As someone who has grown up in a culturally diverse town, I became spoiled with the idea that everyone accepts everyone and it’s one big, happy family. Time goes on, however. The older I got, I understood that people can be assholes, and it’s not all rainbows and sunshine.
After experiencing racism at a rather young age by those in my peer group, I was incredibly confused and insulted that other human beings could look me in the eye and rely on stereotypes to understand my culture. The most ridiculous of beliefs were hurled at me, at what seemed like, one million miles per second. It’s not just the fact that the stereotypes were introduced to me at a young age, but the firm belief in them. And a pro-tip, stop asking for chopstick lessons. I don't know what the correct technique is, so just quit while you're ahead. So, here’s a guide from one Asian girl to everyone who has an interest in not sounding like a doofus.
First thing’s first, not all Asians are Chinese.
Asia is a huge continent. The population is at around 4.4 billion, making it the largest and most populous continent on the face of the Earth. When one identifies as Asian, you could be looking at someone of Indian, Thai, or Middle Eastern descent among many others. I am a proud Malaysian citizen, and am constantly perplexed when people I have met instantly assumed that I’m Filipino, or just a really tan Chinese girl. It’s definitely something that I never intended to get used to, but unfortunately, when you hear it enough, it just becomes a thing that people say, but never actually think over. Never assume that, just because someone may look like your typical East or Southeast Asian, that they are Chinese. Just like it’s not fair to group all white people into one, it’s not fair to ignore the various cultures that lie in the continent of Asia.
No, I don’t know Karate.
First of all, call it Marital Arts if you're not sure about what region of Asia the form of Martial Arts comes from and if you don't want to generalize a region-specific practice. If I meet you and you immediately ask me if I can teach you some Karate moves, you can bet your ass that I am going to fake smile for the duration of our conversation, and walk away with a crap opinion of you. Too harsh?
Not all Asians are good at math.
Stop with the assumption that I am a rocket scientist or a budding mathematician. Joke’s on you if you ask me for help on your math homework because the last time I took a math class, I flunked it. Being called a "bad Asian" because I can't find the circumference of your foot is pretty insulting because who are you to limit my potential to only the math and science field. I’m not entirely sure where this stereotype came from and I really don’t want to know. But, as a person whose major is dependent on mastering the English language, above all else, I feel pretty good about my mediocre knowledge of algebra/physics.
Don't compare me to Mulan. Ever.
I put my hair up in a ponytail and I look like Shang from "Mulan." I put my hair in a bun and I look like Mulan herself. No matter what I try to get my hair out of my face, I will immediately look like a fictional, Disney character even though I am a real, live human being with more to offer than something to be used as a comparison object. Mulan is a badass, warrior hero and as a young girl, I looked up to her. But really, she is the figment of someone's imagination and to compare me to "Mulan" based solely off of my hairstyle and the fact that I look Chinese is devaluing everything else that makes me who I am.
All Asians look the same.
Why do you say that? Is it because of our hair color or type? Maybe our eye shapes? Some say that all East Asians are related because we have the same last name. Allow me to shine a light on those of you who share that sort of pigeonhole perspective on that part of the continent. Even if you can't distinguish between ethnic groups, us Asians are pretty skilled in this regard. Other East Asians are able to tell apart Chinese from Vietnamese, and Japanese from Korean -- even if other people can't. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the person looks like physically, the culture and background that they come from is the thing that matters. We don't all look the same and we definitely do not all come from the same societies. Get the facts before you act.
By no means are these the only stereotypes Asians face, and these five are the relatively tame ones. Just because racism against Asians isn't as popular in the news as racism against other ethnic groups is, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I consider myself lucky that I have grown more secure of my Malaysian culture and my Asian identity, but that doesn't make it OK to generalize about two-thirds of the human population.
It's the twenty-first century and it's about time we, as a society, step away from the ethnocentrism that we feel so comfortable living in and become the society that once valued the beauty of a melting pot culture. Embrace being connected with the global community. Equality lies in the ability to understand and accept the customs of a people, even if you don't necessarily agree with them. At the end of the day, Asians are just like everybody else, we're going through the same struggles that you're going through. Under all of the physical qualities that are used to judge one another, we're all human beings just trying to make it in this crazy world.
