Inside the Mind of Stereotypes
Proclaimed as academic excellence
By Philip Dial
By Philip Dial
“You’re nothing but a nerd.” That’s one of many names Asian Americans are called. According to the United States Census, 15.9% of San Diegans are some type of Asian. According to the article, Perceptions of Asian American Students: Stereotypes and Effects; Asian American students are most likely perceived as academic overachievers and fools lacking appropriate social and communication skills. These students who seem to be overachievers struggle day-to-day with these complications. However the general public visualizes them in a different light. This student category are proclaimed to have academic excellence and also have a strong work ethic without any complications with crime in the general public. This article shapes the greater influences of Asian American stereotypes and are more susceptible to racial harassment, discrimination, and hate than any other ethnic groups because of how they hold up their race so proudly. Various ethnic groups can resemble these harassments that can conclude in stereotypical discrimination within our society.
Stereotypes make people feel like they don’t belong, like they’re an outsider looking in. This happens a lot in schools, where let’s say, there’s a new transfer student comes from another country. In middle school, there was a transfer student from Korea and everyone made fun of his accent and came to him when they needed help when he was actually struggling too. People automatically stare at a person and make these assumptions when they don’t even know the person. That’s why many Asian Americans feel left out- because people always judge just by looking at them rather than actually going up to the person and talking to them and trying to get to know them. In addition, the article talks about how you have to watch out about what you say to foreigners especially Asian people so you don’t hurt there feelings. It’s not necessarily the phrases or comments said, but the insinuations and how things were said. And also what you say can impact how Asians are represented in the workplace because all the things about Asians about how their super smart and people expect them to be the best at school stuff. It can offend them because what if they're not, then they end up feeling like there a failure to their race. I interviewed an Asian American named Loraine, she goes to Morse High School. I asked her how things people said about her and about her ethnicity affect the way you work. She said, “Well uh sometimes it makes me not want to be Asian. It made me sad.” When she said that I was really felt the pain that she went through because I remember going through that same feeling of not wanting to be my race just because I wasn’t living up to people’s expectations. That’s why you need to watch out on what you say to people because you never know how they are going to take it. During school, usually when there’s partner work or people are trying to copy homework they usually go for Asians because they just assume that they are at the top of the class and they know everything. I guess it’s true that Asian students usually do well on the standardized tests and they have a high acceptance rate when it comes to applying for selective high schools and colleges according to the Washington Post. But nowadays, people don’t like labels that people give them so they try to change their image into someone they’re not. Like how Asian people act in school, acting like white people to be “cool”. They do this just so they can fit in and they won't feel left out of the community that they are in. It’s getting to a point where acting white is a source of pride for Asians which is kind of sad to hear because they shouldn’t be acting like someone they aren’t and they should acting who they are and be proud of who they are and not worrying about what people think of them and do them. It also says that people who act Asian are nerds or act like a someone who is foreign which is very offensive because not all Asians are like that.
In my opinion, stereotypes are very unfair because it hurts people emotionally and physically. I know I’m not the only who thinks this because when I asked Alea what her thoughts on Asian stereotypes were, she said they are annoying. They are annoying especially when you hear it all the time and not only its annoying, but it hurts our feelings too. Also, you never know what someone is going to do when you say something that can affect them because you don’t know what they are going to do when they get home or when they're on their own. What if you said something about someone's race and they were offended? Then the next day you find out that they ended up hurting themselves or they ended up leaving the school or even killing themselves. How would you feel about yourself if someone did that and it was all your fault? Or what if it was the opposite? What if someone said something that offended your race and you didn’t know the other person at all? How would you feel? This is why we need to think before we say anything. I know that I have said some hurtful things to people and I definitely regret it. I’m not saying that I’m perfect or anyone is perfect because no one is perfect. We just need to do the best we can to be on the lookout for ourselves and discipline ourselves to be careful for what we say. |