Annoyances of Asian American Life | Asian American Poll

ANNOYANCES OF
ASIAN AMERICAN LIFE
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:25:52 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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Asian Dominatrix, forgive me if I can't envision you elbowing for space to wave the Union Jack during this week's Jubilee. However writing six paragraphs to "Angry" detailing your experiences with Whites, and then sugarcoating your activism with "(not) all whites are like this," takes the reader from the overall point of your post, in that virtually all white people are evil towards Asians.

On Asians and the workplace: if there were a conclusive, modern-day record of Asians regularly being dismissed from positions based on their ethnic origins, then efforts to remedy the problem should be as relentless as the efforts against the offensive products Abercrombie & Fitch distributed earlier this year. But the white majority out there indoctrinating children to say "Native Americans" instead of "Indians", "Asian" but not "Oriental," or Candi Whitebread on local Action News 8 for that matter, struggling to pronounce every Spanish word with proper Spanish inflection - are they also guilty of this? Your assertion that their political correctness is a smokescreen for their true social racism is unfounded.

On the Betty "AWW-DUH" Boothroyd who presented British women's perceptions of the East; if the Asian woman's presentation was truly better than the dancing elephant commanding the spotlight, then I would agree with you completely. But did you express your opinion in favour of the Asian woman's lecture to any of the organizers of the conference? And the woman insulting the Asian man chairing the other panel; she sounded like a pedantic loudmouth, did you elicit a reaction from her as a sort of bigot litmus-test to judge her reaction towards you? It doesn't sound to me like you would have been the only one put-off by her behaviour, and would have been completely justified to impugn her conduct.

And finally, the blonde. From what your saying, could it be that the "stupid blond cow" you assumed to be snobby - wasn't? Maybe she was looking at you because she admired your fashion sense. Maybe if you had smiled, she would have smiled back; they are contagious. But you'll never know now, because you concluded that the blonde woman highbrowed you because you're Asian. If she assumed that all Asian women were snobby based on the disdainful look you gave her, wouldn't her rationale also be wrong? Let's face it, people generally don't walk down the street nowadays with anything more than a scowl on their faces anyway, so if I deemed every involuntary, less-than smiley double-take from Asians at my own interracial family to be racist, then I might also be as upset towards Asians as you are when citing the eccentricities of whites. But I'm not, because we're only human.

Asian Dominatrix, all I'm sayin' here is read the books before you judge the covers, and realize there are a lot more good white people out there than the .25 you made space for in your post.

Ellery Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 22:49:35 (PDT)

I would like to know what people think about racial profiling after 9/11...is it necessary...what will it do to American society...will it affect us all?...as I a minority too I know I'll be affected but I would like to know what you think ?
bringittogether Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 20:43:26 (PDT)

Asian Dominatrix,

if you find whites' behavior patterns like their staring and other rude gestures annoying I can undrstand this.

But I guess this strange behavior of many whites derives from very ancient habits. It might have a Celtic origin. The ancient Celts lived in Central and Western Europe. A loud and rude race with extremely sadistic features. They frightened the civilised Greeks and Romans by their mere appearance. The Austrians seem to be the most extreme of the people with Celtic heritage. It is often said that Austrians are still spiteful, misanthropic and xenophobic. (Hitler was the most famous Austrian.)
Perhaps you'll have more sympathy for those people who act like in the described way if you read that it is just their heritage.
rare stuff Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 17:39:25 (PDT)

I got a stare for three immigrant Mexican farm workers the other day in the shopping mall.

I guess they were trying to scan on my pretty AF wife and so I proceeded to stare back at them. I mean a death stare like I'm ready to kill you stare.
Needless to say the leader of the group quickly looked away and the rest followed and then turned around to look at me and then turned around continuing my death stare back at them until they turned away.

All of this in two or three second and as I turned away I mummered "Assholes" which my wife said, "What's going on?"

Boy, she didn't have a damn clue what I just did to protect her dignity and mine as Asian-Americans living in non-racist America.

The more unclueless you are the more you will get stereotype.

Like I alway say to other AA's you can change the world one at a time

AM Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 14:48:48 (PDT)

As they see it, it's a "subtle" assertion of power over a minority: a white can stare because he/she is "superior."""

Also happens in Honolulu where whites are in a minority. In particular they stare at Asian or Hawaiian woman who are with white men. "Perhaps he got her as a mail order bride" attitude. Or "he could not find a real American woman" attitude. Of course many of them say that Hawaii is not really America.

"The other day, for instance, I was wearing a navy blue wool blazer, white shirt, pearls, jeans--in other words, nothing out of the ordinary----and one stupid blond cow stared at me up and down. So I looked disdainfully at her and turned up my nose as I passed by. (Same thing happened when I was wearing a more formal, well-fitting Agnes B pantsuit.)"

"Where did this non-white get the money to buy these clothes" attitude. "She really cannot be as rich as we whites,"attitude. Find this attitude all the time in Hawaii among white women who visit this island. I remind them that the Asians are richer than whites and they should look at the statistics.

"BTW, I'm not trying to say that all whites are like this. There are many, many others who were brought up and raised very properly."

True. I visited Vermont once and never came across this problem. I was essentially in a sea of whites.

"However, I guess what I'm trying to say is that the ones who do act rude to Asians are almost inevitably--meaning 99 3/4% of the time--white."

Especially when an Asian woman is with a white man.

Hawaiian Hapa Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 13:37:14 (PDT)

But the behavior I most dislike is white women not just looking at me, but staring at me from HEAD TO TOE: I've never seen Asian, black or hispanic women do this face-to-face. (When white men look, they at least have the courtesy to smile.) I used to wonder weren't these women ever taught that staring is rude?""

In the African American community it is widely felt (and I empathize) that white women flip their hair to attract the best black men. In other words, it is like thumbing their noses at the black women and saying you cannot do this can you? Then during the past thirty years, in come the Asian women and compete with white women by flipping their hair and start attracting thier (white)men. The white women get a taste of their own medicine and now they have to stare at Asians..perhaps to say dont you dare flip your hair and attact "our" men!

African American Woman Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 13:28:54 (PDT)

You can sense this at academic conferences: one Asian woman gave a very good and challenging paper on British women's perceptions of the East. The next one was a white woman who gave the crappiest paper I had EVER heard, mostly descriptive rubbish about what rich whites brought with them when travelling: the white woman got most of the questions (especially from other white women), needless to say. However, I tried to reverse things a bit by asking the Asian woman questions and then she got about 2 or 3. (I do this whenever someone's being unfairly ignored.)"

In your case it was about the British women's perspective. I would tell you a more atrocious story from the conference I attended recently. One Afghan woman gave a very good and challenging paper on the Afghan women's predicament under the Taliban. The next one was a white American woman who gave the lousiest paper I had EVER heard, not even really descriptive, about the illiteracy of the Afghan women over history. The white woman got most of the questions (especially from other white women), needless to say. However, I tried to reverse things a bit by asking the Afghan woman questions and then the experience was somewhat similar to yours. There is this we have solutions to your problem attitude.

Gender Equality Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 12:26:10 (PDT)

Regarding employment or promotion, it depends on whether you are within a certain insular group or outside more than anything racial. Since most folks in the ingroup happen to be white, it is difficult for Asians or blacks to get into the group. This is also true in the case of work related to Asian countries. If the Director of this group which deals with projects on Asian countries happens to have all whites in the in group no Asian can get in even if he or she speaks the language. Has happened to me more than once.
Asian Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 12:19:54 (PDT)

Asian Dominatrix,

That's funny. I've only gotten into staring contest mostly with Black and Latino Males. I always thought they wanted to discover the secret to how I keep my skin so clean.

Did not know females displayed the same type of social intimidation.
AC Dropout Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 11:54:54 (PDT)

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