Thursday, September 27, 2012

Filipino-American Assimilation

Migration due to economic reason is one in the growing trends of population throughout the world. With this trend, culture transfer becomes incredibly well-liked regardless of whether the migrant is going to be assimilated for the culture in the host country or the migrant could transfer component of his culture to some people. However, before the effortless cultural exchanges and transfers, the era of nation and folks conquest existed. It was not a matter of learning the culture in the subjects but the conquerors imposing their culture and practices. Many native cultures was destroyed and altered due to assimilation — the minority being assimilated.
Cultural assimilation, although the era of state conquest and exploration has already long been ended, nevertheless exist. It has grow to be a natural law of humanity and it's only the consciousness and awareness of the particular culture or their wide influence to other culture that keeps them from becoming assimilated. As such, major and minor cultures has been defined; the former getting of wide influence and the latter getting vulnerable to assimilation.
Filipinos Mix Culture
The Filipino culture could be regarded as 1 from the nations with rich cultures. Cultures during the 3 main islands, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, or even from nation to nation vary from 1 another. They are composed of numerous ethnicities speaking over 180 native languages. Their mix culture was brought forth by different ethnic migration during the pre-colonial Philippines as well as the occupation of three major countries, Spain, Japan and also the United States of America. Due to these, the Philippines has turn into a melting pot of Asian and Western cultures, a quite diverse culture existing in more than 1700 islands and islets.
However, rather than getting the country’s strength, this mix culture has produced the people a lot more vulnerable to cultural assimilation of major mainstream culture like that in the Americans. These cultures situated in a variety of regions have come to be a issue of division among Filipinos; and which produced the foreign settlers to effortlessly manipulate the imposition of their cultures. Whilst the regional cultures richly exist, it has become a minority even though the dominance of western culture has grow to be far more well-liked and is embraced by virtually all Filipinos specially those who live from the lowlands and urbanized areas.
Filipino Migration to the US
Largely influenced by cultures of foreign nations, quite a few Filipinos have occur to dream of going towards US. Even previous to Individuals came for ones “liberation” in the Philippines within the Spanish rule, many Filipinos has already settled within the US (http://opmanong.ssc.hawaii.edu).
Many of these Filipinos went the following for scholarships. They were referred to as pensionados, Filipinos who migrated in the aim for furthering their academic studies from the US. Still, many other have been workers in factories in Hawaii and inside the fishing area in Alaska. The workers had been brought there by the galleon ships that bring trade solutions inside the Philippines to Mexico and back during the Spanish occupation inside the Philippines. They wanted to escape their cruel overseers.
When the American came for the Philippines, they've made strong military and trade partnership among the two countries. But over that, quoting from Pomeray and CariƱo, the united states “produced a pervasive cultural Americanization on the population, exhorting Filipinos to regard American culture, society, values, political technique and lifestyle as superior to their individual (Rumabut and Portes, 2001). As a result of that several Filipinos has occur to imitate the culture in the Americans. The thought of culture was modeled during the foreigners’ way including the public school systems, the way of dressing and even of speaking.
The dream of several Filipino to set foot during the “mother” country has just turn out to be intensified. It has seemed to become that The united states is a promise region in particular people who are looking for greener pasture. Numerous families have migrated there and became naturalized citizens. Inside the mindset of the Filipinos back from the Philippines, the reputation of migrants can also be increased into something like winning a lottery or achieving best dream and richer people.
Maruja M.B. Asis of Scalabrini Center-Philippines termed Filipino migration as “cultural migration” due to one out of 5 Filipinos wanting migrate or jobs abroad, a definitely high rate (http://www.migrationinformation.org) expressing dissatisfaction to their country, the lack of task opportunities and their affirmation to be assimilated to a major culture.
Many other also settle inside the US as a result of scholarship. The Filipino passion for education was strengthen because of the introduction of public school method during the American rule inside Philippines. However, in the furtherance education, Filipinos even now appear as much as the top quality of American way of student instruction and their capacity to offer additional advance facilities. With that reason, many scholars go to the US to discover — some go back property but others select to stay then later on petition for their families to arrive as well.
On the other hand, the book 5 Faces of Exile (Espiritu, 2005) explored the migration of Filipino intellectuals towards the United States. It has presented the well-known desire of national solidarity and identity along with patronage of Filipino culture whether this individuals are inside Philippines or during the US.
Moreover, the Philippines has became a major labor exporter to Asia and other parts on the world. From over 36,000 in 1975, the number grew to practically a million in 2004 (http://www.migrationinformation.org).

American Domination
Matthew Fraser as quoted in Hamm and Smandych (2005) wrote that “America’s global domination has been achieved largely through non-military ways — in short, through the extension, assertion and influence of its soft power.” What Fraser was talking for the soft power will be the spread of American movies, pop music, television, fast food, fashion and theme parks which are continuously spreading, reinforcing and transforming favorite norms, values, beliefs and lifestyles.
This soft power has become very dominating in all of the culture about the globe. Majority in the world’s consumed goods if not produced in China is created or exported in the US. More than that, it these soft powers have introduced a lot on the “superior” culture on the US. To several people, this culture has turn into the regular of whatever they will do particularly in fashion. It has defined the way people think of beauty.
Herbert Schiller also expressed the role of television from the cultural domination of The us (Durham and Keller, 2001). The domination is reinforced by new communication delivery systems like satellites and cable networks. Moreover, the reputation of the Web also intensified this cultural transfer.
Since the us is an economic superpower is it easy for it to spread domination between the countries in which it has relationship with especially in trading. Many US companies has explored other country, mostly inside third globe like the Philippines, exactly where they can establish their offices and factories. These corporations have hired numerous men and women to work for them and to elucidate the culture of Americans. These
English, although it's only the second most spoken language within the world, has become the lingua franca of company and trade. English can also be the official language on the US. It has turn out to be incredibly popular inside Filipino context due to the presence of multi-national organizations investing inside Philippines. There are also many US based call centers within the Philippines that need their workers to speak English throughout their stay inside the office. Moreover, many parents use to teach their young children English. English is good and better; and when you know it, you can do business.
Cultural Identity
Contrary to losing most of Filipino cultural identity, quite a few Filipino migrants remain loyal to their distinctive as Filipinos in particular in continuously upholding their cultural values of hospitality, utang na loob or debt of gratitude, pakikisama or being easy to deal with and strong family ties. Even though they have conformed to what media tells on the superiority of American culture, numerous Filipinos are quite flexible in balancing their cultural perspective. They could be very easily assimilated but their values remain.
In trying to find national solidarity, several Filipinos abroad have occur together to establish their individual Filipino community. In fact, the Filipino-American community stands out as the US stands out as the largest Asian-American group in the country. The size grew beginning during the 1940s as soon as the male workers began to marry and have children. Whilst they have been tiny community, they have been stable (Root, 1997).
Language is neither a difficulty as well. The Philippine Constitution has granted the English language as co-official with Filipino. Moreover, numerous schools from elementary to college level from the Philippines use English as their main language of instruction.
The colonization of the US on the Philippines has somehow helped during the simpler Filipino American assimilation of the produce generation. Even though several of them are proud of their Filipino roots, because they're already accustomed to American culture back within the Philippines, it has become simpler for them to adjust to new environment. Aware of their separation inside mainstream white American culture, Filipino-American young men and women have embraced assimilation to US culture via absorbing elements that they are able to relate to and resisting what they can’t as they continue to process their parent cultural identity (Lee and Zhou, 2004). It is nonetheless not tough to pin issue Filipinos inside US.
Moreover, the establishment of Filipino-American media has also greatly contributed to redeeming their identity (Ciria-Cruz and Yuchengco, 1998). This media has made migrant Filipinos aware of historical events inside Philippines and has showcased Filipino culture and tradition as a source of national pride.
On another hand, Filipino-Americans still face quite a few difficulties within the assimilation procedure like hate crimes, workplace discrimination and region policies that have negative impact to Filipinos (Ciria-Cruz and Yuchengco, 1998). Though, the culture of determination among Filipinos remains being intact and they persevere to stay in foreign state to give back glory to their families inside the Philippines and somehow support elevate the failing economy of their country.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Filipino-American assimilation nevertheless gives each nationalities and countries sure impact on cultures economy. Filipinos discover to exist in a foreign state whilst practicing their identity and also the US obtaining skilled Filipino workers. The assimilation may be traced in a quite extended history of Philippine-US relation but the continuous progress of men and women from each lands might be undeniable.
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