A Surprising Similarity Between Asians and Jews in America

Check out my new article in Tablet magazine.

Sheluyang Peng

Mar 2, 2023

Allison Zaucha for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Tablet magazine has just published my new essay, “Double Crossed”, as part of a series examining the state of Asians and Jews in America.

Read my article here.

I’ve long heard people compare the stereotypes of American Jews to that of Asian Americans. Philip Roth may have joked about overbearing Jewish mothers back in the day, but now Asian Americans have a monopoly on tiger mom jokes. And most historically Jewish jokes, honestly.

On a more serious note, there is one huge similarity between the two groups: the organizations that are supposed to represent “our” interests are actually empty mouthpieces for the affluent liberals that control the Democratic Party. Ethnic-interest organizations should advocate for issues that the majority of an ethnic group actually would benefit from, but many instead are staffed by affluent progressive activists that have other interests in mind. This dynamic is literally killing our most vulnerable. And that is what my essay is about.

For those that are new here or have subscribed due to seeing my article in Tablet, I highly recommend reading some of my work on how that came to be.

This article discusses that fact that Asian American liberal elites have monopolized the discourse over Asian America.

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Who wants to be white these days? It depends on what being white even means. For example, very few Americans would view Jews as anything other than white. Yet American Jews are increasingly refusing to identify as white. Considering that most Americans stereotype Jewish and Asian Americans in the same way (high on efficiency and low on warmth, …

a year ago · 22 likes · 4 comments · Sheluyang Peng

This article explains why colleges teach “woke ideology” so much: it is a way to signal that you are part of the elite.

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There is a common belief in conservative circles that American colleges and universities, particularly highly-selective “elite” colleges, are breeding grounds for “woke indoctrination” and “leftist brainwashing”. That is the wrong framing for the right idea…

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These next two articles examine the meaning of “assimilation”, and the tension that comes from immigrant parents and their “assimilated” children.

Society & Standpoint

The Irony of American Assimilation

I saw a video going viral on Twitter a few days ago. In it, a panel is discussing the question of whether or not immigrants should assimilate to American culture. The clip in question is the answer from an Asian American man discussing what it means to assimilate. He rattles off a list of things that he claims Asian Americans are doing to assimilate: ha…

10 months ago · 22 likes · 15 comments · Sheluyang Peng

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The Irony of Immigrants Valorizing Higher Education

Last week, I wrote The Irony of American Assimilation, where I challenged common beliefs about what assimilation is. Let’s expand on that idea and think about the process of immigration and assimilation. The United States has long been a shining city on a hill; a place for the poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free. This country, which isn’t even…

9 months ago · 27 likes · 9 comments · Sheluyang Peng

And finally, this article shows how, as a result of all the things I mentioned above, Chinese American immigrants in NYC have rapidly shifted Republican.

Society & Standpoint

Why Chinese-Americans in NYC Are Turning Red

Red. Chinese people sure love that color. The flag of China is all red with the exception of five yellow stars. In Chinese culture, red is the color of luck and joy. There’s a tradition in China where all kids are given red envelopes stuffed with cash for Chinese New Year. I remember being so excited every year for my parents to hand me an envelope full…

a year ago · 21 likes · 14 comments · Sheluyang Peng

I have more essays on my Substack about miscellaneous topics: right-wing populism, drag queens, due process, etc. But my main focus is how race, ethnicity, and class influence American culture and politics, from a non-woke perspective.

I’ll have a lot more essays soon. Be sure to subscribe for more articles in your inbox.