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Those Asian guys on scooters save all of their money, then perhaps use that money to start a small shop or restaurant, then they buy some real estate, then in l
by briandear 7y ago
Those Asian guys on scooters save all of their money, then perhaps use that money to start a small shop or restaurant, then they buy some real estate, then in less than a generation their kids end up at Harvard.
Look at the Vietnamese immigrant story in the United States after the Vietnam war.
https://money.cnn.com/2016/08/12/news/economy/thuan-pham-refugee-uber/index.html https://money.cnn.com/2016/08/12/news/economy/thuan-pham-ref...
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/former-vietnamese-refugees-find-success-in-the-us/3341171.html https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/former-vietnamese-refu...
> Vietnamese overall have higher incomes compared to the total foreign- and native-born populations. In 2017, households headed by a Vietnamese immigrant had a median income of approximately $63,200, compared to $56,700 and $60,800 for all immigrant and U.S.-born households, respectively.
Further, in 2017, some 11 percent of Vietnamese families were living in poverty, a lower rate than for immigrant families overall (14 percent).
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/vietnamese-immigrants-united-states-5 https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/vietnamese-immigrant...
Perhaps we should ask why there are so many “overworked and simply miserable” Asians compared to “native” born people who are more content to be underworked and living on the public dole, relatively speaking. The ability to work very hard and ultimately create a better life is at the heart of the immigrant experience. Rather than viewing that scene as a dystopia, we should view it as inspiring. Anyone with a work ethic and could also one day own a fancy car. It happens literally every day and at least in the US, the data supports it. Look at the success of the Vietnamese in the US compared to the success of other demographics. To top it off, in the US at least, most Vietnamese arrived with nothing, not even more than a few words of English and they turned it into a success story — and they did it without whining about politics or “inequality;” they just worked their asses off without complaint. They look “overworked, tired, and simply miserable,” because they are — but they understand that nobody owes them anything; if they are to be successful, they have to earn it with their own sweat and sacrifice.
Some see misery, others see possibility. These guys on scooters don’t see themselves as victims like the more “enlightened” among us would suggest they are.
- foobarbecue 7y agoAh the American dream, expressed only as an out of touch, rich white guy can: "perhaps you will open a restaurant and someday your kids might go to Harvard"