The other day, I was discussing which classes to take next year, with a friend who is one year older than me. He had already taken these classes and was offering some advice. I was expressing my worry that one of my teachers wouldn’t recommend me for an honors-level course that I wanted to take. His reply? “Anna, what are you worrying for? You’re Asian.” Meaning: “You’re stereotypically smart, and therefore should easily qualify for an honors class.”
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a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.
Microaggressions against Asians, especially of East Asian descent, are usually harmless. There are many assumptions that revolve around us, but the ones I hear the most encompass the general idea that we’re good at math, get good grades, and become doctors. As an Chinese-American teenage girl, these get tossed around at my school daily. Asking a question and getting the answer, “You’re Asian, you should know” gets old after a while. Whether from my friends, classmates, or even adults around me, these little snippets have convinced me that these stereotypes are true for every Asian.
Often, others may wonder why these specific assumptions are a problem: “Aren’t these compliments?” Well, sure. In fact, there are even advantages that we experience from this idea- surely we’re too busy studying to be accused of anything criminal, right? Despite the absurdity of the thought, it is how we’re seen, which is actually an enormous privilege. These stereotypes are not nearly as bad as ones that other minorities may have to endure, which is something I am grateful for.
However, here’s the thing that a lot of people don’t realize. Maybe these stereotypes are true for some people, but not everyone. For example, me: I’m not the greatest at school, I don’t play an instrument, and I’d rather be a journalist or author or artist than a doctor. Consequently, I’ve been called “white-washed” by many people, mostly by my friends trying to tease me. It would be one thing if I completely ignored my culture, and literally pretended to be white- but that’s not the case. I’m considered white-washed because I don’t have perfect grades, because I’m better at art than math, because I don’t play piano or do whatever it is that East Asians stereotypically do. I still have Chinese food every day, still speak the language. I’ve even visited China many times, but the fact that I don’t exactly fit these stereotypes renders others to believe that I “act white”. Why does that have to be the case? Why do I have to fit these stereotypes to be considered true to my culture? Even worse is when someone tells me I “act white” as a compliment. Commending whiteness is basically validating the fact that, yes, being white is better than being Asian. It’s enough for an Asian-American to feel embarrassed by it or even completely abandon their culture.
These aren’t insults, and the perpetrators aren’t trying to be rude or racist. Nonetheless, they unknowingly make me feel like I’m lesser than other Chinese-American teens, that I don’t fit this painted picture of what I should be, which can really lower one’s self-esteem- and I’m sure others feel the same way. One must be careful of what they say because they never know how it might affect someone. No matter how harmless it may sound, a microaggression is still a microaggression.
Oh, and that honors course? I didn’t get recommended for it. I’m still Asian.
