Like other writers on the subject of Asian-Americans, Liu also noted that they seem to be a special case, the "new Jews," that is a minority that is neither black nor white. Racism is usually seen as bipolar, and this is why the Asian-Americans seem even excluded from this categorization:
The question is multilayered. Is yellow black or white? is a question of Asian-American identity. Is yellow black or white? is a question of Third World identity, or the relationships among people of color. Is yellow black or white? is a question of American identity, or the nature of America's racial formation. Implicit within the question is a construct of American society that defines race relations as bipolar -- between black and white -- and that locates Asians (and American Indians and Latinos) somewhere along the divide between black and white. Asians, thus, are "nearwhites"...
Although cultural identity does exist, the connection between race or cultural belonging and the individual is not altogether definite. Although Liu looks Chinese and shares a cultural background with his people, he does not feel that this makes him any less American. The problem with identity therefore is that it is constructed on the basis of cultural stereotypes, that most of the time, only reflect reality in a distorted way.
Works Cited
Liu, Eric. The Accidental Asian. New York: Vintage Books, 1999
Okihiro, Gary Y. Margins and Mainstreams: Asians in American History and Culture. Washington: University of Washington Press, 1994
