Week 4 - Andrew Wong

‘Possessed by the Spirits - We have Len Dong too’ was about how spirituality is often times stigmatized, to outsiders as asian people trying to trick someone and swindle them out of money. It is similar to the stereotype of gypsies, but this one is specifically in Silicon Valley. The article could be a larger description of the Vietnamese experience in California, as Orange County has the largest amount of Vietnamese people living outside of Vietnam. The bay area is also heavily populated by the Vietnamese. The article also discussed how people within the community do not publicize their affiliation, because that is in the public consciousness.

A lot of the people who practice Len Dong will inevitably return to Vietnam, where spirituality and the practice is widely accepted and supported. The temples that sponsor these events usually end up importing the requisite materials from Vietnam. Everything that a practitioner would need including bells and gongs are much cheaper outside of America. However, the revitalization for the practice is underway. The temples have been able to recruit larger numbers of younger people in Silicon Valley.

Is the stigma hyperextended in Silicon Valley because the area is extraordinarily judgmental, or would this be true for Orange County? Or are there different communities in California that uniformly accept and deny the practice.