Assimilation vs acceptance (#222, Topic A)

Ever since a senator seeking reelection first used the word macaca (#199), but denied knowing its meaning (a racial slur in French to refer to a person with dark skin), claiming that he made the word up, his credibility seems at issue, since his mother was from French-influenced Tunisia. It was not long before his heritage was written up in the Jewish press. Last Monday (9/18/06), during a debate, he was asked, point blank, whether his ancestors included people of Jewish background. At first, he became angry and refused to answer the question, contending that it was an "aspersion." When unrefutable evidence prevented him from further evading, he admitted his ancestry, claiming that he knew his background only recently, and that he was proud of his ancestry. Well done. However, many were puzzled by his sudden turnaround; to me, it is simple; it is a matter between assimilation and acceptance (#203). It seems that Jewish people have physical features that, after a generation or two of inter-marriage, can be readily assimilated into, thus undistinguishable from, Caucasoids -- particularly if they renounce Judaism to convert to Christianity, as is the case with the senator's mother, a point the senator took pain to emphasize. Still, it is a dark secret. Why? Again, it is the simple difference between assimilation and acceptance. A Jew may be assimilated (a physiological phenomenom), but he/she, given the environment in USA, may not be fully accepted (a social issue). Thus, saying a person is a Jew is, judging from the senator's initial reaction, ipso facto, an aspersion, whether he/she is or not. People of Chinese ancestry do not have this problem -- we cannot be assimilated through inter-marriage, certainly not in a generation or two. Thus, we do not have to hide our identity; we do not have dark secrets in our closets. Given that, even seeking acceptance is a tall order. Speaking only for myself, I only hope to be tolerated -- nothing more. If one asks me: "Are you a Chinese?" (a racial-identity inquiry, not a citizenship issue), I would not consider it as an aspersion. My answer is likely to be: "Yes, I am, and I am proud of it." After all, only people of Chinese ancestry can claim a civilization that is both uninterrupted and unrivaled.