Ever since Asians migrated to the United States, the resentment and oppression they have faced solely based on their ethnicity has created many hardships they have had to overcome. However, one would assume that after having been in the United States for more than two centuries, the attitudes towards the Asians would diminish with time. Yet,.
after analyzing the documentary "Blue Collar and Buddha," much of the negative behavior the Asian Americans experienced when they first migrated to the United States was experienced by the refugees of the Vietnam War in the 1980s. The film shows that though some things have changed, the negative attitudes towards the Asians are still very prevalent. .
Before World War II, many Asians were accused of "stealing" all the jobs that supposedly rightfully belonged to the white Americans. The white Americans felt as though they had a right over these jobs, and that the Asian immigrants were creating the increasing unemployment among the whites. Similarly, in "Blue Collar and Buddha," we see the attitudes of the locals in Rockford, Illinois. They are uncontrollably angry about the Laotian refugees which have chosen Rockford as their safe haven, angry about the fact that they are taking over many jobs which rightfully belong to the whites. They are angry about the fact that they have lost the war and have to provide their town as a place for the refugees to reside. Much like before, the Asians face discrimination when entering public areas, such as restaurants. The waiters refuse to wait on them, forcing them to leave these places. .
In addition to the discrimination the immigrants faced due to their ethnicity, they also experienced much ridicule because of their religious background. Much like before, even though many of the Asian immigrants were of Christian faith, they still faced much discrimination because of their ethnicity. In Rockford, Illinois, the Buddhist Laotians faced numerous obstacles and resentment towards their religion.
