Stereotypical view of Vietnamese exchange students as communists Research Paper

Stereotypical view of Vietnamese exchange students as communists - Research Paper Example After the end of the war, the American government accepted thousands of refugees from Vietnam as citizens of the United States (Ferry 18). Before the end of the war, there were only a few thousand Vietnamese living in America, majority of whom were students, spouses of American military personnel, civilians who served in South Vietnam, or Vietnamese diplomatic corps members. As the number of Vietnamese living in America increased, some Americans had stereotypical view of them as communists. In particular, there is a stereotypical view of Vietnamese students as communists. These stereotypes have been fed by anti-communist ideology that continues to persist in many of the America’s learning institutions (Ashwill 13). This paper will discuss the stereotypical view of Vietnamese exchange students as communists. After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, waves of migration from Vietnam to the United States were witnessed. The number of Vietnamese seeking refuge in America rose consi derably over the years. The Orderly Departure Program that was created by the United States and that allowed people who were interviewed and approved by American authorities to migrate to the United States further enhanced immigration into the United States from Vietnam (Parker 14). While Vietnam War-caused instability was the main reason for immigration from Vietnam to the United States, other factors contributed to the migration. When the United States withdrew, the South Vietnamese was toppled by the North Vietnam and the Vietnamese with ties with South Vietnam government had to seek refuge in the America to avoid being oppressed or killed (Ferry 55). Poor economic and political situation in Vietnam caused immigration. The war between China and Vietnam in 1979 further led to immigration. Since the end of the Vietnam War, the United States of America supported South Vietnam and accepted those refugees who had close ties with the American military and South Vietnamese government. G reater social and economic stability greatly contributed to the immigration – it was a major attraction for immigrants to the United States because it presented more and greater opportunities for the Vietnamese (Parker 14). Available data indicate that the Vietnamese are America’s fourth largest minority group. Recent data also indicate that there is increasing number of Vietnamese exchange students in America’s learning institutions, particularly universities and colleges (Lorenzo, Frost and Reinherz 289). Since the America’s involvement in the Vietnam War that was viewed as aimed at preventing expansion of communism, stereotypes emerged regarding Vietnamese people in America, including students. There are various types of stereotypes that are assigned to Vietnamese exchange students and that \ often create conflicts with their peers and cause them emotional distress (Ashwill 13). The main stereotype assigned to Vietnamese exchange student is that they a re communists and that they subscribe to communism ideology. Most of them are viewed advocating for communism tendencies even when they are pursuing genuine cause during their studies in various colleges and universities around America (Educational Testing Service para4). Since the Vietnam War was associated with anti-communist ideology, most