Personal Narrative: Racial Stereotypes

Intentions do not matter, impacts do. Firstly, it is not appropriate to call racial minorities, even in a teasing tone, “whitewashed.” I am East Asian, but to my Asian peers I am “not Asian enough.” For example, my Asian friends - in their mind – playfully tell me I am “not being Asian enough” if I do not travel in packs with other Asian people or if I befriend Caucasians. It is counterintuitive for my Asian peers, who live in a city as racially diverse as Toronto is, to erase my heritage and patronize me for not fitting in the ethnic stereotypes that was assigned to me at birth. In the racial mosaic that Toronto is we should be celebrating fact that in the 21st century all these cultures have integrated so much that people apart of different
To illustrate, at times Caucasian people may pay me a compliment, but follow it with “for an Asian.” The “praise” becomes nullified once it is followed with a comment that berates other people. If I heard that as a child I would feel proud because of that praise. It showed to me that I was not like the other Asian people and that I was better than them because of the validation I received from my white peers. However, as I am now more knowledgeable, I realize that these supposedly kind words reinforce negative stereotypes as it insinuates that most Asians are not funny or any other positive adjective that could be used to describe people. I have realized that being Asian should not count as a strike against me in any way. Thus, through years of believing a compliment is a compliment and ignoring unintentional racism, I have recognised the importance of seeing prejudice for what it is and the significance of telling people that their words
As I was in elementary school, I went to school to learn, grades did not matter, and I was in reality bad at math. However, as I grew the idea of grades became more important to me then if I was learning. For example, the stereotype of Chinese people that says we are good at mathematics has become a major source of anxiety for me during the moments when a teacher returns my marked math test. Due to that stereotype and my grade in those math courses, my math teachers would tend to assume that I will automatically understand the new material. I would not speak up if I did not understand the work because of the expectations placed on me and would be forced to learn the material myself. I would not show my teachers, peers, or family members my confusion because I viewed it as a sign of failure. However, if I was struggling in any other subject I would not hesitate to ask questions. Unlike the other examples, healing from the damage this stereotype is a slower process. The fear of failure still lingers, nevertheless since then I have realized that asking for help is not a sign of weakness and requires courage to admit that I am not perfect. Therefore, by understanding that a supposedly well-meaning and “positive” stereotype is harmful to me, I have learned to appreciate the person I am instead to trying to be the person others expect me to be. In conclusion, no matter how