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ARTICLES:
Eurasian Experience
Journeys
In and Out of FOB Land By Lisa Mueller March 2003 The ethno-social scene at my high school seems to have spawned a nouvelle "FOB" culture. In an environment where most of my friends are Chinese, the term "FOB" (used as a noun or adjective meaning Fresh Off the Boat) has come to describe nearly everything; from FOB food to FOB music, to FOB clothing. Ironically, not one of my Chinese friends can accurately be classified as a "FOB." The only one who actually was born abroad moved from Taiwan as an infant. So, am I really any less "FOB" because I am Eurasian? The adoption of this originally deprecating label as a mainstream vernacular trend has confused me. Is it all right for Asians to call themselves FOBs, just as blacks sometimes refer to themselves in derogatory terms? Being surrounded by so many Chinese peers, I often find myself speaking their "language." But while participating in this self-mockery, am I also being racist? Does my white half exclude me from access into FOB Land? Occasionally I am reminded of my dual identity, so to speak. My Chinese mother, who is an ABC (American-Born Chinese), is apparently "whitewashed" (absorbed into white American culture). True, she does not speak with a Chinese accent and discipline me like the stereotypical FOB parent. But does this make her any less Chinese? In reality, my European father is more of a FOB than my mother, as he was born in Germany and actually did take a boat to the United States. But of course, the richness of my European ancestry is of little importance when it comes to defining my cultural identity. When filling out job applications I am routinely asked to select "only one" ethnicity with which I most closely identify. In a fit of exasperation, I either check two boxes or choose something entirely different, such as "Latino," in protest. My frustration is compounded by the so-called "white" category. This vast group usually includes all Europeans and even Middle Easterners, while there are nearly always separate boxes for Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Laotian, Thai, Korean, and all other Asian varieties. Never mind that there are similarly many countries in Europe as there are in Asia. In a society where ethnic is "in," it is increasingly easier to label someone as "just white." Therefore, I have become pressured to bring out the FOB in me. Being a FOB no longer implies immigrant status. Rather, the label has become associated with riced-out cars and tapioca tea. The "FOB culture" itself is nothing to be criticized. Rather, it is the label that implies something exclusive and perhaps even discriminatory to those who do not entirely fit in. To be a FOB is simply to be "Asian enough." In biology class one day (a class roughly 90% Asian), I found myself drawing a punnet square to examine the genetic makeup resulting from a number of ethnic combinations for my future children. I began thinking about whom I would have to marry for my kids to turn out Asian enough. Suddenly I realized the extent to which this FOB culture had influenced me. Why should I, or my future children for that matter, be slapped somewhere on the ethnic spectrum? After a few weeks studying genetics, I became known by my classmates as "The Hybrid." I didn't mind it so much, since playing the ethnic game was, and still remains, an integral part of social interaction at my high school. Since then, however, I have stopped worrying about whether I am "FOB" or "whitewashed." I plan on majoring in French Civilizations and International Relations, two fields which require me to travel abroad and acquaint myself with cultures that are different from either of my own. The road to FOB Land is artificial. My journeys in and out of this false world have shown me that cultural enrichment has very little to do with my hybridness. I should not be struggling to define an ethnicity I can call my own, nor should I try to fit into cultures that are pre-defined. Instead, my enrichment should come from studying the customs of others. If I am able to achieve this type of open appreciation, then whether or not I am a "FOB" is inconsequential. About
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