Essay On Asian American Experience

I’m Asian, but more specifically I’m Laotian American. The more I learned in the class, the more I became self-cautious of the how people treat me. I only started to take a notice in the middle of the semester when encountering wrong doing toward me. I want to point fingers because I think they are being racist, but that might not be the case and I might be over thinking about it. Foundations of Cultural Competency made me ponder more into the possible issue marginalized groups could experience for not being white.
When I first noticed my experience being treated differently in society was when I went to Minnesota for spring break in a small town. I was at the bar waiting to order my last drink of the night. I’m waiting and I can see that

As mushy as that sounds, it has always been a concern of the back of my mind when I meet someone of interest. Gwyn Kirk and Okazawa-Rey (2001) states, in the section about maintaining a system of structural inequality, “Exoticizing and romanticizing. These two forms of appropriation are particularly insidious because on the surface there is an appearance of appreciation. For example, Asian American women are described as personifying the ‘mysterious orient,’” (p.13). I don’t want to be seen as; a tool, an exotic experience, and used as a fetish. I want to be seen as equal, human and be taken seriously. I have had a relationship where they have bluntly told me that they were with me because I’m Asian. In another uncomfortable experience, short story, my friend from work ex-girlfriend messaged me on Facebook addressing her concerns with her relationship with him. I’m not sure how she knew about me and know my name. They broke- up because of cheating. I knew my friend had a crush on me, but I only befriended him because I felt bad. End of the story, the ex-girl was telling me that he only likes me because I’m Asian. It was kind of upsetting and frustrating because I want people to see my qualities as a person and not judge me for my