Bryan Johnston 9/13/12
Intensive College Composition 1 So what does race really mean? Most people just think that ones race is determined by the color of their skin or how they look. This is not the case; the way a person acts determines their race as well. It is very hard to put a finger on what Yoshino thinks “race” really is. He was taught at a young age to assimilate into the American society. He was told to be proud of his Japanese heritage, but to act completely American in America and completely Japanese in Japan(Yoshino 300). This is sad but true; society doesn’t mesh too well with things out of the norm. Everyone and everything is forced to assimilate to what society proclaims is “acceptable” in this day and age. On the contrary racism is like a mirror. For example in the U.S the majority is white and the Asians are considered a minority, but in Japan the whites are the minority. They are forced to assimilate to their culture. In America, Asians are stereotyped as very smart. On the opposite end in Asia, whites are considered to be less intelligent(Yoshino 303). Yoshino talks about how different hairstyles are associated with certain races, especially in the Rogers vs. American case. In the 1980’s American Airlines said that none of their workers were permitted to wear their hair in braids. Rogers found this highly racist, and brought the company to court. She did not end up winning this case, but American had no logical defense as to why braids were