Expression
So, Asians are accused of being indirect... Here I try (with possibly very poor results) to break that stereotype for the glory of God and the edification of the Body of Christ. (Note: this reflects not only my experiences as an Asian-American but the rest of my life as well; they are inseparable.)
Friday, May 26, 2006
my reading from 12.23.05
From the book I just finished (The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman):
"I remember countless occasions, after I had asked him to provide a rational explanation for a nonrational custom, when he just shook his head gently and said, 'Anne, may I explain to you again. The Hmong culture is not Cartesian.'"
"'You know, Anne,' he said quietly, 'when I am with a Hmong or a French or an American person, I am always the one who laughs last at a joke. I am the chameleon animal. You can place me anyplace, and I will survive, but I will not belong. I must tell you that I do not really belong anywhere.'"
"At Harvard [Medical School], all first-year students are required to take a course...in which they learn to work with interpreters...and ponder such conundrums as 'Can an American pediatrician truly explain a surgical consent form to newly arrived parents of a Southeast Asian baby?' and 'Is it ethical to use psychotherapy when therapist and patient are ethically unmatched?'"
:: redeemed4hisglory @ 11:26 PM ::
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