Asian Stereotypes | Asian American Poll

ASIAN STEREOTYPES
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:08:30 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Which stereotype of Asian women do you find most offensive?
Quiet/Submissive | 22%
Sexually Available | 73%
Materialistic | 5%

Which stereotype of Asian men do you find most offensive?
Small Stature | 6%
Quiet/Submissive | 56%
Nerdy | 38%

Has American society's stereotyping of Asians decreased during the past 3 years?
Yes, there's less now. | 37%
No, it has stayed about the same | 43%
No, it has actually worsened. | 20%

This poll is closed to new input.
Comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

Can't stand ignorant blacks and whites:
You sound like a real loser !
Have you ever considered natural human interest and curiosity ??? I frequently ask people where they are from because I love people, culture and languages.
When you replied "No I'm good", she should have handed your dumb ass a book
on GRAMMAR !!!
so much for your superior intelligence Saturday, November 24, 2001 at 07:37:56 (PST)

Asian Dominatrix,

Much of what you say makes sense as far as perceptions go. But I think it was still probably a mixed bag of perceptions. The Sheik and the English women story theme always described the Sheik as dashing and manly, inspiring the silent film "The Sheik" starring Valentino. I don't think that version of the Eastern lover was effeminate in any way. Infact he was painted as more of a rougish, barbarian lover. I guess we can't win either way.
But what is interesting to note in the movie is that when The Sheik comes across his first white women, he forgets all about the many women in his harem and wants only her as his lover. I guess driving home the idea that the "golden fleece" is the best thing around. Another interesting twist the movie version starring Valentino gave that did not exist in the orginal stories is that at the very end of the movie it turns out that the Sheik was realy a white man raised as an Arab. So all the racist whites of the early 1900's could breath a sigh of relief knowing the white heroin was being rode by a white man.
Interesting twist considering the original much older novellas were more racially risque and sexually graphic.
Makadu Friday, November 23, 2001 at 12:24:41 (PST)

Straight and Curious WF : Here is atleast one GAM who out of many. First of all I want to say that contrary to what alot of people on this site seem to infer, I truly do not belive in this implied anti-asian conspiracy theories that is rampant in this forum. I think what it boils down to is numbers. There are alot more caucasians and alot less asians. Therefore you see alot more GWM than GAM. In the US, whites account for over 40 % of the population. Asians fall below just 8%. And among those asians are FOB's and AA's who seem to be almost two differnt types of people. Gay Asian Nationals seem to have a better grip on their identity than their fellow GAA's. I think the AA itself experience is yet to be grounded and its hard for us Gay AA's because we not only deal with anti-homosexual bigotry (which I am finding that there is alot among asians) but also we deal with what the rest of the str8 asians deal with : that being trying to root out what it means to be an Asian American. So, to answer your question - we are here. Some of us are Loud and Proud and some aren't. Some, like me, just don't feel like coating my car with rainbow stickers. I have my own style and I stick to it. Take Care

From a Gay Asian American Thursday, November 22, 2001 at 22:11:41 (PST)

"One stereotypes I really hate is when white people assume I was born in another country. wtf?! I'm a third generation asian-american. They even say my English has no accent or that I speak very well. We could be here for eternity, and you'll have some idiot asking, "So where you from?" *a big thump on the head*"
-- damn some of these white people

Funny you mention that. I was in Pittsburgh airport waiting for a connecting flight to Los Angeles yesterday. I walked into a magazine stand and picked up a copy of people. As I walked upto the cash register, a young black woman behind it asked me if I wanted a bag. I replied, "No, I"m good." She raised her eyebrow and said, "What did you say? Wow, that's cool, you know how to say things like that." I was mildly offended, but managed to contain my annoyance and explained to her that I was 2nd generation Korean American. Then I even proceeded to give her a short 2 minute lecture about how not all Asians are foreigners. To this, she replied, "So, do you ever go back home sometimes?" Yes, 'home' as in Korea. (FYI, I've been to Korea precisely 3 tiems in my life, wasn't even born there.) At this point, all I could do was just shake my head and walk off with my magazine, which I really didn't feel like paying for. My point is that utter stupidity and ignorance isn't specific to white Americans. Blacks in America are just a guilty of ignorance.
Can't stand ignorant blacks and whites either. Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 23:28:17 (PST)

Straight and Curious WF,

My uncle live in SF and been in the USA since the 60's. He is gay.

But if you looking at white media, of course you won't see many minority gay people.

In Asia because of a large buddist influence and history of homosexuality activity, it is seen differently than it is here in the west. Granted there are fundimental Muslim and Christian in Asia that share the same view as the West when it comes to homosexuality.

The communist government in China has officially recognized homosexual couples for decades. But historically for China there the Tang dynasty which was like a couple hundred years of the USA hippie movement. Experimental drugs, cross dressing, sexual freedom, etc.

Asian American only take up 2% of the population. So you're only going to see 2 gay AA per 100 gay people you see. That is assuming they are hanging out with white people.
AC dropout Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 18:21:03 (PST)

Janet N. Le,

Your stance is partly based in cultural practice. In Africa no one uses a condom hence the there is a statistically greater chance of hetro HIV/AIDS cases due to the fact that most Africans (as most people) are hetro. In the U.S. however there is a greater awareness about condoms and safe sex in main part fueld by HIV/AIDS. So much so that among certain sectors of society it has become standard sexual practice. The fastest increase of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. remians with groups who statistically use condoms less. Those groups being inner city poor blacks/hispanics and unfortunately still the Gay community. The culture of safe sex is practiced by many Gay people but unfortunately the nature of gay sex still lends to the increased HIV/AIDS cases. Mainly unprotected oral sex with multiple partners is still rampant and anal sex is still the highest risk activity. While I agree that HIV/AIDS is clearly not a gay disease, there are certain realities about the gay lifestyle and a portion of its culture that still place them on a higher risk scale. As a physician myself in the Grady Hospital medical system (3rd highest volume in the country)this fact is driven home every day in the demographic/lifestyle representation of many HIV/AIDS cases in our wards. As a physician I almost always insist upon an HIV test of gay patients who have never had it done before thier own safety. Unfortunately the tests have come back positive enough times to make it a more than reasonable request. I would hope in that in your desire to be culturally sensitive that you do not overlook this valuable insight when dealing with homosexual patients. Again I agree that it is not a homosexual disease but the elephant in the livingroom of gay life is that,while the rise has leveled off, it still remains a critical disease in thier community. We as physicians must treat the patient as best we can not blind ourselves with political correctness. Just as I willurge my black patients be tested for hypertension with more vigor, my smoking patients for cancer, my Asian patients for stomach cancer, my middle aged Indian male patients for blockages, so will I urge my homosexual patients to be tested for HIV.
Dr. David Chow Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 16:39:54 (PST)

Maya,
as a black person, I can honestly say it's due to the media and not enough exposure to Asian people except maybe through places owned by Asians that they purchase things, i.e; clothes, restaurants, and the like. That goes for any race, though....not getting to know anyone of a particular race on a personal level can lead to misunderstandings and inability to differentiate between them.
T.B. Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 12:33:35 (PST)

Makadu,

Absolutely agree with you on most details: I just didn't say in my earlier post that most of this 'big white willy stuff' was probably at most conjectural. It is. It has unfortunately, however, become so entrenched in the Western mind that white willies are bigger than those of other races, except Africans: talk about myth!

Unfortunately, since my field is 18th century rather than 19th century popular literature, I couldn't say a whole lot about Victorian trash and twopenny novels, but what you said sounds pretty accurate.

What I do know is that in the 18th century, there was already a fabrication in the making of the effeminate Eastern male, whether middle-Eastern, Indian, or east Asian. What it really all comes down to is pure envy. White men were kvetching, thinking, no fair as they explored the world, 'how come us Christians ain't allowed to have shitloads of lovelies? Why do those people have all the fun? Are they more manly than us?' (OK, they didn't quite put it that way, but you get the idea...) So in order to compensate for not being able to live it up with women, women, and more women, white men began to decide that men with lots of women were effeminate, since they, well, hung out w/ lots of women. (Note, however, that when their own white men who were libertines, getting it up w/ woman after woman, were 'seen' as masculine.)

Hope this explains things.
Asian Dominatrix Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 12:01:54 (PST)

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