Quote:
Originally Posted by wittynickname
Asian-Americans also generally have come to the US of their own free will, after coming from countries that are just as advanced economically as the US (admittedly Asian countries also have issues with mistreatment of those in poverty and other human rights issues, but those that have moved to the US generally are the fortunate, not the poverty-stricken).
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I think this might need to be a little more refined by generation. This was certainly not the case in many of the earlier years when China (in particular) was the sick man of Asia. This entire post is focused on China as it's the area I have the most knowledge on.
Older generations, especially those from before the ~40s, came to Canada and USA specifically seeking economic wealth. Chinese would sometimes speak of USA and Canada as "Gold Mountain", the notion that you could come to North America, earn your fortune, and send money home to your family. My grandparents were part of this sweep (grandfathers moving to Canada and sending the money to family/grandmother so they could immigrate themselves). This level of desperation and desire for money is why Canada imposed its Head Tax and eventual immigration bans; all other levels at attempting to restrict immigration didn't do enough to slow the incoming Chinese population.
After that there were many refugees of either Japan's brutal campaign into China and those seeking to escape communist rule. These were slightly better off but still at a time when China was still quite poor compared to North America.
Only in the last 10-20 years has there been a shift to an economic balance and a real immigration for immigration's sake.