The Acronym FOB: Politically Correct?

Personally, I believe that a person has the right to call himself whatever the hell he wants, including FOB, but I would question his self-respect.

This term seems to be thrown around quite a bit these days, especially among the Asian population of Vancouver. I have to say that I have never heard this term used in the US. Even more so, the fact that it is being so commonly used accounts for peoples' ignorance to the history and actual meanings of the word. While superficially, it may be used to just "describe" a person who is fairly new to a certain culture, and so becomes an outcast in terms of social convention.

The reason for it being termed "Fresh Off the Boat" and not off an airplane or train, is that it alludes to the Triangular trade of the late 16th century. During that time, cash crops from the American colonies, such as sugar and molasses, were brought to Europe. European goods, namely from England, were brought to Africa, where they were traded for slaves. Yes, slaves. The slaves were then brought to the American sub-continent, and the cycle would start all over again. Although slavery was finally outlawed in the 19th century, the pain and suffering of these Africans – the cultural ancestors of today's African Americans – were never forgotten. These Africans were often captives of war, and treated as commodities once they were put on boats. The conditions on the boats were horrible, with outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and other diseases inevitable. The slaves were only led onto the deck for an hour of exercise, and the spaces below were cramped. The people essentially had to wallow in their own filth throughout the trans-Atlantic journey that would often take up to 3 months to complete.

I don't know about you, but I feel pretty sick hearing the conditions that these people had to live in. Of course their living standards on the American plantations did not improve much, but that's another story for another time.

So really, to say that someone came “Fresh Off the Boat,” is extremely rude and derogatory. It is condescending, and inherently implies that the person is of a lower level than you are. In our society, we don't rank people, at least not officially. People are seen as equal, and so there is no social hierarchy. To deem someone to the lowly standards of a slave stepping off a slave ship, is therefore a crime; a heinous insult at that.

Bottom-line, I hope that people have sufficient language skills to use other descriptions for new immigrants to a country. Otherwise I wonder how they get the notion that they should be differentiated from the "FOB's," so to speak.

A Response to Racism

It is not so much the failure of the community to deliver the message of racial equality, but rather that there is no racial equality to declare. Although we tend to want to believe that we are all nice and civilized people, and the warm sentiments of equality and black children holding hand with white children are just so fuzzy and happy, the harsh reality is that there is no such thing as racial equality.

Well, I guess racial equality can only be achieved under two contexts. The first being that one is looking from a purely legislative and judicial viewpoint. Currently, we are supposed to be nice to each other and all equal in the eyes of the law. However, that is not always true, but I won't get into that here. The second paradigm to which racial equality could possibly exist is conundrum of mixed babies everywhere. If we were all "Icecubes" (Icelandish-Cubans) or "Jindus" (Jewish-Hindus), then we might truly be racially equal.

Although I desperately wish for a day when racism and xenophobia becomes extinct, it seems that I will never live to see the day. We pride ourselves on being different. After all, North American culture is one revolving around individualism. However, it is in our preoccupation with our individualism that we become increasingly occupied with conformity and becoming the same. Although this sounds like a direct contrast, it is often true. We care about standing out and being different from others, but at the same time, we hope to fit in. Once we achieve the end-goal of fitting in, we move on to criticizing all those who don't. They are labeled as outcasts, and subjected to unorthodoxly cruel treatment.

To respond to a question of why Asians are seen as a new threat, and a comment on how people of many different cultures having lived in Vancouver for so long, I believe that it is the failure of the many ethnicities of Canada to stand up for their rights. People are animals at heart. Animals recognize force, and only force. When they sense that another animal is getting angry, they will back off. Look at the prevalent racism throughout America's history. Until 1964, the African Americans of America were harshly discriminated against. And how were they able to achieve civil equality? Through protests; some peaceful sit-ins, others violent rampages. They were finally recognized as peoples. But it was not through this alone. The most important factor is that they were able to get political recognition. Politicians finally realized that the black population's support would garner a huge support base, and the passing of a Civil Rights Legislation would for sure insure many votes for the party.

I think that political parties are already starting to reach out to the ethnic "minorities" of Vancouver as they become more like the majorities. For example, I received a mandarin Christmas card from Stephen Harper, which shows that they are really working to get votes from the ethnic populations.

I don't know if it is politically correct to say that Asians are seen as a threat. It is merely that Asians are gaining more and more status, both socially and especially economically. After all, he who has the gold, makes the rules. It is therefore true that the West views the rise of Orientalism as potential incursion on their traditional power base. It is more a discomfort with the rise of a new power. The West is slowly adjusting with the discomfort of sharing and the gradual transferral of global hegemony to countries such as China. When a country has bought over 10% of your debt, it is hard not to feel the strains.

I agree with what was said, in that people will always fear who or what they don't understand. It is much easier to alienate people than to embrace and accept them. This is the main premises for racism; that and hatred of course. And Nazis. :)