people.

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