Some white Americans assume that living here automatically means I owe them loyalty or support, but that expectation feels hollow. “Assimilation” gets thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean in practice? Too often, it comes across as pressure to abandon your identity, to conform in ways that feel like betrayal, or to accept a subordinate role just to be accepted.

There’s also a deeper frustration behind it. If U.S. foreign policy hadn’t destabilized my home country, I might not even be here in the first place. So being told I should support a country I associate with that kind of harm feels unreasonable. From my perspective, it shouldn’t be surprising that I still feel connected to China and view it more favorably. And if China continues to develop, returning to my home country could become a real option.

The “American Identity” is a joke. This is a country that bombs and invades others to pilfer resources. America is a terrorist country.