Discrimination Against Asians

Discrimination Against East Asians
The Stereotypes and Racism East Asians Face

"CHINK EYES... ANTI-SOCIAL... DISCRIMINATION..."

Whether in the media (such as TV, the internet, ads etc.), in school, or in a small community, any racial group can fall victimization to stereotypes. Being a minority group in the United States, many East Asians face stereotypes/discrimination based on the following:

1. Their physical appearance: A person commented on this blog, expressing his/her dislike of the phrase "chink eyes" and the way people stare at him/her. The most common physical stereotypes include the short height, "colored" versus white, and the "slanted eyes."
2. Affirmative action policies in colleges: Affirmative action policies refer to policies in order to benefit an "underrepresented minority"  in areas of unemployment, education, and business. In order to create diversity, most colleges pick applicants based on their race. Princeton sociologist Thomas Espenshade found that Asian-Americans, all other quantifiable factors being equal, needed far higher SAT scores than students of other races to gain admission to top schools (Mace). The unfairness is obvious.
3. Being "anti-social": One comment on the blog read "[people] stereotype that all [A]sians are nerds, antisocial, and not fun to talk to." 

Now let us help you combat these stereotypes through awareness of these East Asian cultures:

• East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore are Confucian Heritage Cultures (CHC) where particular cultural traits deriving from Confucian values are prevalent to varying degrees. In CHC traditions, the individual, or “sense of self” exists in terms of the webs of relationships between and amongst individuals. Other Confucian values that influence the educational traditions most commonly discussed in the literature include: the importance of education; respect for authority; and motivation for achievement (Ho, Holmes, Cooper).  These cultural morals may lead to the "anti-social" stereotype.
• Statistics have shown that many East Asian students are dictated by their culture in learning and are perceived by their Western teachers as role learners, unable to participate in classroom discussion, overly respectful of the teacher, and academically unprepared for studying in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States where critical thinking and inquiry are a directive of education.

What other stereotypes do you here against Asians? What else do you want to know about the Asian culture? Share your story about facing Asian stereotypes; let your voice be heard.

Works Cited:

Mace, Frank. "Linsanity and Affirmative Action." Linsanity and Affirmative Action. Harvard Political Review, 5 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 May 2012. <http://hpronline.org/united-states/how-linsanity-makes-a-case-against-affirmative-action/>.

Check out these other sites:

1. http://hmongstudies.org/ThaiCulture.pdf
2. http://www.seattlecolleges.edu/facultydevelopment/documents/PDF/Vietnam%20Cultural%20Background.pdf
3. http://www.minedu.govt.nz/~/media/MinEdu/Files/EducationSectors/InternationalEducation/ProvidersOfIntEd/InternationalismClassRoomStrategies.pdf

Comment Collage

Their Voices Were Heard
Now Let Us Hear Yours


We made a collage of all the comments that you posted. Read the colored phrases to get the bigger message. 


IT HURT ME WHEN PEOPLE LAUGHED... / I DIDN’T SPEAK MUCH ENGLISH… I COULD ONLY SIT THERE AND HOLD BACK MY TEARS…/ WHEN I GO TO EAT SOMEWHERE WITH MY FRIENDS PEOPLE STARE AT US AND CALL US CHINESE OR ‘CHINK EYES’ AND IT FEELS SO WEIRD. / LIKE BEING ADOPTED MEANS YOU’RE LESS LOVED... / AT MY SCHOOL, PEOPLE ARE EXCLUSIVE TO ASIANS…/ [BUT] THIS DISCRIMINATION IS BORN OUT OF IGNORANCE…/ I HOPE THAT MAYBE SOMEDAY PEOPLE WILL TRY TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER AND BE ABLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH OTHERS. / PEOPLE MADE FUN OF MY ACCENT…BUT EVENTUALLY I REALISED THAT IT IS PART OF WHO I AM… / #1, SHE SHOULD BE PROUD OF HER HERITAGE, AND THAT #2, AN ADOPTIVE FAMILY IS IN NO WAY INFERIOR TO A BIOLOGICAL ONE, JUST DIFFERENT.   


We have all been discriminated against. Now let your voice be heard. Comment below and share any stories of the time you have been discriminated against.

Poll Results

Poll Results
What did you say?


Thank you all for voting on the polls! Here are the results:


Where Do You Think Your Culture Originates From?
Out of 76 votes,
10 said from "where you were born."
39 said from "where you grew up."
27 said from "where your family/ancestors are from."


The poll results must imply that your environment really plays a part in what you think of as your culture. Let us learn more about our environment to understand others.


Why Have You Been Discriminates Against?
Out of 87 votes,
20 said "for my race."
8 said "for my religion."
12 said "people do not understand my cultural morals."
14 said "for my disabilities/weaknesses."
14 said "for reasons not specified above."
19 said "I have not been discriminated against."


The result reinforce the fact that many people still suffer from discrimination for their race. However, it is great to hear that not many of you have been discriminated against. Maybe our society is heading towards a less racist place.


Thank you again for those who participated.


Continue to share your stories by commenting below. Also, please take the new poll on the right. We hope that the poll results show the positive progression of our society towards a less racist place!

The Definition of Discrimination

The Definition of Discrimination
What does it mean?


Look at the picture below. Which apple would you pick to eat?

For those of you who enjoy red apples, you may pick the very top red apple without even considering the other green apples. You may immediately associate red apples as delicious and green apples as sour and ignore the green ones. You may not even ask, "What if the green apples happen to taste better than the red?"; instead, you may downgrade the green and prefer the red.


It is our very nature to judge things based on their appearances. We judge people no differently.


It is important to know the very definition of discrimination in order to prevent it. According to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination Article I, discrimination is defined as "any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life". (Taken from: http://usyd.academia.edu/SenthorunRaj/Papers/229980/Just_Joking_Is_Racist_Humour_a_Form_of_Vilification)


Yes, we prefer the red because of its color and its association to sweetness. Yes, we nullify the green by restricting them as being more sour than the red. Yes, we treat them as unequals.


Yes, these are just apples, but what if we did the same to people?


Next time you meet a person, don't judge them first. Step back and ask yourself, "What if I gave this person a chance?"


Ever felt judged by your own appearances? Share your story by posting below.

Pamphlet

Pamphlet Preview

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What's Your Story?

Let Your Voice Be Heard.

http://letushearyourstory.blogspot.com/

            Ever been misunderstood for having a different cultural background? Ever wanted to voice it out? Most of us have been through this experience. This is why we created a blog so that you would be able to share your story about what you think can be done to erase the ethnicity-based stigma. Many suffer from racism every day, and we feel that one of the ways in eliminating racism is by spreading culture awareness. This blog includes interesting articles about the topic, and fun polls for everyone to take so we can express our opinions about the issue.

* * * * *

If you are a student at LAHS and you want to see the rest of this pamphlet, visit Room 503 and ask where to get one!

Images that We Used in the Pamphlet:

http://www.clker.com/clipart-fist-6.html

http://www.stockfuel.com/details/34820/sad_man_silhouette.html 

http://www.clker.com/clipart-23650.html

http://www.cksinfo.com/traffic/roadsigns/info/index.html

http://www.vector-clip-art.com/2011/06/world-peace-clipart-061011.html

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 http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/UNC/UNC265/bowl-icons-noodles_~u29003170.jpg

Discrimination Against Adoption

Discrimination Against Adoption
What Most of Us Don't Know


First we will like to thank you, the public, for posting interesting comments on your story. Due to the many comments about adoption that we heard from you, we will like to spread awareness about the discrimination behind adoption. 


Most of us don't really know about adoption. Some of us even sympathize on adopted kids. But is there really something to sympathize about?

Family is family, adopted or not.

An adopted individual posted a comment on our page, disliking it when people perceive that "being adopted means that you're less loved." Most of us view family as a group of individuals with similar physical traits, but indeed, there can be a family with two completely different races. The same individual said that "[it] is a form of discrimination [to] how their recognition of being different from other families." So remember, it is discrimination to perceive a group as less fortunate just because of their different races.

A parent of an adopted child gives us their point of view of adoption. This parent tries to teach her child "to know #1, she should be proud of her heritage, and that #2, an adoptive family is in no way inferior to a biological one, just different." He/she emphasizes on the child's culture and the beauty of being different, which we found important to show to the public. It is not inferiority to have a different cultural background than your parents, but yes, different.

When another comment said that "this discrimination is borne out of ignorance because it is outside the experience of most people," we knew that we had to do something. We figured that not all of us can experience the feelings of adopted kids, but all of us can be aware of them. 

We hope that this post will spread awareness of the discrimination against adoption.

Thank you for all of you who let your voice be heard.

Please post a comment on this post and tell us your story of discrimination as well.