Annoyances of Asian American Life | Asian American Poll

ANNOYANCES OF
ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:25:54 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%

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WHAT YOU SAY

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I agree with most of what was said here. I'm half vietnamese (and was raised by a very traditional mother) and my husband is full Chinese (and is a total, excuse the expression, twinkie). As far as racism, I've received it from asians and whites, it's always the same. I'm neither asian nor white. And somehow my husband has done something wrong by marrying outside the Chinese race. I am proud of both of my parents and all that they have accomplished. To the asians I would say, remember where you come from and relish it, but also remember to keep an open mind. To the americans I would say, we really DON'T all look alike and NO it's not all the same language. We may not have to like each other but we should respect one another. Accept the fact that asians live here to pursue the "american dream" not to forget who they are and where they come from.
lkl220 Wednesday, May 01, 2002 at 07:32:09 (PDT)

Being told that I speak english well..to which I reply " so do you!"
Crystal Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 22:06:14 (PDT)

To SWEET THANG;yes I believe you are correct when your experiences with Russians have been unfavorable. I happened to come to the same conclusion that they are racist. I especially don't appreciate it when they stare right at you and don't even blink an eye. I feel like asking them if they have a problem or some such. I mean if they have issues and don't like it here then they should take themselves elsewhere, get it?
TOY SUNNER Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 17:04:05 (PDT)

Is it true all Russians are racist? I've come to know some and they are..
One of my friends say that she hates Russians becoz they are SO RACIST. That they think they are better, etc
Sweet-thang Sunday, April 28, 2002 at 00:50:14 (PDT)

WF,

however,I hope that our sense of personal space will survive in both, the Western and the Eastern cultures. People of both sexes can show each other much respect by allowing each other to have personal space.
rare stuff Friday, April 26, 2002 at 17:12:48 (PDT)

have any of you been asked "do you speak english?" by an asian before? i'm an ABA by the way. that's one of the most annoying things. my name was spelled for them on my name tag. Also, having another asian say, you have an american name? didn't know that! is that really your name? it could be because of low education levels or not much contact with ethnicity. or they should just take a race and ethnics class.
name problem, so what if i have an American name and i'm a half mixed species Sunday, April 21, 2002 at 19:29:59 (PDT)

rare stuff- that is a cultural difference. Europeans and Americans are entirely different in so many ways. Yes I think that Europeans have a much smaller sense of personal space than Americans, and that can be annoying. But you can't attribute that to all white females. American white females don't do that, in my experience. Besides, every culture in the world has a different set of cultural norms, one of which is personal space, and I'm sure they vary widely. Who's to say which is right or wrong? It's a matter of how you grew up.
WF Sunday, April 21, 2002 at 18:32:33 (PDT)

WF,

indeed, one exception is found among "Nordic" people --but I think the tendency is negative as a whole, especially in Europe where I live at the moment. In some regions a person is expected to live with as much body-contact as a hippy.
rare stuff Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 17:53:59 (PDT)

"At last one question: White women don't recognize the adequate space between people talking to each other, do they?"

Actually I think this varies from culture to culture. Americans in general prefer more personal space around them, whereas Europeans tend to speak more closely together. I am a WF and I can't stand when people are "close-talkers"! I prefer a good few feet between me and anyone else. I don't think it's fair of you to generalize in this way.

WF Monday, April 15, 2002 at 12:34:11 (PDT)

I know that I live in a mainly white country but when I talked with other non-westernized people they shared my opinion: the issue was that white women (not Latins!) preferred to talk to us in a very close distance and we found that annoying.The 2nd annoyance which followed the 1st :whites said we were too much influenced by (in my case) Confucian and (in the case of my mates) Muslimic values and we would be therefore (sexually or whatever)"immature".

At last one question:White women don't recognize the adequate space between people talking to each other, do they?

rare stuff Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 19:08:12 (PDT)

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