That’s Not Who I Am: Calling Out and Challenging Stereotypes of Asian Americans

[yuiyoshida]

Asian America: Land of the immigrants, the ninjas, the kung-fu masters, Laundromat owners, Eastern mystics, Chinese restaurant waiters and people who can’t pronounce their Ls and Rs properly. It’s a land of slanted eyes and incorrect grammar. It’s a land of the yellow menace taking America’s money.

It’s a land of stereotypes — at least, according to television and film.

Asian stereotypes are everywhere, and oftentimes they go unnoticed and unquestioned. More often than not, if you see an Asian/American depicted on the screen, you’ll also see an Asian stereotype. From the character Han Lee in “2 Broke Girls” to Long Duk Dong in “Sixteen Candles” and the “yellow girl” in Pete Hoekstra’s recent racist political ad, these stereotypes are unrealistic and offensive.

Unfortunately, these stereotypes too often fall under the popular radar and aren’t discussed or acknowledged as much as they should be.

http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/09/thats-not-who-i-am/

[Art_from_Ark]

1. Don't feel too bad

It seems that whenever a Westerner is portrayed on a TV drama here in Japan, he or she is always just a one-dimensional character.