UIC Today : August 21, 2001

From the Right: Asian Americans show why multiculturalism is not needed

by Mike Tsorin

During the tumultuous times of the late 1960s, President Richard Nixon used a term "silent majority" to address the people in America who never used public disobedience in order to highlight their grievances. Since the middle of the nineteenth century a "silent minority" has also existed in America. A "silent minority" that was responsible for building a lot of the major infrastructure on the west coast in exchange for slave-like working conditions and very meager pay. For many decades Asian Americans toiled away in silence, while living in a segregated society of sunny California. As the decades passed on and America became more integrated, Asian-Americans of all backgrounds became some of the highest achieving individuals in America. Asian Americans have achieved incredible success in such key professions such as medicine, engineering, computers, scientists and individual entrepreneurship, while successfully assimilating into the American culture.

At UIC Asians constitute the largest minority group on what is arguably the most diverse campus in the country. Unfortunately, as UIC's Asian population grew in numbers it also grew into UIC's multi-culturist mindset. A mindset that values diversity over individual accomplishment, a culture of group thinking where diversity is the highest virtue of any institution. During the last few years there has been an effort by the Coalition of Asian American Studies to establish a university sponsored Asian American Culture Center. The goal of this center, as with all the other cultural center on campus, will be to highlight the accomplishments of Asian Americans and to detail the experience of Asians who live in America. Those goals are the perfect example of the major shortcomings of UIC's multi-culturist fetish. Instead of celebrating diversity, UIC needs to celebrate the accomplishments of individual students who achieve greatness in their field of study.

The accomplishments of Asian Americans at UIC and else where are the work of specific individuals, not accomplishments of an ethnic group or a race. Therefore I believe that UIC should not allow the establishment of a Asian American Cultural Center and while they are at it should also disband both the African American Cultural Center and the Hispanic Cultural Center. Instead of labeling cultural centers by race they should have titles that inform potential visitors of what to expect once they enter the facility(Art Center, Music Center,etc.). All displays or performances should be given the same merit based considerations, instead of the emptiness of showcasing diversity instead of accomplishments. I believe that being an American is not about eating apple pie, belting out "God Bless America" every chance you get or telling people to "love it or leave it". Being an American means striving to accomplish greatness regardless of what you are, instead it is only important who someone is.

Asian Americans have undoubtedly experienced great hardship on the American soil in years past, but they overcame their difficulties of integration by working hard and honoring the old Asian tradition of family values. A part of the American Dream is about combining the best of the Old World into the structures of American social fabric. Asian Americans should be very proud of their five thousand year old heritage, but the pride must be a reflection on the past accomplishments, the future of every American citizen is in the United States, where accomplishments, not race or ethnicity are virtue.