A.M. writes, Dear Hmong Readers, Pride and reputation affects how we think, how we view the world, and what we teach others about ourselves. I don’t understand why our culture is based on pride and reputation so much, and I acknowledge that we are not the only culture to do so. However, I think it’s time to address this issue because it concerns you and me. Hmong is such a collectivist culture; for example, when one person of the same last name does something bad, another person with the same last name feels ashamed. When we hear about how a Hmong teacher in Cali molested his student, why is it that our immediate reaction is to blame the media for portraying negative news about Hmong people? Or when a Hmong charter school in Minnesota is accused of cheating tax payers’ money, why is our immediate reaction to defend the Hmong school leaders? In addition, as collectivists, we tend to avoid blunt honesty, avoid sensitive issues, and show self-effacing humor as ways of preserving harmony. By doing so, we look down on individualism, people in our culture that like to branch out or think/act differently. Moreover, we tend to avoid the root of problems. Instead of understanding the dynamics of domestic violence, we demand where is the proof or statistics that domestic violence exists in our culture, or we blame the laws of America for protecting victims of abuse, or some other insensitive and invalid excuses. I have heard way too many, enough to believe how uneducated our community still is. (Having a college or postgraduate education does not mean you are more educated than someone else. We all still have a lot to learn.) If you have read this far, I applaud you because this is not the typical “Hmong†post you would normally expect to read on this page. My point in this post is to make us question our own thoughts and actions (and yes, for me to complain too.) As individuals, we need to want to be better. We need to want to put down our pride sometimes and see things as they really are. Stop making excuses for ourselves and our community. Be more responsible for your own actions. I believe we can both belong and be ourselves. All the best, A.M.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 17:13:49 +0000
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