Comments on: That's Not Who I Am: Calling Out and Challenging Stereotypes of Asian Americans

By: Victoria Chuong

Victoria Chuong — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:19:44 +0000

Hi Whitney,

I really appreciated your article. You literally took every sentiment and frustration I feel as an Asian American and expressed them in this post. Many of my friends don’t understand why I get so upset by stereotypes that at times are “harmless” like how Asians are portrayed in the media and I will just send them this article so I can save my breath!

Asians are truly an overlooked minority because there are enough successful ones to blame for taking jobs away from “Americans” and to overlook the more numerous impoverished Asian communities.

By: Myrtle

Myrtle — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 04:37:51 +0000

How long did it take you to post “Autostraddle – That

By: John

John — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:07:38 +0000

people only pick on asians when they can’t defend themselves like when they’re singled off. where I work it’s 80% asian and all the whites, black, and mexicans are being intimated by us instead of the other way around.

By: Ashamed?

Ashamed? — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:26:02 +0000

Okay I’m ashamed, but I do ask that question. Not right off the bat or anything, but I have asked it in the past. What is so wrong with it?
There was one occurrence when I was working a new job, and we would welcome international tourists. So at the beginning of the day, I tried asking everyone in my team for the day: “what languages do you speak?”, so we could help the customers more efficiently. It was in Toronto, and I myself am French, and there were many nationalities in each team. Actually, that day, our 9-person team turned out to speak about 12 languages… That’s Canada for you! Anyway. So I ask my question, and a 40-year-old Asian lady said she spoke Chinese, and she wasn’t offended or anything. But the two other Asian teammates, who were about 20-25-years-old, were really offended by my question, answering “We’re Canadian”, and I kept on insisting “But don’t you speak something else other than English?”, and they wouldn’t budge, “We’re Canadian”… In the end, one was speaking Chinese and the other, Chinese and another Asian language I forgot… So I feel my question my legit… And probably the way I insisted was way insensitive… I might have said “But isn’t your family from somewhere else, haven’t you learnt another language, at all”… I don’t know… Is it really that bad?? I don’t usually consider myself a racist. Arrrr!!!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:42:12 +0000

I’ve basically given up on American entertainment.

These days I mainly watch Asian movies and TV series and have never been happier.

The best thing is that I’ve gotten quite a few of my non-Asian friends hooked on these shows as well

By: christine

christine — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:19:31 +0000

Whitney, thanks so much for writing this article. I’ve thought about this subject a lot recently. I’m an Asian-American (without an “Asian” accent) currently studying in Canada. Oddly enough the most racist comments I’ve ever heard in my life happened after I moved here, delivered by my current Asian-Canadian roommate against Asians, as well as other POC. There are also lots of undercurrents of racism in the place where I work. When I make a counter-argument or call them out for being offensive, they say they are just trying to be funny. Then they call me a banana.

Argh.

Also I wonder if anyone else is ever bothered by the way Asians are being portrayed as the bad guys in video games. I am thinking about Fallout 3 and Mass Effect 3. Like, was it just a coincidence that everybody in Mass Effect is non-Asian except for the evil ninja assassin who is given such a one-sided, detestable role that it’s impossible not to hate him?

By: Brodie

Brodie — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:00:04 +0000

Pretty much every time my sister in law is introduced to someone (white) they ask her where she’s from or say that she speaks good English because she apparently looks “exotic” (she’s bi racial). I cringe every time it happens because not only is it racist and othering but also it intrudes on her private family life. She was born in the same city as I was and has lived in our country all her life. She doesn’t know who her father is so when someone asks what ethnicity she is she answers with the country her mother is from. People look at her like she’s crazy and that she can’t possibly be because she doesn’t look it. Added to this is the fact that the man that has been a father to her her whole life and that she calls Dad is white and you get a whole bunch of intrusive questions about her and her family’s history. I’m really intolerant of the “where are you from” question because I don’t really think that it is the business of someone who has just met you. No one has ever asked me it because I’m white even though my father is in fact an immigrant. She only gets asked because she isn’t white and that seems pretty racist to me.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:31:40 +0000

@multigrain

I am one of those people that is usually put off by those questions (Where are you from?, etc.) I do think it’s okay to ask about the heritage of others, and I love to learn about other people’s backgrounds and I do like to share mine in return.

However, I think the reason why many people are put off has to do with the way things are asked. There’s a difference between asking, “What’s your ethnicity/cultural background/heritage?” vs. “Where are you from?” Personally, I’ve had a lot of other things said and done to me in my life that makes me feel like I don’t fit in, can’t fit in and am an outsider. I know none of these things are true, but when people ask, “Where are you from?”, it has more of a tone of “You must obviously not be from here, because you don’t look like the rest of us. Tell me what country you and your parents are from.” It’s a question that gives some an alienating feeling, and it usually leads to a set of similar questions, like “Where are your parents from?” and “No, but where are you really from?” When the conversation’s over, you realize there was an expected answer from the beginning, which would be something like, “China.” When people persist in trying to find out what kind of Asian you are in particular, it ignores the fact that you may be a person of mixed race, and/or that your upbringing in a non-Asian country has had the most effect on your life.

It’s true that the more we can learn from each other, the better. I would love to answer other people’s questions about my heritage (or what they think is my heritage), but that’s the thing, I can’t. Like many other Asian people and people in general, I have mixed cultural upbringings. I grew up in American and Jamaican culture, and that’s all I can really tell anyone about. When people start to ask me questions, I tell them that I’m from here (the US), that my parents and whole family is from Jamaica, and that I don’t really know anything at all about my Chinese heritage. But despite this, I get asked the language question. I tell them that I don’t speak it, parents don’t speak it, I don’t know any other language, but that I can understand Jamaican dialect/patois. And then I get another question about Asia. I think that’s annoying thing about all of this. I can tell you anything about my heritage, sure, but when I tell you I identify with a particular culture, and you choose to ignore that by asking questions to put me in a box of what you think the experiences of an Asian American are (parents own this, you’ve been to there, speak this), then I’ll be put off.

By: R K

R K — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:11:29 +0000

This is a very well-written article and I love it! I can only identify with part of it (since I am an Asian that is from Asia, but currently living in the United States), but I have been frustrated at how Asian Americans are represented in the media. For that matter, I have been frustrated at how any kind of minority is being shown on TV and movies.

Perhaps that is why I have kept up almost religiously with the wonderful Asian Americans who post amazing stuff on YouTube. It seems to be the only avenue for them, and I am glad that it is at least available somewhere.

And I don’t mean to strengthen any stereotypes, but I do actually know Asians who can’t seem to get their Ls and Rs right. I actually know at least one Asian person that would fall into every single stereotype that is currently out there. But it is what it is, and it doesn’t give others the permission to mock and generalize the rest of the Asian population.

By: Digger

Digger — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:34:39 +0000

I pack up quite nicely in a duffel bag..And my snark is at your service..The gun will be a bit more diffcult to manage however. Will you make me Fairy Bread?

By: dizzy

dizzy — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:26:34 +0000

Aaaaand that’s why I need to smuggle you into Australia and then drag you round as my valiant protector, who defends my honour with most excellent snark. How would you feel about this?

The gun thing will also help

By: dizzy

dizzy — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:24:21 +0000

Ooops, that was meant to be a reply to bra, I really am made of comment fail tonight. I think I’m posting messily because I’ve gotten all rage-y.

Seriously @Digger I don’t know what else to say!