Minority vote

Although I'm not really into politics, I try to keep abreast of the news (shoot, I should go get an absentee ballot). I just read an interesting AP article on the importance of the minority vote in the Democratic race for president:

Voters in both groups are energized: Blacks by the early successes of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Latinos by the intense, sometimes xenophobic debate over immigration. But it's far from clear how those influences will play off each other.
When South Carolina Democrats hold their primary on Jan. 26 -- the state GOP contest is Jan. 19 -- the choices of substantial numbers of black voters will be tallied for the first time in this election.

It's pretty interesting to see how the Latino and black vote may determine which Democratic candidate goes further. But then, what about the Asian vote? Guess we're since we're the smallest minority group, (Latinos at 15%, blacks at 13.4%, and Asians/mixed at 5%) we still have to wait to have influence.

80/20, a nonpartisan group political action committee working to ensure equal opportunity for Asian Americans, was against Obama because of his lack of support for 80/20's questionnaire (on how he would support Asian American equality). I saw this posted on a blog called hsuperpolitical while browsing around (see the entery 1.4.08):

80-20, the group headed up by former Delaware Lt. Gov. S.B. Woo, has come out actively against Sen. Barack Obama, calling for all concerned with the status of Asian Americans to vote for Senators Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards or Gravel in the Democratic Primaries.

Which brings to mind the question: who would you rather vote for, as a minority? How much do you consider race, and how much do you consider the party values and track record of the candidate? Then again, you can never know what candidate will really do until they are in office.

It's also interesting to read that, duh, "the conventional wisdom has been that as the nation's population moves toward a minority majority, its political complexion will become more Democratic. Or, as Grofman puts it, the 'browning of America will result in the bluing.' "

I generally agree with this, but there are caveats. It may be balanced by the religious or more affluent minorities who will vote Republican; for example, the article mentioned many Latinos identifying themselves as white and thus helped George W. Bush win with their Republican votes. And, as the article showed, minorities still lag behind whites in registering to vote. I think now because the country isn't doing well, and because of all these immigration debates, minorities will use their vote this year.

Shift in Gender Bias in Korea

This article from Dec. 23 on gender balance in Korea is fascinating. It shows how a change in a country's economy and political system can affect deep-seated prejudices (in this case, Korea's economic boom and shift to democracy helped decrease sexism).

Where Boys Were Kings, a Shift Toward Baby Girls
By CHOE SANG-HUN

In South Korea, once one of Asia’s most rigidly patriarchal societies, a centuries-old preference for baby boys is fast receding. And that has led to what seems to be a decrease in the number of abortions performed after ultrasounds that reveal the sex of a fetus....

When I read this story, I wondered: when will this happen in China?

It is heartening that China and India are now looking at South Korea as a "trendsetter in Asia," and whether these similar socio-economic changes can happen in their own countries.

It's also ironic that Confucian values, which are looked upon as a positive aspect of Asian culture (leading to respect, politeness, caring for your parents in their old age) could also cause such a negative, widespread phenomenon of sexism:

The study suggests that the country’s former authoritarian rulers helped slow the transition by upholding laws and devising policies that supported a continuation of Confucian hierarchy, which encourages fealty not only to family patriarchs, but also to the nation’s leaders.

With the move toward democracy in the late 1980s, the concept of equal rights for men and women began to creep into Koreans’ thinking. In 1990, the law guaranteeing men their family’s inheritance — a cornerstone of the Confucian system — was the first of the so-called family laws to fall; the rest would be dismantled over the next 15 years.

Perhaps sometimes I think America is too liberal, creating frivolous lawsuits and too many borderline cases in favor of free speech, but there is something to be said for democracy helping to bring about equal rights.

I'm really glad this change is happening in Korea, and that even the government started campaigns promoting the value of daughters. It will be interesting to watch how China changes as it increasingly industrializes and grows.