The Cultural Identity Crisis

Belle Ng

10.9.20

---

The Cultural Identity Crisis is the internal conflict between assimilation and tradition. Though faced by many people of color - especially immigrants - across the globe, this article will specifically deal with the Cultural Identity Crisis as it pertains to students in the U.S. 

---

Many first or second-generation immigrant children grow up in households similar to those from which their parents and grandparents came; others grow up in more “Americanized” households. No matter what their upbringing was like, children of color experience discrimination because of the way they look or act. At younger ages, judgment is more based on the way they look. However, as they get older, they start to get judged not just by the way they look, but also by how they dress, how they act, and who they befriend. 

As an Asian-American, this is something I’ve experienced throughout my life. I’ve felt pressured to be “more Asian” by my Asian peers and family. However, growing up in an Americanized household, it can sometimes be hard to connect to my culture. People have treated me differently from my white friends throughout my life. I’ve grown up with a lack of respect from both Asian and non-Asian peers. It’s impossible to ignore the whitewash-shaming that occurs within communities of color. Many of these kids - such as myself - have no control over our upbringing, so we shouldn’t feel ashamed of living in more Americanized households. 

Whitewash-shaming  is when a person of color mocks or makes fun of another person of color for being “too white” based on the way they act or look. This is very common among communities of color. Why is “acting white” seen as shameful and bad? What exactly is “acting white?”  On the other hand, those who don’t fully assimilate to the “American” way are considered weird and “too foreign.” Many kids suffer from feeling simultaneously too whitewashed for peers and family of the same race yet too ethnic for others.

This is the cultural identity crisis. 

Too many kids feel out of place because of something called “Perpetual Foreigner Syndrome.” In the US, this means that anybody who isn’t white is seen as a foreigner, even those born here. Kids of color are often treated like outsiders who don’t belong. They’re asked intrusive questions that wouldn’t be asked of white kids. Do people walk up to white people they’ve never met before and ask if they eat roadkill? Questions like this often stem from harmful stereotypes. Perpetual Foreigner Syndrome implies that only white people can be “real” Americans. 

A study from a west coast college published by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology in 2011 looked at students’ perception of race and its relation to their identity and belonging. The study asked 836 students questions about their awareness of being perceived as a foreigner in America and the level of discrimination they feel happens to them. Compared to the Asian, Latino, and Black Americans surveyed, European Americans experienced feeling like they didn’t belong significantly less. The study also showed how society’s treatment and expectations of different races relate to mental health issues like depression. 

---

People can preach all they want about how “the only race is the human race”, but this idea ignores the multitude of issues faced by people of color. Shaming kids for being too “whitewashed” while also making fun of them for expressing their culture creates a toxic environment in which they don’t feel respected in either community. In order to create a more inclusive environment, people of color need to stop being treated as “foreign” or “exotic.” Before someone makes fun of someone else for being “whitewashed” or “too foreign,” they should ask themselves if they know anything about someone else was raised or what someone else has experienced. We need to work together to end both whitewash-shaming and the stigma behind being proud of traditional culture.