For thousands of years, the “wonders of the Orient” have held a strange sort of fascination for those who simply aren’t a part of Asia’s unique cultural fabric. For the average Asian American, it’s not uncommon to be stereotyped as this or that, simply because of ethnicity — and though many try to pass this kind of typecasting off as a joke, we Asians mean serious business when it comes to these untrue categorizations. Here are seven common misconceptions and myths about your fellow next-door Asian that are simply not true.
1. Asian parents are all “tiger parents.”
The “tough love” parenting style of many Asian parents may go over the heads of others, but in no way are Asian parents cruel or ruthless dictators in the household. Many just challenge you to do your absolute best, nothing more and nothing less.
2. We all know martial arts.
This one is a bit ridiculous. Thanks to great Asian cinema forefathers such as Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, there seems to be a pervading belief that Asians are all trained black belts. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most of us have no special butt-kicking skills, just like most humans.
3. We can’t drive.
Where did this one even come from? Unless the entire Asian race has a gene in our DNA that makes us inherently terrible drivers, we can probably cross this one off the list.
4. We’re all good at math.
The hard-working ambition that stems from the values of Asian culture doesn’t necessarily translate into us automatically being math super geniuses. In fact many Asians — such as myself — really dislike math and much prefer the humanities and arts.
5. We’re all Chinese.
Ah, the go-to assumption of many people when they meet an Asian person for the first time. So please don’t directly ask if we’re Chinese. When you feel that burning curiosity, go for the much safer question, “What’s your ethnicity?”
6. We definitely must know this one Asian person/restaurant/etc. that you mention!
When I first meet you, please don’t try to connect with me by telling me that you like to eat sushi at this one restaurant. Also, don’t ask me if I know your one Asian friend. I probably don’t.
7. We’ll always be foreigners.
Here’s the worst question you could ask an Asian American: “Where are you really from?” Emphasis on the “really,” because saying you’re from a certain city or state in America doesn’t seem to cut it most of the time. Fun fact: most Asians living in America are in fact, Asian Americans. We are people born of two cultures, but nonetheless bleed red, white, and blue like any other U.S. citizen. When it comes down to the nitty gritty, the patriotic pride in our hearts is a resounding roar of both our American nationality and Asian ethnicity — and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
