Are you proud to be Hmong?
- Thread starter SS501xxB2stxxCNBlue
- Start date
Inactive topic…but I would like to share my thoughts...
Am I proud to be Hmong? Yes! Am I proud of everything Hmong? No. Will you hear me bad mouth about Hmong? Yes!
No ethic group is perfect and we cannot pick and choose what we like and rid off immediately the things we don't. We just have to accept the goods and bad, and teach our future kin to make better decisions, be better, and find a balance. So what do I like and dislike about being Hmong?
Like:
1. I like the pride when we stand together as Hmong. Sure this can backfire when we get too obnoxious. But it does bring us together for a common cause. It gives us a sense of community. It's a great topic starter too. Are you Hmong? lol
2. Folklores. I love the folklores that have been past down from generations to generations. Yes, many of them has been distorted with time and the story teller but they're still good to hear none the less. I love it when the elders tells them!
3. Our language. Although it has changed since spoken by our ancestors…we have managed to incorporate other language into our own. We no longer just speak Hmong, but we also speak words from other influencers/languages.
4. Our history. Although we may not know our complete history…the little parts that we know make us Hmong. We need it properly recorded so we won't lose more of it as our elders past on.
5. Our ability to adapt. Although it may not seem like much at the moment, we Hmong do adapt very well. Just look where we've been and where we are now.
Dislike:
1. Gender roles, images and favoritism. Like many of you pointed out…the gender roles/image and favoritism is an issue. Because of this, it brings out the worst in us and corrupt our minds. A women's fear of speaking out about an abusive relationship, is not because she's weak…it's because she has been brought up her whole entire life with the idea that it is ok for such treatments or that she have to make her relationship work regardless of harm to her. When she finally speak, she's a lair or a big mouth. When she leaves, she get names. This is the world many female faces, Hmong or not. I hope our future generations will learn to look at each other as equal and become better than what we are now.
2. Differences in religion and respect. Yes, we adapt. Some of us stayed with the religion our grandparents' practiced while some of us converted. DO NOT FORCE YOUR BELIEF ON THE OTHER. Yes we share the name "Hmong," but we do not have to share the same practices and believes. Lets just all get a long and stop bad mouthing one or the other's religion. This is one of the things I still see today and it needs to stop. Whether you have converted or not, as long as you believe in what you want to believe, you have no right to force your believe on to others. Just be happy with what you believe in and your soul will be at peace.
3. Rumors. We all love rumors don't we? A little rumor here and there don't hurt anyone, but we really need to mind our own business and live our life. If it is to lend a helping hand, by all mean do so…but stop spreading rumors especially when it's not true. Don't twist other people's words or make what you just heard about someone more "exciting" by fabricating your own version to it. If you want to say something say it like it is, but keep in mind…there are two side to a story and you only have one of them. This is particularly true among the old ladies.
4. Be thankful and considerate. Sometime we forget to be thankful or considerate of others. We only see when someone does something bad to us and not when they do something good. True among the world…but it bothers me when I see it in the Hmong community. You help someone out during their hard time and when you need help (good reasons) and ask, they decline and rub it in your face just because they can. I can understand when they decline and leave it at that…but decline and then goes off and run their mouth forgetting that they once needed your help and that you helped them…that's just horrible. Then when you stop helping them, they go around crying of how mean or greedy you are.
5. Secrets and not sharing. Have you ever saw someone making a dish and asked for the recipe and the person become all excuse-full tight-lipped, give you part of the recipe, or wrong instructions? Yes, Hmong people can be quite secretive about their recipes. 1 - because they want to be the only one that knows how to make it or 2 - they don't want you to make it better than them. It's sad, because that's how some very good recipes slowly become forgotten.
My lists could probably go on and on…but I'll stop them here lol
Am I proud to be Hmong? Yes! Am I proud of everything Hmong? No. Will you hear me bad mouth about Hmong? Yes!
No ethic group is perfect and we cannot pick and choose what we like and rid off immediately the things we don't. We just have to accept the goods and bad, and teach our future kin to make better decisions, be better, and find a balance. So what do I like and dislike about being Hmong?
Like:
1. I like the pride when we stand together as Hmong. Sure this can backfire when we get too obnoxious. But it does bring us together for a common cause. It gives us a sense of community. It's a great topic starter too. Are you Hmong? lol
2. Folklores. I love the folklores that have been past down from generations to generations. Yes, many of them has been distorted with time and the story teller but they're still good to hear none the less. I love it when the elders tells them!
3. Our language. Although it has changed since spoken by our ancestors…we have managed to incorporate other language into our own. We no longer just speak Hmong, but we also speak words from other influencers/languages.
4. Our history. Although we may not know our complete history…the little parts that we know make us Hmong. We need it properly recorded so we won't lose more of it as our elders past on.
5. Our ability to adapt. Although it may not seem like much at the moment, we Hmong do adapt very well. Just look where we've been and where we are now.
Dislike:
1. Gender roles, images and favoritism. Like many of you pointed out…the gender roles/image and favoritism is an issue. Because of this, it brings out the worst in us and corrupt our minds. A women's fear of speaking out about an abusive relationship, is not because she's weak…it's because she has been brought up her whole entire life with the idea that it is ok for such treatments or that she have to make her relationship work regardless of harm to her. When she finally speak, she's a lair or a big mouth. When she leaves, she get names. This is the world many female faces, Hmong or not. I hope our future generations will learn to look at each other as equal and become better than what we are now.
2. Differences in religion and respect. Yes, we adapt. Some of us stayed with the religion our grandparents' practiced while some of us converted. DO NOT FORCE YOUR BELIEF ON THE OTHER. Yes we share the name "Hmong," but we do not have to share the same practices and believes. Lets just all get a long and stop bad mouthing one or the other's religion. This is one of the things I still see today and it needs to stop. Whether you have converted or not, as long as you believe in what you want to believe, you have no right to force your believe on to others. Just be happy with what you believe in and your soul will be at peace.
3. Rumors. We all love rumors don't we? A little rumor here and there don't hurt anyone, but we really need to mind our own business and live our life. If it is to lend a helping hand, by all mean do so…but stop spreading rumors especially when it's not true. Don't twist other people's words or make what you just heard about someone more "exciting" by fabricating your own version to it. If you want to say something say it like it is, but keep in mind…there are two side to a story and you only have one of them. This is particularly true among the old ladies.
4. Be thankful and considerate. Sometime we forget to be thankful or considerate of others. We only see when someone does something bad to us and not when they do something good. True among the world…but it bothers me when I see it in the Hmong community. You help someone out during their hard time and when you need help (good reasons) and ask, they decline and rub it in your face just because they can. I can understand when they decline and leave it at that…but decline and then goes off and run their mouth forgetting that they once needed your help and that you helped them…that's just horrible. Then when you stop helping them, they go around crying of how mean or greedy you are.
5. Secrets and not sharing. Have you ever saw someone making a dish and asked for the recipe and the person become all excuse-full tight-lipped, give you part of the recipe, or wrong instructions? Yes, Hmong people can be quite secretive about their recipes. 1 - because they want to be the only one that knows how to make it or 2 - they don't want you to make it better than them. It's sad, because that's how some very good recipes slowly become forgotten.
My lists could probably go on and on…but I'll stop them here lol