Asian American’s Rising Suicide Rate

Diversity & School Issue

Asian American’s Rising Suicide Rate

ED 252 Individual Assignment – Oct 14, 2010

“Asian Americans’ Rising Suicide Rates” was published in August 2009 as an in-depth response to the current news of three Asian students, who took their lives. The author, also an Asian American scholar who has gone through some of the most prestigious schools in America shared with readers the insight views of what actually went through the mind of these seemingly “super achiever”. The article sought out to identify the root causes of such tragic ending. Is it about the culture difference? Or is it more than that?

Despite the fact that Asian American students in Cornel University are only the minorities, they take the majority portion of successful suicidal attempts. It may seem shocking to readers that from 1996 to 2006, 13 out of 21 cases reported are Asian students. However, Andrew Lam, the author addresses the cause of this trend as the result of stereotyping. For decades, Asian students are perceived as the top scorer at school with high SAT result and dominators of the Ivy League. However, many of us may forget that it takes as much (and maybe even more) effort for these students to achieve such result, acknowledging English is not their mother tongue. They work incredibly hard just to be “average” in their own kind, just to reach the bench mark and fulfill society’s expectation. Like an invisible blanket that suffocates our students, stereotyping burdens the young mind to no end.  I agree with this point of view to a great extent. While every student is different, every child has their uniqueness, we tend to group our youth to certain categories in order to groom them. Though the good intention may be pure, unintentionally, we push them into the verge of losing life’s meaning if they cannot achieve the high expectation. The data serves as the alarm to awake the society’s ignorance. We must give credit when credit are due, and encourage the youth for their effort – not for their skin color, or whom we perceive them as.

Furthermore, the author also highlights cultural difference and family upbringing as important factors. Born into the culture where conservativeness is valued, children are taught to silent their thoughts at young age. Asian students are usually the demure one, who usually are less vocal in class. Many teachers accept their silence and obedience as politeness without understanding the true meaning: repression, thus overlook students’ issue. “Do not wash your dirty linen in public” this teaching shaped the students’ life style. Little do the parents realize their child’s emotion struggle is not supposed to be shameful – instead, we should teach our children to voice up their concern for us to address accordingly. A child’s matter may not seem to be any significant in the adult world. However, if we walk in their shoes, we will know those “childish” matters actually mean the world to them. Unintentionally, we push our children aside to deal with their own misery – without the slightest idea of the potential tragic outcome.

Looking at another side of this argument, Andrew Lam also brings out the crucial different that may be the root cause of the increasing suicidal cases among Asian students: responsibility to family. One may argue that American children, European children as well, suffer the weight of their parents’ expectation on their shoulders. However, I beg to differ. Asian families preserve a strong bond among the members. “Hieu” – the Confucian teaching of is respectful to our parents, being responsible and loving children – all in one does not seem to be translated fully in any English word. Yet “Hieu” is more important than almost everything in an Asian child’s mind. It is not an exaggeration for me – as an Asian daughter myself to view it as essential as fulfilling the meaning of a person’s life. As we are taught to treasure our parents’ sacrifices in bringing us up – it’s only fair that we now take turn to work hard to make them proud, even though in some cases, it means sacrificing our hearts’ true desire. Many Asian children went through colleges with the vigor competition alive – without the passion for their studies. Some cannot – and the shame of bringing their parents down pushes them over the edge: “maybe I am better off dead so that I will no longer bring shame to my parents”

Suicidal thoughts and attempts have become a plague among the youth in the recent years. In my opinion, I agree with the author’s view points to a great extent. Even though, the article seems to paint a complete picture of the emotional struggle of Asian students in America, however, I would like to add another perspective. Despite the fact that, many Asian American students are born in the United States of America, thus they go through the same education system, same expectation from teachers in term of workload quantity. I wonder if the culture barrier, the invisible wall that still separates an Asian American from American is still one of the factors that deeply rooted in the cause of their death, the way their upbringing. “Fighting in a foreign land” – protecting your nation’s reputation is how it is usually phrased. Could it be? After decades of immigration, of adapting to the culture, of drinking more Coke and swallowing more fast food than speaking their native tongue our young students themselves still identify them as the “foreigner” unconsciously?

In general, this article sought to raise the awareness in the society in general about the emotion struggle of one minority group, namely the Asian American students. However, everyone, from teacher to parents, from peers to the society should take a step back, and reflect – do we or do we not all play a part in their final fall? So that in the future, the number of attempted suicide would decrease significantly.