Stereotypes exist as a way to simplify and categorize information and to make sense of the world. However, these same stereotypes can be extremely damaging, especially when they are used to generalize people based on assumptions, whether or not those assumptions are true. The three most common stereotypes about Asians are: the model minority myth, the hypersexualization of Asian women, and the emasculation of Asian men. What they all have in common is that they are extremely inaccurate and harmful.
The term “model minority” was first coined by William Peterson, a sociologist, in an article in the New York Times, where he praised the “Japanese family structure” and the way in which their hard work allowed them to overcome the discrimination they faced. Many articles also highlighted their supposed “genetic superiority,” and this stereotype soon became a talking point for white supremacists who insisted that any minority group could push through the discrimination they faced like the “hard-working and passive Asians.” However, this kind of thinking completely ignores the extreme gap in both income and college education within different ethnic groups; for example, Cambodian immigrants have an average income of $10,215, and over 90% of that population does not have a college education. Asian Americans also make up a disproportionately high number of those living under the poverty line. 11% of Asian Americans live under the poverty line, in contrast to 8% of white people. To focus only on the Asian Americans who have accomplished the so-called American Dream completely delegitimizes the struggles that other Asian-Americans have to go through.
There was a recent shooting in Atlanta where six out of the eight victims were Asian women. It is shocking thatmany law-enforcement officers were reluctant to call this grisly act a hate crime because of the perpetrator’s supposed “sex addiction”. To completely ignore the connection between the history of the hypersexualization of Asian women and the racial motivations for the perpetrator’s crime is impossible. This stereotype dates back to the 19th century, when Congress passed the Page Act, which barred Asian women from entering the USA because they were seen as “temptresses\’\’ and “prostitutes.” Media portrayal during the 20th century in movies like “Full Metal Jacket,” where nearly all of the Asian cast are shot as prostitutes and sex workers, certainly did not help. Let us not forget the Vietnam and Korean Wars, where American presence greatly increased the demand for sex workers in Asia, leading to this disgusting stereotype that Asian women must face. The shooter in Atlanta said that he had to “eliminate his temptations,\’\’ and these stereotypes allowed him to dehumanize the women he shot. This kind of stereotype is dangerous because it enables people to barbarize an entire group of people and denounce them all as being sex workers and prostitutes.
The portrayal of most Asian men in media falls under two categories: the kung-fu master character that serves as the protagonist’s teacher, or the passive nerd best friend incapable of standing up for themselves. While this portrayal bleeds into the larger society, this view of Asian men actually is not new. Emasculation of Asian men started when they immigrated in large numbers during the California gold rush as a way to prevent them from “stealing white jobs” and marrying white women. Laws like the Page Act that limited the immigration of Asian women made Asian men live in bachelor societies. That is where the small eyes and small penis caricature of Asian men originated from. Movies in the 20th century like “Charlie Chan Carries On” only perpetuated this stereotype. While his character was supposed to offset the view of evil and cunning Asians in the media at the time, his subservient character and inability to speak fluent english certainly bled into how the public viewed Asian men as a whole. Critics of the movie also find it quite strange that the character was played by Caucasian actors putting on yellowface. This stereotype has even found its way into the NBA. When Jeremy Lin first began his meteoric rise to stardom, articles like “A Chink in the Armor” began to surface, and a Fox Sports columnist even tweeted that “Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight.” These tweets made it painfully clear that the stereotype had survived to the 21st century. The stereotype has denied Asian males their masculinity and forced them into a group of the foreigners.
Until these stereotypes are dealt with and good Asian representation is shown in the media, the feelings of alienation and hate towards Asians will not stop. In this age of information, there is no excuse for people to be ignorant. Judging an entire demographic of people based on inaccurate stereotypes is wrong and extremely destructive.