Asian American Stereotypes Research Paper

As an Asian American, I have several points to discuss in terms of stereotypes. Through a variety of media, Asian Americans are portrayed by socially constructed stereotypes that are either positive or negative to our community. By explaining the definition of a stereotype and listing three specific ones identified, these points allow one to decide how they could reflect a particular society’s cultural values. These stereotypes include the concept of model minority, the insinuation that Asians are highly skilled at mathematics, and assumptions of our food ways. In each stereotype, I integrate my own experiences to provide a deeper depth of meaning in order to assert that not all stereotypes fully mirror our society’s customs. A stereotype

This stereotype claims that Asian Americans are an exemplary group partially due to their high respect for their families and value for education. According to Yen, “[a] model minority can be described as a non-white group that has achieved economic success and societal acceptance through hard work and conservative values” (Yen 2). Based on the perception of society, they have concocted this idea when they notice that a majority of Asian Americans have a higher income versus other minorities, such as African Americans or Mexican Americans. Due to this reason, society assumes that Asian Americans have achieved the “American dream” in terms of finding economic success through settling in the United States. In addition to being positively stereotyped this way, Asian Americans received praise for their high academic achievements, stable family structures, and low levels of criminal activity (Yen 2). Accomplishing these behaviors showed a positive light that reflects behaviors that society would deem as a model race. Stable family structures, for example, means that many Asian American families tend to be close knit with each

As a Vietnamese American, if someone inquires whether Vietnamese people eat dogs, I felt a sense of a macroaggression in that question. However, I understood that it did not intend to be insulting but regarded it as a common stereotype among all Asian Americans. This stereotype assumes that all individuals of Asian descent has tasted dog meat since its media release. In one form of media that began this stereotype, “Dog meat has been the subject of lurid stories from epicurean tourists ever since Captain Cook and his crew landed on what they referred to as the Sandwich Islands (which we now know as Hawaii)” (Wu 39). In this particular context, visitors to one of our Asian races (Hawaiian) witnessed a story that made them believe that Asians consume dog meat. According to Wu, the story further describes that they display their evidence of dog eating through exhibiting “pale yellow dog teeth strung together” in glass cases (Wu 39). With this in mind, society assumes that dog eating is common among Asian Americans due to these kinds of stories. However, this is not true for all Asian Americans. At a personal standpoint, my family and I have never tasted dog meat nor have our ancestors ever consumed it. In fact, Wu stated, “Asian cookbooks in English abound, but dog eating is not on the menu anywhere” (Wu 39). Thus, the assumption that Asian Americans eat dogs