Asian pride is an Asian-American youth-originated slogan. The slogan is used as an appeal to the formation of a common, shared group-identity by people of East Asian, Southeast Asian and sometimes South Asian descent living in Western societies.
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Modern usage of the term originated among Asian American youth and is not widely recognized and/or particularly endorsed in Asia itself. This is greatly due to a distinctly low population of visibly non-Asian immigrants in Asian nations, thereby removing much of the motivation and incentive for an association with the term 'Asian pride' and its practices.
The term 'Asian pride' does not necessarily refer to an active political movement, and therefore currently holds no true political influence in any nations in which it may be present and/or considered "active."
Currently, Asian American youth are seen to be largest group of persons aware of the term, involved with the term and actively displaying characteristics related to the term and its respective practices.
Much of the term's recent popularity among Asian American youth is believed to have stemmed from lyrics by a popular rap song titled "Got Rice?" The song, Got Rice?, is an overlay of African American hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur's song "Changes, and preaches, in American rap-style, the claimed superiority of Asian values over those of other ethnic groups.
'Asian pride' is known to be often employed by Asian American youth to describe a sense of connection to other Asians, even if their countries of origin may potentially differ. The term 'Asian Pride' is often written in camelcase and/or spelled in variant forms such "AZN Pryde."
In North America, Asian pride is often exhibited by those with ancestry in East Asia, Southeast Asia or a combination of both. In Britain, the term appears not only with those whose ancestry originates from East Asia, Southeast Asia or a combination of both, but also by those with South Asian ancestry (as a result of a high South Asian immigrant population).
Asian pride is generally a phase of many Asian youth, particularly of middle or high school ages, when the urge to be 'part of something' is greatest. Typically, North American youth of Asian origin will outgrow "Asian pride", as such sentiment tend to be divisive and limited in the multicultural environment that is experience by most youth in university or in the workplace.
Although the concept of "Asian Pride" is present in Overseas-Asian communities, those who have immigrated directly from Asia, as well as those who prefer to not associate themselves with the pride movement, are often unfamiliar with the term; however, generally do not show notable disagreement or hostility towards the term and/or the "movement." Most commonly, disagreement over the term 'Asian pride' and its most frequently observed practices, originate from ideologies of Indian nationalism, Pakistani nationalism, Chinese nationalism, Korean nationalism, and/or Japanese nationalism.
In this particular sense, the peoples of each respective nation do not necessarily support the generalization and association with other Asian groups as normally advertised and accepted by overseas Asian pride groups. Furthermore, some disagreement is said to have stemmed from both current and former negative relations between Asian nations. (See Anti-Japanese sentiment, Anti-Korean sentiment, Sinophobia, Indophobia).
Some counselors and social workers have interpreted the declaration of 'Asian Pride' to signify membership to gangs and a precursor to violence.[1]