Essay on Hmong Company Experience of Stereotyping and Racism

Hmong, the Asian American group in the United States of America, experience stereotyping and racism. The basis of the Hmongs stereotyping in the US results from the way the other people think about the Hmong categorizing them into a group for example based on their skin color, limiting their access to the neighborhood, housing, employment opportunities, education quality as well as other desirable resources (Chou & Feagin, 2015). What people learn from others and the society also disadvantages the Hmong population in the US, for instance, this group experiences adverse effects in regards to economic status and health damaging psychological responses for example when parents prefer their children to have friends who are white than the Hmong.

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Illusory correlation also causes stereotypes whereby the native Americans Hmong as the main perpetrators of violence and crimes. The white Americans have the white superiority feeling and thus inferences about the Hmong group as incompetent in sports and leadership (Yang, 2003). These feelings of unacceptance among the Hmong people are a psychological stressor that leads to adverse changes in ones health and consequently alters the behavioral patterns that raise the health risks.

Racism results from discrimination by self-esteem, where the White Americans see the Hmong people as incompetence in term of the abilities or value. Fear that the Hmong people will get better employment and displace the native Americans, ignorance to cultural diversity and assumptions based on the previous experiences as well as the media lead to racism against Hmong (Chou & Feagin, 2015). Inferiority complex, social hierarchies, and economic divisions, statistics related to crime rates, poverty, education as well as the lack of love for humanity are other causes of racism that the Hmong people face in America. As a result of racial discrimination, the Hmong people become violent and angry, and it as well destroys their self-esteem. The Hmong people have limited access to the better schools, jobs, healthcare facilities and this accumulates their adverse events leading to terrible loneliness, anxiety, depression and mental ill-health.

The native Americans discrimination starts in the schools and saturates all the aspects of life with the passage of time. Their discrimination is in poverty, infant mortality, low unemployment and high school completion rate and religious beliefs. There is no significant difference in the discrimination faced by the Hong group and the native Americans since any biases affect the psychological and mental health of the individuals.

The story Strip! is for me by Diana Courvant in the Body Outlaws interested me. The idea in the story is that people are who they are, and what they have is all one should ever have to be because that is firm enough (Rutter, 2008). From this story, I learned that neither trans people, the disabled, enormously butt, abnormally tall or short nor those with a large nose freakish. In the past, I used to imitate the eating habits, dress code, the way I talk, all trends of beauty and fashion so as to look like people perceived to be models. After reading this story, I gained an understanding that there is no ideal standard of beauty in that all individuals possess their unique, admirable traits.

Culture defines the beliefs and behaviors that a particular social group share, the language, cuisine, religion, music, and arts, as well as the eating habits. Every culture has both the tangible and intangible aspects. Visible elements refer to the material culture, that is, the objects or the belongings that a group of people has. Intangible cultural aspects are the immaterial culture consisting of the beliefs, attitudes and the ideas of a social group. Material and nonmaterial cultural aspects vary from one region to another (Friedland & Mohr, 2004). Hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry comprise the material culture but become nonmaterial culture when worn for specific events. Despite every culture being unique, some patterns or traits, called the cultural universals are common globally to all societies.

This course helped me understand that my culture is unique from other cultures. I gained insight that my social group members work together to maintain the values, beliefs, customs and norms from interference by other groups. I understood that the rules guide the code of conduct for the people in my society and any person from a different culture is prone to discrimination as the native members view their intrusion as interfering with the rules of the society. Studying this course has expanded my knowledge on the causes of ethnocentrisms and why culture shock occurs. I also understood the ideal culture and the real culture of my social group and that I am a product of what I learn from the others in my culture. I also learned that deviance from cultural norms causes psychological disturbances and this can adversely affect ones mental health and that cultural symbols have a significant meaning.

If one wants to help a community improve its health, he/she must learn the culture of the people. It is wise for one to ascertain the already existing habits and how they relate to the health of the individuals. People all over the world hold beliefs and behaviors relating to illness and health stemming from cultural forces as well as individual perceptions and experiences. Culture determines how patients and the health care providers see health and disease as well as their beliefs about the causes of diseases, for example, some cultures believe that diseases like Arthritis result from curses and witchcraft, while to other cultures they stem from biological causes (Dunn & Dyck, 2000). Cultures also vary in their perception of the conditions or diseases that cause stigma and why with many cultures viewing depression as a general stigma and those seeing psychiatrists considered crazy.

Culture defines what health-promoting activities to focus on, for example, in some cultures, being overweight implies a store of energy against famine, and that strong women are healthy and desirable, while other cultures disregard obese women and always believe that a beautiful lady is tall and slim. Culture dictates how patients experience and express pain and illness. Some cultures value stoicism as their norm despite suffering from severe pain, while others show pain moderately and openly, meaning that cultures vary in the degree to which the health care providers investigate and treat pain.

Health behaviors are different in different cultures regarding where, how and when the patients seek medical attention. Some cultures consult allied health care providers, only to visit doctors when their condition becomes severe. Other traditions encourage their patients not to make a direct eye contact with the health care provider as a sign of respect, but this may signify patient depression on the side of the doctor (Dunn & Dyck, 2000). Health behaviors are diverse in how the patients understand and comply with the treatment options the doctors recommend whereby some patients view injections as the only cure for their diseases.

Cultures will also vary in the acceptance of the diagnosis, prevention and disease control, as well as their perceptions of health and illness in the youth and the aging, where some cultures link chronic diseases with old age. Other cultures are of the view that only female patients seek heath care and not the males. All these viewpoints contribute to increased rated of mortality and morbidity especially for cultures that object heath care help.

From the studies on culture, development, and health, I have learned that human beings are social beings. I communicate and understand their world through the context of my social language, traditions, beliefs, behaviors and values. My cultural experiences shape the way I see myself and others and my thoughts, and that culture helps pass skills from one generation to another. I have understood that my health and illness behavior results from culture and that sometimes it is unavoidable and recommended to deviate to cultural norms when it comes to my health.

Initially, I thought that it is not right to go for a medical checkup even in the absence of illness and as well attend therapy sessions because of the cultural socialization, but I have realized that sometimes my well-being is dependent on me. I have also grown to an understanding that beauty is a personally perceived thing other than a culturally accepted belief. I am yet to understand the rates of mortality and morbidity in diverse cultures as well as how socio-economic status and religion impact on health and illness.

ReferencesChou, R. S., & Feagin, J. R. (2015). Myth of the model minority: Asian Americans facing racism. Routledge.

Dunn, J. R., & Dyck, I. (2000). Social determinants of health in Canadas immigrant population: results from the National Population Health Survey. Social science & medicine, 51(11), 1573-1593.

Friedland, R., & Mohr, J. (2004). Matters of culture: Cultural sociology in practice. Cambridge University Press.

Rutter, M. (2008). Bedside Book of Bad Girls: Outlaw Women of the Old West. Far country Press.

Yang, K. (2003). Hmong Americans: A review of felt needs, problems, and community development. Hmong Studies Journal, 4, 1.