Written By: Taryn Hozdic
Edited By: Farwa Din
The Asian community, along with other minorities, faces no shortage of cruel stereotypes, especially in a seemingly white-dominated media. While respect for our culture and identity has increased as society is held increasingly accountable, the influence of stereotypes on Asians, especially those who have grown up with a sense of self-hatred, has already done its damage. Not only are these experiences with stereotypes personal, but they are highly glamorized in Hollywood as “comedy” or “entertainment.” Let me be clear. Using stereotypes to degrade a target population is not funny, it is racist.
I will begin with arguably the most overused stereotype used against Asians worldwide:
“You’re smart because you’re Asian.”
Those 5 words are some of the most repetitive words I have heard in my whole life, particularly from people who know nothing about me, my work ethic, or even my ethnicity. They see that I am Asian, see that I make relatively good grades, and all of a sudden I’m smart because of my race? All of a sudden, all the work and time that I have put into improving myself and my academics disappears because, of course, this only happens because I’m Asian. Right? The saddest part is that I started to believe them, that I allowed this false stereotype to become so integrated into my self-identity that for the longest time it never bothered me that people made this comment. In fact, I almost seemed to agree with them, because what else could I do?
This helpless and submissive mindset is incredibly disheartening because it is so present amongst Asian youth. Whether someone has believed this stereotype or not, it still affects all. It is annoying, inaccurate, and absolutely insensitive. Stop using it.
On a larger scale, in the height of COVID-19, Asian Americans were the primary scapegoat for others to blame for the virus. The US saw an intense surge in Asian hate crimes, not to mention the constant insults increasing in usage.
“Go back to your country.”
“CHINK.”
“This virus is here because you eat bats. Do you eat dogs too?”
Not to mention, the USA’s president at the time, Donald Trump, constantly referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus.” This label, in our day and age, only fostered more Asian hate and stereotypes. These two words spoken by the President of the USA encouraged hate. The same person that is supposed to represent and defend ALL Americans encouraged the opposite in the height of political chaos and a global pandemic. How is that okay?
The answer is, it isn’t okay. Encouraging these false stereotypes can be detrimental to communities, especially those that are not represented well. The bottom line is: refrain from engaging in racial stereotypes and if you notice someone else doing it, call them out. Do not allow stereotypes to be the downfall of society.
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