Racial Identity Development Personal Essay – Sociology Paper
My name is Hakyoon Anfo. I am 22 year olds and I am Korean. I just immigrate 3 years ago. Actually I grew up in Korea, so I can not speak in English. I did what I want to do when I was in Korea because there are 100% pure Koreans live in Korea and I am male, so nobody care what I want to do.
I was the dominant group of majority,sexuality and most of categories, but it completely changed. After I immigrate here, I could not be majority or dominant group anymore.
There are four categories of Identity development which are the White racial, Minority racial/Ethnic, Black racial and Biracial Identity development. (Poston) I am belonging to minority racial/ethnic identity development, so I do not have many disadvantages than native born or white people. One of disadvantages is ignoring or makes fun of me when I ask something to native born people. That happen makes me uncomfortable. My dad also had one of disadvantage happen last time. Actually previous owner used that heater, and he never used heater which is in his office, but ‘Puget sound energy’ charged my dad to pay previous payment. According to one of my math classmate Sun-Jae said, “I had disadvantage on buying my car!” Sun-Jae went to dealer to buy his car, and he did not get any profit and then they charged him to pay high interest and tax, but he did not know about that because he could not speak in English at that time. Also one of my classmates Josh said that he saw some bad situation that Asian his friends can not go inside the club because they are just Asian.
I have some advantages too. It does not matter who is white or Asian or whatever other race people. Male can walk around the street or campus during the night time. That is what I did when I was in Korea too. Another advantage is my parents allow me to meet girl friend, even my mom love to see my girl friend, but my parents never allow let my sister have or meet any boy friend. I think most of parents want their daughter not to meet boy friend. The thing is that I have many disadvantages than what I have advantage after I immigrate here.
I learned 4 categories of racial identity development and 4 stages of each category. Especially I memorized minority racial/ethnic category, but I do not think I changed my social life positively. I knew all the information that I can change my social life but it is really hard to overcome cultural conflict between Korea and the United States. I am always reminding those stages but sometimes I just lost my reason when minority situation came up to me, but now, way better than before I take this Intra America History class. It is going to be better and better so on.
“It’s always been this way, and it always will” (Johnson, 142). This is one of his Myths in his chapter entitled: “What can we do?” I disagree with some parts of his words and I totally agree with some parts of his words. I do not like this passage that it’s always been this way, and it always will. Do we have to let it go same as what it did? I think we have to change if we can. Everything is process, the space between one point and another, the movement from one thing toward another, just like this century also one of step for the future. I totally agree with Johnson’s argue.
There are so many different racial people or groups in the world, and they have different culture and customs each of them. So there are many problems, conflict between each other. The Johnson’s second Myth is Gandhi’s paradox and the myth of no effect, this myth story’s point is really similar with Korean Proverb Proverb. “If people in one united body, they will survive but if they separate by each one of them, they will die” (Korean proverb). That means if we respect each of different racial people or groups, we could live perfect world that does not have ‘ism’. So we must stop waiting wonderland and we should change our destiny.