There’s a load of stuff that I’ve been meaning to write about, but life is getting busy. So I’m writing a Part I of III just to make sure that I cover at least some of the issues that I want to put on this blog regarding Asian American culture.
So here’s Part I.
The Washington Post yesterday had an article on the Girl Scouts. The article spoke about the declining membership rolls of the Girl Scouts, and how changes are taking place. More Girl Scout activities are moving to the web, and the style of communication between leaders and girls is more peer-based with fewer badges for achievement. The end of the article talks about immigrants and how the Girl Scouts has helped acculturation.
I think organizations that incorporate the web are good. However, I also think that the web should be a tool for community, not community itself. The peer based model is probably good since it seems that’s the generational trend–I figure that the young will always solicit help from the more experienced, regardless of stylistic differences in how people view age. Asian America could use organizations that bring people face-to-face and work to create community based on real life sharing and communication. Only then we can start fixing the major issues that affect us.
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I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
This general topic of “What Asian America Could Use” is an excellent topic to address. This issue could be the basis for a much larger and sustained discussion actually.
“Asian America could use organizations that bring people face-to-face and work to create community based on real life sharing and communication.
Uh … yeah. This is somewhat abstract. “Organizations that bring people face-to-face and work to create community based upon real life sharing and communication” could literally describe any and all organizations from the JACL to Asian Cinevision to those many Asian American professional/yuppie groups to Better Asian Man.
This issue could be narrowed down to:
-Are there innovative new organizational strategies (either online or in the real world) that Asian American groups should use?
-Is there a new “message” or broader vision that Asian American groups should be advancing?
In other words, what’s the most effective organizational structure and compelling content for AA groups?
Good points.
I probably should’ve been more specific. I actually don’t think that most Asian American organizations focus on building community. I know lots of great people at JACL and OCA, but I’ve always felt like the focus has been on protecting a so-called community rather than building one. This, of course, is no different from the NAACP, but I think the needs of the Asian American community are different. After all, we tend to disperse.
It’s funny that you mention “Better” Asian Man because I think the solution to the whole IR disparity is very similar to the solution to the community problem. People need to focus on competencies and build community from those.