As an Asian-American living in the United States for almost 10 years, I have heard and seen many disturbing things about my race. I am proud to call myself American; however, I sometimes feel very intimidated as many Americans do not consider Asians as Americans. Below are a few biases that have been made against me and other Asian-Americans.
1. Asian-Americans are good at math and science.
This is very wrong! We like other things too such as music, art, history, and etc. Everyone is different so do not expect that all Asian Americans are successful in just the “regular” fields. It is not very nice to say “because they are Asians” because it is your unconscious bias.
2. Asian-American immigrants are greedy.
No, we came to the United States with the hope of achieving the American dream. We work hard, we pay taxes, and definitely do not like to depend on others. As a proof, Asians are successful in many fields such as business, restaurants, beauty, and etc. We work hard to earn money to support our family, not to become millionaires.
3. Asian-Americans are shy, unfriendly, and bookworms.
We have heard displeasing things such as “your English is good”, or “you are friendly and sociable.” It is stereotypical to assume that Asians are not good at English or are unsociable.
4. Asian Americans are villains and mean.
This image came from Hollywood. It is uncontrollable as many Hollywood movies have always made Asians the villain characters. Children and many people have looked at us with an unfriendly face and are even scared. How would Americans feel if Americans are the villain characters in Asian movies?
5. Asian-Americans are Chinese.
We understand that Chinese immigrants make up a large demographic of Asian immigrants, but please do not mistake all Asians as Chinese. If you are not sure, please ask and don’t assume. It’s offensive to say “ni hao” or ‘xia xia” to non-Chinese people as it feels like "blah blah" to our face. There are many other countries in Asia, and China, alone, does not make up Asia. The actual map of Asia is here.
Just like many other minority groups, Asian Americans are facing serious stereotypes and biases as well as cruel expectation against them. The stereotypes and bias might be unconscious but we can surely feel it. We, Asians, have our own pride and cultural aspects that we respect and look up to. And if we respect your country and your culture then should you do the same.
