Nina Young, a White student at Mission High, expressed her discomfort with the Asian American residents in her community speaking in their native language. This poses the question of why it is deemed “un-American” if a person of color speaks in their native language, but it is considered impressive if an English speaker learned the same language. There is a sense of admiration that is associated with primarily English speakers who learn a new language, but where is that enthusiasm for those who speak it natively? This connects to prior discussions regarding assimilation and the politics of respectability, because Americans expect immigrants to “be American” in a public setting by speaking English, while limiting cultural experiences to private life; although the language someone speaks does not make them any more or less American than their primarily English-speaking counterpart. George Sanchez’s mention of ambivalent Americanism also connects to this situation, because while Asian Americans are not outwardly expected to abandon their cultural practices, they are pushed to do so in moderation.
This also addresses the idea of White privilege and/or entitlement, because some White parents asked themselves, “ What are they saying behind our backs?” according to Alice Mitchell, a resident and parent in a primarily Asian American neighborhood. They automatically assumed that because someone is speaking in their native language it means they are gossiping, while they do not consider how much more comfortable it must be for them to speak in a language they were raised learning. For the White residents to automatically assume the Asian American residents would speak English to ensure no one feels uncomfortable reflects how they expect society to bend over backwards to accommodate their needs. It is a result of America’s history of allowing White privilege to perpetuate and establish certain expectations for minority groups.