roflcopter:

Write in “Taiwanese” - US Census 2010 [PSA Full Version] (via SlideshowPics)

This is a pretty loaded issue.

The declaration of oneself as Taiwanese-American over the more generic Chinese-American is an action that has been loaded with political implication…mainly because of what happened in the past century. It’s been a topic of bitterness as much as it has been a topic of nationalism.

Perhaps following through with this could bring the United States closer to recognizing what has become a unique culture that has its own history and has evolved tremendously, especially in the past few decades—one that includes those with Chinese, Southeast Asian and even Dutch ancestry. This could help us promote the education of the differences between the two cultures and initiate a more realized sense of self-identity in United States.

But on the other hand, this could also be just as divisive among the greater Chinese-American community and stop us from moving forward and uniting with one another to influence legislation and civil rights, it could further the general complacency and unwillingness to march together like the Korean-American and Japanese-American communities have done in the past.

Hella conflicted.