Annoyances of Asian American Life | Asian American Poll

ANNOYANCES OF
ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:25:55 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Which of the following is the most annoying occurrence to which Asian Americans are routinely subjected?
Being told you speak English well | 21%
Being asked where you're from, originally | 28%
Having (non-Asian) strangers address you with phrases in Asian languages | 23%
Being subjected to offensive media portrayals of Asians | 28%

Which of the following is the most common way in which racial hostility has been expressed toward you?
Hostile words spoken to your face | 9%
Hostile remarks to others within earshot | 41%
Slurs or taunts shouted from a distance | 17%
Spreading of malicious gossip about you | 6%
Pointedly excluding you from a conversation or event | 27%

In your experience what types of persons are most likely to show hostility toward Asians?
People with low educational levels | 24%
People from social backwaters | 17%
People insecure about their own places in society | 28%
People envious of Asian success | 11%
People with little contact with other ethnicities | 19%

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

CONTACT US | ADVERTISING INFO

© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.

WHAT YOU SAY

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

Yeah, more sure the poll is right on.
Raymond Lau everybodylovesraymond77@yahoo.com Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 20:17:32 (PST)

[To MLK- I find your post very thought-provoking and insightful. My boyfriend is an AM, lived here 20+ yrs, as are most of his friends. His home is still very Chinese, they speak Chinese, celebreate Chinese New Year, eat Chinese food, watch Chinese movies, go to Dim-Sum, etc. But they are more progressive in their thinking,]

why the 'but'? most people in hong kong are pretty progressive. it's not like america progresses and the rest of the world remains static.
penelope Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 15:15:16 (PST)

To MLK- I find your post very thought-provoking and insightful. My boyfriend is an AM, lived here 20+ yrs, as are most of his friends. His home is still very Chinese, they speak Chinese, celebreate Chinese New Year, eat Chinese food, watch Chinese movies, go to Dim-Sum, etc. But they are more progressive in their thinking, his Mom is very nice and not dominating, she doesn't mind that he's dating me (a WF), likes America. Sometimes his sister will refer to "Americans" as though they weren't American, and I think hey you guys are just as American as anyone else! It's not like my family came over on the Mayflower or anything! At any rate I think this group of people I know "straddles the fence" and enjoys living in America but still keeps their culture alive, so it is possible, though I bet if you asked them they might feel as though they didn't quite belong anywhere either.
WF's thoughts Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 06:46:23 (PST)

MLK,

I know what you are feeling. It's like having a "USA eye" and and "Asia eye" in your mind.

You close you USA eye when you speak with Asian people. And you close the Asia eye when you speak with Americanized friends.

But when you speak with both eyes openned. And present views on equal footing. No one really get it, or there is some misunderstanding about your personal alliance.
AC Dropout Wednesday, April 03, 2002 at 13:55:05 (PST)

I get a lot of "You speak English so well!" and quite a few of "I thought you were an American on the phone!"

Well guess what, I am an American, on or off the phone...and as for speaking English sooo well, I can probably speak it better than the majority of the people I meet on the street. It's that ejemakayshun I got in skool, I guess.

I have another problem. I think and act too Americanized for the hardcore Asian folks, and yet, I hold values and thought processes too Asian for the mainstream non-Asian folks. It's hard to fit in anywhere at all when your brain straddles the fence between two equally great cultures that happen to clash at many junctures. I wish there were more of us types around.
MLK Monday, April 01, 2002 at 21:04:45 (PST)

To Mr. Hann: I can totally relate, even though I"m a WF. I look "ethnic", dark hair, skin, unusual features, I'm mixed Eastern/Western European American, and all my life I"ve been asked "Are you Jewish? Mexican? Russian? French?" on and on and on. I get so tired of explaining my nationality! I feel like saying "It's none of your freakin business!" I feel almost like a minority sometimes because I don't look traditionally "white".
I hear ya Monday, April 01, 2002 at 07:28:52 (PST)

1. If you're chinese, doesn't it annoy you when someone asks, "what nat. are you?"

you respond, "i'm chinese."

then they go off saying something in chinese like " Ni how ma?" etc. etc.

2. I hate it when my friends smoke. there can be a day when im dressed nice and feeling good until they smoke and stink me up. a lot of Asian tend to smoke too damn much.

3. I stopped getting fade during 11th and 12th grade. I get annoyed when people(mostly female) tell me to go get a bald fade.
Mr. Hann Wednesday, March 13, 2002 at 21:12:28 (PST)

| EARLIER COMMENTS