Identity Crisis Issue of Filipino

Identity Crisis Issue of Filipino Name: Course Code Instructor: Date of Submission Introduction America is one of the countries in the world that has a large number of immigrants. It mainly began a couple of centuries back when slave trade was still in existence. People were brought from various parts of the world and were taken as slaves. After slave trade was abolished, majority of those immigrants did not go back to their native countries. They remained in America and became part of the American society. However, even having been America for many years, certain minority groups such as Black Americans, Latinos and Filipinos have not exactly fit in the society. They are still treated as minority groups and have been denied certain rights (David, p. 16-7). Filipinos in America in particular continue to face identify crisis. This discussion looks at the identify crisis of Filipinos living in America and seeks to establish what the problem is. The discussion will also seek to find some of the possible solutions to Filipinos living in America. The Issue As aforementioned, majority of the immigrants in America did get into the country voluntarily. They were forced by circumstances such as slave trade or wars that they were in their countries. Due to this, majority of the immigrants including the Filipinos had to contend with low positions in the society. The high positions in the society were taken by Native Americans who form the majority of the population in America. The nature of work for minority groups in America included working in the farms and other blue-collar jobs. White-collar jobs were preserved for the white people in America. It is this constant subordination that would see the Filipinos assume a subordinate role in the society. They therefore began having a low mentality of themselves and developed an identity crisis. Besides the jobs, Filipinos have largely been subjected to racist tendencies. They have been marginalized and have not been recognized as part of the mainstream American society. This is despite the fact that majority of them have lived there for years and even some have been born in America. Cause of the Issue Having been bred in a foreign country, Filipinos in America do not have a history of their own. They share in the history of America which they are essentially not part of. Historians indicate that the history of a people is crucial in mapping their identity. This means that a society without a history is likely to have problems defining their identity (David, p. 47). The identify crisis of the Filipinos therefore stems from the fact that they do not have a properly defined past and their history seems very shallow. On one hand, they cannot relate to the Filipinos in Philippines because they were not born there. On the other hand, they cannot relate to the Americans who view them as minorities and strangers to the community. They therefore left in between not knowing which side to fall. Some Filipinos in America confess to feeling afraid of admitting that they are indeed Filipinos. Majority of those who are born in America refuse to admit their identity for fear of discrimination. Filipino parents in Amer...