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Asian American Bias There’s a reoccurring image of Asian Americans in the media that stands out among the rest of the population. For instance, they are thought of as being quiet, hard working, successful, and family orientated. Even images of Asian females that predominate in the media paint pictures of small petite women. For the most part these observations are true and are rather obvious in the majority of Asian Americans. One possible explanation for this behavior is westernization, the influence of American culture on the Asian cultures. As a result of westernization, Asian American images appear to be glossy on the surface, however, underneath there are negative implications on their mental/physical health. Westernization has affected many cultures not just Asian cultures. In addition, it doesn’t even have to be here in the United States where westernization takes place, its spreading around the world. Nevertheless, here in the United States its wrath is much stronger. Second generation children of Filipino immigrants face hard struggles with the battle ground between two cultures. On the one side their parents are trying to instill their culture, values, and national identity. On the other side the high tide of American culture is constantly bombarding these second generation children with opposing ideals and values. Being torn between cultures can take its toll on these Filipino children and cause feelings of stress and alienation. Filipinos have been referred to as a “model minority” and for a good reason. They have a high educational attainment, a high level of labor force participation, a high percentage of working as professionals, and the lowest rate of poverty in the United States and in California.
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