Anonymous | nationality: American | ethnicity: Chinese
“Yellow”.
being referred to as ‘yellow’ makes me feel uncomfortable.i’ve
personally have not been subjected to this word ina derogatory
manner very often, but i see people like me who areslandered with it.
“Asian”.
i think being asian is having genetic relation tothose who originate
from the continent of asia. it’s also important toconsider the unique
upbringing of asians, with high expectations and oftentimes“tough
love” from parents which is something that bringsus together. there
are around 50 countries in asia, so being asian isn’tuncommon, and is
often more diverse than just the three countries peopletend to think of
most when they think of asia. with that comes a tonof rich culture that
i think defines being asian.
Ethnicity|part1.
loud, friendly, driven, ambiguous, filial piety/familial.
Ethnicity|part2.
the first four words were chosen based on past experiencewith
extended family and friends in china. western countriestend to think of
asians as submissive and quiet but it’s really quitethe opposite. the
idea of filial piety or familial ties seems more rootedwithin me. i have
seen relatives treat strangers like family, callingthem auntie and uncle
without hesitation because of how mandarin is spokenand how the
culture is based on social connections. i live inthe united states and i
think that has changed my perception and the amountof influence that
my ethnicity had/has on me. as a child, i tried tohide away and blend
in. recently, with the wave of asian culture beingaccepted, i’ve been
more open about it and started relearning mandarin.however, it also
makes me uncomfortable to see how people are fetishizingasians, with
all the “asiaboos” and fox eye surgeries and whatnot.
Differ from Asian stereotype(s).
in terms of physical appearance, i’m not as thin aspeople often imagine
asians to be and i have freckles, which i don’t thinkis often portrayed
as an asian feature in the media. i’m not crazilytimid or shy but
presentations at school drive me crazy - especiallymath, which im
actually really bad at. this affects me by makingmy parents (and
probably teachers) a bit disappointed. there’s a certainpressure of
having others expect you to be someone you aren’t.however, there are
a few stereotypes i conform to. i play piano and violin,i’d like to be a
doctor, and i’m a people-pleaser. most of these don’tseem overtly
harmful per se, but they do set the standards insanelyhigh for asians,
which leads to the model minority myth. calling agroup exemplary
seems positive but it only reinforces racism and dehumanizesothers. it
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