Panethnicity

There isn’t really a distinctive answer to this question. On one hand, panethnicity may be one of the least harmful ways to identify a group of people based on the fact that this is more of a chosen identity rather than forced on them. It is a way for these people to have an instant connection to those within the same panethnicity.  And since there is strength in numbers, having a voice as an Asian American is going to be more effective then having a voice as a Filipino. Espiritu did bring up problems with that system also. With the top Asian ethnicities, Chinese and Japanese, having a bigger voice and their ideas getting pushed ahead. But, at least there is some kind of voice coming from this group rather than being pushed to the side. On the other hand, lumping and grouping in any form can cause a loss in specific identities. For example, while Chinese and Japanese are both considered Asian American they still have many cultural differences. But since these ethnicities are lumped together in one group, their unique identities are lost within the typical stereotypes placed on Asians of all ethnicities. Like the cartoon below, when these unique identities are taken away, people start to assume that all within a group are the same; they like the same things, they think the same and are just generally the same. Which is a problem.