Posted March 6th, 2008 by Peter · 14 Comments
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“I hate the Asian Stare. It happens often and its actually incredibly rude. I’m pretty sure the staring is to check the other person out– their clothes, their face, the way they act– in order to compare with them.
That should be another entry: #26 Comparing with Other People, be it how smart/skinny/talented their Asian kids are, how much money another Asian makes, how big another Asian’s house is, etc. Asians love to compare and they love to be the best. And they compare partly by ~staring~ and scoping out the competition.” -Comment by LOL
You come home from school and pick up a box of cereal to munch on. Your mom, seemingly out of nowhere, pours out her distress about an experience with a hispanic at work. She proceeds to tell you about her friend’s daughter, who has recently been accepted to U.C.L.A. You stare back with blood boiling, eyes tearing, and ego nearly crushed. You then stop the flow of emotion, as you realize this conversation has occurred more than once in the past.
Not much different from any other human race, Asians are judgmental creatures with their own set of stereotypes, prejudices, and social boxes. Maybe you are being thrown into a social box while reading this post. No one will really know. There are tons of categories Asians throw people into upon first glance. Asians see other asians as:
1. First Generation: People who were born in Asia and immigrated to the states such as Asian parents and children. There are more Southeast Asian countries (including mainland China) in this bracket. They tend to be lower-income due to the struggles of assimilating to a new culture while staying true to their own. The language barrier impedes in the process of finding jobs and as a result, a vast majority have poor health care (includes Medi-Cal). This group is very traditional and carries strong Asian customs with them.
2. Second Generation: People who were born in the states. They are usually more Americanized, and immigrated from countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, etc… Their grandparents or parents worked hard from nothing many decades back; however, time has enabled them to establish themselves, so this group tends to be more well-off than first generations. Remember, there are exceptions in all groups but these descriptions describe the majority.
3. White Washed: Asians that have decided to abandon their asian heritage. Some purposely marry into a white family. To make matters worse, they will refuse to teach their children their own language and will try their hardest to avoid their asian parents in order to keep their children from knowing too much.
4. Money-Hungry: These asians own nail salons and multiple houses. They are ruthless and will do anything in order to get to the top. They blatantly do their jobs in order to receive a high flow of income, and their children may turn out to be spoiled rotten due to it.
Conversely, asians see people of other races as either:
1. Non-Asian: 
Everyone (black, mexican, bosnian, etc…) including even “asians” from India. (White people are NOT included in this classification.)
2. White: 
Very well off and have created a society that is imitated around the world. These include all people that look white, including the Scots, Germans, Brits, an so on… These people have been “born” into their current situations because their parents have inherited it from their parents; and they, from their parents. They are also currently living the “american” dream.
Stated above, Asians are able to compare people of other races with themselves because they have made a hierarchy of racial ethnicity that they refer to. However, it is very difficult for Asians to understand that there are many people of other races that have very distinct cultural values. It is only natural, as the majority of people Asians see in America or television are indeed white. For example, when Asians see blacks or hispanics on television, they are usually involved in drug trafficking or murder. Though untrue, these predispositions cause Asians to believe that people of other races are always involved in certain activities. The media often glorifies the white sector of the United States population, causing Asians to see them as the world’s heroes.
When comparing to themselves, Asians will say white people are much better off (they have been in America the longest). Otherwise, they will say that they are better off than any other race. This is usually the case until Asian parents compare their children to other Asian children. According to asian4, “Your parents always boast about you to all the other Vietnamese parents, or your parents totally dog on how stupid you are to other Vietnamese parents.” This is totally true in most cases, as Asian parents will glorify you if you succeed but neglect you if you are a failure. Common comparisons include those about grade point average, college prospects (stamfurt), classes taken in school (calculus in middle school), and even physical stature in some cases. “You should drink more milk! Thao’s son is 5′11″ “ These comparisons, though very frustrating for their children to hear, motivate their children to do well in school even though they may seem quite apathetic of them.
Now you know the asian prototypes for stereotypes, it’s as simple as “black and white.” Asians know that they are stereotyped a great deal by other races. Asians make up for it though, as asian stereotypes of other races are very incomplete and non-comprehensive. These preconceptions mostly serve to motivate asians to strive to do better and move up the social ladder. With this in mind, the next time you see an asian parent comparing their son or daughter to someone else’s, know that it is only to make them stronger and more focused in life. The same applies to receiving extra instruction (tutoring). It is not merely an excuse to nag at their children, it is a life lesson. For these reasons, asians find that Comparing People is very essential to the perpetuation of their race.
Notice to people that do not support our views:
It is a known fact that the more assimilated you are into another culture, the more comfortable your standard-of-living is. If Asian parents don’t want to uphold the culture or traditions from their homeland, the subsequent second generation kids and beyond will become more Americanized, will not be able to speak their own languages, and will be disconnected to past Asian values and customs. Remember, this entire blog is about generalizations - some real, some just for entertainment, so the best way to look at things is that there are specific generalizations or stereotypes for each Immigrant generation. (this was added in response to a reader that thought that “none” of these posts applied to any Asians at all and were merely white elitist stereotypes. Yeah Right…) Please email us personally if you have a problem, but do not try to spam every single post. It’s very unbecoming.
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Your Admin