Deconstructing Asian Stereotypes in American Culture

Have you ever filled out a paper for voting, registering, or applying for a job? Etc..? Have you seen the boxes where they ask for your race/nationality? What have you observed? Three choices right? You are either white, black, or Asian. Asian;48 Asian Countries, billions and billions of people with different dreams, talents, personality, and struggles in life. Flabbergasted, aren’t you? 48 yet the American Society compressed them like sardines in a jar called Success; as if failure never occur once! In American, Culture Asian viewed commonly as an epitome of success. As if they have a sticky note stuck on their forehead saying “I’m successful, never fail once in my life’. Absurd isn’t it? But that is how the Asian people perceived by society.

Asia is one of the biggest continents that well deserve to explore and learn from. But because of this perception of success the American society failed to divide them into different categories of Asian, they neglect the fact that these people have different cultures, beliefs, religion, and struggles in life. The media was so engrossed in the idea of showing how Asian people are hardworking, smart, and all these good qualities. They failed to deliver important news like crime rates, the unsuccessful rate in college, gang, mental health, suicidal, and the pressure these people encounter. It is saddening that the American soil only perceived such diverse continent as successful, nothing less but successful individuals. Since the American soil failed to deliver this news and show them to their people. The American society was somehow uneducated of the culture and the struggle of the Asian community. Altering this mentality of the American society is the goal, let’s educate one another on the differences between Asians. Specifically the Filipino and Vietnamese minority. They are not a group of people that are fit to compress together like a pickle in a can in one of the boxes in the

In his article “Family Secrets: Transitional struggles Among Children of Filipino Immigrants” by Diane Wolf, explains that Filipinos seen as the perfect model of the minority in America because they strive and successful meet the American dream. But yet, she also demonstrates that because of this model minority picture that portrayed. The American society failed to notice that children of Immigrants Filipino parents suffered from pressure to succeed, alienation, parent-child contradictions, suicidal thoughts, belief, values and conflicted interest of both parents and the children. Wolf states, “disturbing, unexpected and disconcerting patterns were occurring among second generation Filipino Youth,” (p.460). Filipino female’s students scored a 45.6 percent in the study showing that they completely thought about attempting suicide (Wolf p. 460). The idea of looking beyond success and actually seeing the picture of how this child struggles are important to understanding one’s culture. Through this study, the American society can get a better understanding of how Filipino children feels. Also, Wolf was able to give an image of how Filipino parents tell their kids to stop becoming “Americanized and losing respect for their elders, no premarital sex, drugs, gangs and violence,” (pg. 461-462). Such a strong beliefs and values passed down towards the children are stressful. Also, Wolf states, “anything less than an ‘A’ was