Maz Jobrani, a comedian said, “Stereotypes exist because there's always some truth to stereotypes. Not always, but often.” Like this, it is true that stereotypes are made because certain people do meet these stereotypes. However, what is important is that stereotypes do not apply to everyone. Many people, especially westerners, have stereotypes about East Asians. What are these stereotypes and what caused all of these over-generalized beliefs? East Asian stereotypes have started to emerge in the late 19th century when East Asians came flooding into America. The European inhabitants felt fairly uncomfortable worrying that these Asians would fill their country with an unknown language and a strange culture also, stealing away their jobs. Another reason why East Asian stereotypes surfaced into the lives of Asians was that of the disregard of non-Asian people and their inexperience with East Asians

<Definitely Chinese>

  When non-East Asians see East Asians, the first thing that might come to mind is that they are Chinese. This is probably because of the massive Chinese population that has immigrated all over the world.

<One Big Family>

It is true that many East Asians share the same family name. However, this does not mean that they are all related. This may be easy for non-East Asians to misunderstand yet, there are a lot of similar and same family names in East Asia (both China and Korea have the family name, Lee).

<Master of Kung Fu>

  Many famous Asian movies are mostly about KungFu or martial arts (Jackie Chan or Jet Li movies), this led many people to think that martial arts and Kung Fu are something every East Asian can do.

<Beware of Asian Drivers>

Asian car etiquette is different than that of Western etiquette. In East Asia while driving, changing lanes without signaling is something that happens every day. On the other hand, for Western people cutting into another person’s lane without signaling is considered bad mannered. Still, this does not mean every Asian is rude. It solely depends on the person.

<Unfriendly Genius>

  Asians have been depicted as nerds and geeks who are excellent in academics but poor in social relations. East Asians are always struggling to achieve more academically because it a culture in East Asia to be successful and not embarrass their family. However, being smart has nothing to do with being unfriendly or likable. Personality depends on each person and not on the racial background.

  Stereotyped questions and judgment- Every once in a while, for those who either live or have been abroad are asked and judged based on these stereotypes. Questions such as, “Are you Chinese?”, “Do you know Kung Fu?” and comments like, “You are so smart because you’re Asian”, “Oh, you must know my friend Lee too!” and many more tend to annoy East Asians. Other than the simple annoyance, the stereotype of being smart often make some East Asians feel burdened to actually be smart. Another fact is that from time to time, this stereotype hides the hard effort behind all successes achieved by thinking it is simply an Asian gene to be intelligent.

  Due to a stereotype that Asians are industrious yet, do not have interpersonal charms or skills, universities and employers eventually do not accept East Asians(including Asian Americans). Even if Asians do get a job, it is likely for them to not get promoted to leadership positions. This year, a lawsuit was filed against Harvard University for the discrimination of Asian American applicants. Asian applicants have been given lower rates on personality traits such as likability, kindness and positive personality than other races. Harvard has been denying allegations and stated the university will, “continue to vigorously defend the legal right of every college and university to consider race as one factor among many in college admissions.,”Regarding this case, American Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said that “No American should be denied admission to school because of their race.” This case is said to have an impact on using race as a criterion in college admissions.

  In the 19th century, Asian stereotypes were quite different from those of today. Over the 20th century, Asians were viewed as “unassimilable” to “exceptional”according to sociologist Jennifer Lee. Just like this change, it is considered that stereotypes may disappear or change again in the future. There are also certain changes that have come to surface, for example, the entertainment industry. Nowadays, movies with Asian lead roles are becoming popular (“Searching”, “Crazy Rich Asians”, “To All the Boys I Have Ever Loved”, and etc.) And K-pop is trending. K-pop has been steadily becoming more well-known all over the world. Korean singers have been making their debut in America. Through their debut in America, more and more people worldwide are now experiencing the Korean Wave. These factors are helping to change the image of East Asians and may help alleviate bad stereotypes.

  Racial stereotypes have been around for a long time. Sometimes, this leads to racial discrimination and can affect one’s life. East Asians have a lot of stereotypes and have been either annoyed by them or even discriminated by them. As many people say, nothing stays the same forever. Reflecting on the atmosphere of the general society today, it is an essential assignment as humans to start taking down any false beliefs and begin to treat each other as individuals rather than by race.