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Fresh off the boat (often abbreviated as F.O.B., FOB, F.O.T.B., FOTB, fobbish, freshie,boat,fobster, or fobbie) is a slang phrase applied to people of foreign nationality who have arrived in a host nation as tourists, immigrants, students, or, most commonly, as work permit applicants. The term is commonly applied to Eastern and Southern Pacific Asians, as well as South Asians, in the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as to Pacific Islanders in Australia and New Zealand. It was originally applied to European immigrants to America who had just stepped off of ship. The term is commonly used when immigrants from a foreign nation have not yet assimilated the host nation's culture, language, and behavior. Note that assimilation to the host nation's culture is not a certainty; there are historical examples of a foreign nation assimilating a host nation (ex. Sinicization or Romanization). The five pillars that are commonly associated with being a "FOB" are fashion, social preferences (i.e. cultural activities, cuisine, and religious practices), behavior toward others, knowledge of multiple dialects, and accents. In the sociology of ethnicity, this term can be seen as an indicator of a nature of diasporic communities, or communities that have left their country of origin and have migrated, usually permanently, to another country. A split can occur in such communities between those who have assimilated or acclimated in their host countries and those who still cling to their native culture. The usage of "FOBs" is often used by the former group to differentiate themselves from the latter. Often this difference is a result of a generation gap, where the sons and daughters of immigrants born and immersed in the culture of their host country develop an identity distinct from their parents or recent immigrants. The term also has been adapted by immigrants themselves or others in their community who instead see the differentiation as a source of pride, where they have retained their culture and have not lost it to assimilation. In some instances, people who have assimilated or acclimated into their host country still identify themselves as a "FOB" to show they have not assimilated completely.
References
- Ludvig, Sämi. Cultural Identity as Spouse From Fusion of Cultures?, edited by Peter O. Stummer and Christopher Balme. Reprinted by Google Books. Retrieved July 27 2006. ISBN 90-420-0044-9.
- Nakazawa, Donna Jackson. Does Anybody Else Look Like Me?: A Parent's Guide to Raising Multiracial Children. p. 132. Reprinted by Google Books. Retrieved July 27 2006. ISBN 0-7382-0950-3.
