Korean Collective Action Essay example -- Immigration Economics Econom

Korean Collective Action Throughout the past two decades, boycotts and demonstrations against Korean-American grocers by African-Americans have become increasingly common. This Anti-Korean stance has been fueled by complaints of Koreans' rudeness and physical violence towards customers, shoplifting suspicions, and price discrimination. However, using these same grievances, Korean-Americans have also done their share of shaking up the system. By the early 1980's produce retail had become the dominant business among Koreans in New York City (Min, 61). There are several reasons to explain this phenomenon. One reason is because of new immigrants' lack of English language and professional service skills. Although most Korean immigrants arrive in America with high levels of education and professional experience, these skills cannot easily be translated into American white-collar work ("The Koreans," 223). Therefore, the only alternative for them is to invest in small businesses. Furthermore, Koreans entered America at the time when retiring Jewish and Italian produce store owners were willing to sell their stores because their children had already transitioned into the mainstream American economy ("The Koreans," 239). These stores are located in predominantly low income minority neighborhoods where vandalism, high crime rates, and the perception of residents' low spending capacity exist (Min, 67). Since large chain stores have been unwilling to invest in these areas, opportunistic Korean immigrants have stepped in to fill this void (Min, 230).Consequently, to where have the Jewish and Italian Americans transitioned? One area where Jewish and Italian Americans predominate is the wholesale business. Korean produce retailer... ...that mean that Korean merchants, who have been mistreated by Jewish wholesalers, will someday BE the wholesalers of the future and mistreat the next wave of immigrants? I am angered by this generalization because it assumes that all Koreans will climb up America's socio-economic ladder. Personally, this concept is hard for me to grasp since my father has actually fallen down America's ladder after losing his store due to bankruptcy. Works Cited: Kim, Illsoo. "The Koreans: Small Business in an Urban Frontier." New Immigrants in New York. Ed. Nancy Foner. New York: Columbia University Press, 1987. 219-242. Kim, Illsoo. New Urban Immigrants: The Korean Community in New York. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981. Min, Pyong Gap. Caught in the Middle: Korean Merchants in America's Multiethnic Cities. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.