Why is there so much racism against Asians?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are children of Asian immigrants. We worked hard in school and attended ivy league schools. I think the difference is that back in the 80's, we were both token Asians in our schools. Reading all the negativity on the TJ threads saddens me.

I wonder which qualified applicant your token acceptance pushed aside. Many people work hard -- you do not get a free pass because of that. Americans are sadden by your racism after haven been so accepting of you.

You are an idiot. In the 80s, Asians didn't get anywhere because of affirmative action or favors. We were tokens because we were "onlys" in suburban classes that were largely white and non-diverse. Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How accepting are Asian countries of non-Asian residents?

I found people to be quite accepting in Vietnam. Can't speak for any other Asian countries though.

In China, non-Asians are very well accepted. They are treated like rock stars if they can speak Mandarin Chinese. Their children attend "International Schools" which are elite and costly, and native Chinese families would do everything to get into these schools. Most kids from International Schools go to great universities in US. Non-Asians get better services in almost everything because people treat them like guests... Women want to date and marry them...

[Anonymous]

There is a long history of anti-Asian American sentiment in this country. For the most extreme examples, see the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and ban/quota on immigration from Asian countries, which ended only in the 1960s. On the less extreme (but still harmful) side, Asian Americans have long been seen by many as exotic and sometimes sinister foreigners, even when we are born and raised in this country. When I was growing up in the midwest, there were far fewer Asian families so I don't think it was threatening to people that my brother and I did very well in school. A generation later and in areas like metro DC, the Asian American population has skyrocketed, so now all those stereotypes and hatred are coming out in full force and apparently people are not afraid to express their feels of hate and distrust, at least on an anonymous forum such as this. It's amazing to me that so many have responded to the original post by saying essentially "I don't have a problem with Asians, i have a problem with cheaters" - when part of the problem is that these people are just assuming that someone who looks Asian must be a cheater. And then if someone speaks up about this, it's "oh, you're stifling free expression." Interestingly, Jews faced a similar phenomenon back in the day, which led to Jewish quotas at many top universities and wide belief that they were cheaters and not really Americans...now Asian Americans are the target of similar policies and views. I would be very surprised if the moderators on this forum would allow the sort of vitriol against another group to go on and on like they do the vitriol against Asian Americans that is constantly popping up on here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a long history of anti-Asian American sentiment in this country. For the most extreme examples, see the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and ban/quota on immigration from Asian countries, which ended only in the 1960s. On the less extreme (but still harmful) side, Asian Americans have long been seen by many as exotic and sometimes sinister foreigners, even when we are born and raised in this country. When I was growing up in the midwest, there were far fewer Asian families so I don't think it was threatening to people that my brother and I did very well in school. A generation later and in areas like metro DC, the Asian American population has skyrocketed, so now all those stereotypes and hatred are coming out in full force and apparently people are not afraid to express their feels of hate and distrust, at least on an anonymous forum such as this. It's amazing to me that so many have responded to the original post by saying essentially "I don't have a problem with Asians, i have a problem with cheaters" - when part of the problem is that these people are just assuming that someone who looks Asian must be a cheater. And then if someone speaks up about this, it's "oh, you're stifling free expression." Interestingly, Jews faced a similar phenomenon back in the day, which led to Jewish quotas at many top universities and wide belief that they were cheaters and not really Americans...now Asian Americans are the target of similar policies and views. I would be very surprised if the moderators on this forum would allow the sort of vitriol against another group to go on and on like they do the vitriol against Asian Americans that is constantly popping up on here.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How accepting are Asian countries of non-Asian residents?

I found people to be quite accepting in Vietnam. Can't speak for any other Asian countries though.

In China, non-Asians are very well accepted. They are treated like rock stars if they can speak Mandarin Chinese. Their children attend "International Schools" which are elite and costly, and native Chinese families would do everything to get into these schools. Most kids from International Schools go to great universities in US. Non-Asians get better services in almost everything because people treat them like guests... Women want to date and marry them...

I like that last part . Wasn't my experience at all, but then I don't speak Mandarin. I can see why people want to leave though and come here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But immigrants don't really assimilate until three or more generations, no?

Not true if they want to assimilate. An Asian mom once told me to get test prep and outside testing down from a specific provider to get 1 of my kids into GT. Anyone ever been to an elementary school science fair where projects look like they were done by college students or professional engineers? Grading based on end product?

I have seen this and of course it is impossible for a kid that age to produce work like that without help. Had one elementary school AAP teacher tell me half the papers her class turned in read like dissertations. So this teacher stopped assigning out of class writing projects, and the quality of the work changed dramatically..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are children of Asian immigrants. We worked hard in school and attended ivy league schools. I think the difference is that back in the 80's, we were both token Asians in our schools. Reading all the negativity on the TJ threads saddens me.

I wonder which qualified applicant your token acceptance pushed aside. Many people work hard -- you do not get a free pass because of that. Americans are sadden by your racism after haven been so accepting of you.

You are an idiot. In the 80s, Asians didn't get anywhere because of affirmative action or favors. We were tokens because we were "onlys" in suburban classes that were largely white and non-diverse. Wow.

That is incorrect. You were tokens. My father served on the admissions committee. Wow, indeed.

[Anonymous]

At my law school, the Asian/Pacific American Law Student's Association was the only "minority" student association that the administration would not fund. The black, Hispanic, and Native American associations all got school funding and recognition. Apparently we weren't disadvantaged enough.

Haven't you ever heard the term "model minority?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am married to an asian american (chinese). All races are racist. Some of chinese descent have been horrible to me- white and towards AA. Some AA seem to equally dislike asians- see problems in Philadelphia, PA. Some AA are horrible to lighter skinned AA. Some whites dislike anyone not white. And on and on it goes....

It does. The only ones who are trying are W. I think the others are laughing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is there so much racism against Asians?: DH and I are children of Asian immigrants. We worked hard in school and attended ivy league schools. I think the difference is that back in the 80's, we were both token Asians in our schools. Reading all the negativity on the TJ threads saddens me.

I'm a new poster to this thread. I agree there's a disheartening amount of negativity on DCUM, and some of it is expressed toward people of Asian background, but I don't necessarily see Asian people as suffering any more negativity than any other group. Maybe you could be more specific?

I will say I get frustrated with some of the Asian posters on DCUM (or maybe it's just one really vocal Asian poster ... no way to tell) who repeatedly make the following claims:

1. Brag that Asians are smarter, more hard working, wealthier, and generally better than anyone else academically. (One example among many: "Face it. The Asian kids are just smarter and work harder." http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/45/302601.page#3497789). I know the statistics showing how well Asian students do at school. But when some Asian posters repeatedly boast about it, and tell other ethnic groups that their children are not as good, they're being assholes. Imagine how you'd feel about a white poster bragging about how much wealthier whites are than Hispanics -- total asshole, right? So yes, there are other posters like that on DCUM who brag about some superiority they think their race enjoys, ... but they look like assholes too. There's no need for Asian posters to join in on that noxious habit.

2. Complain about the discrimination Asian people suffer. Yes, I get that some people engage in racially discriminatory acts against those of Asian ethnicity, and I'm not excusing that one bit. Discrimination against anyone is abhorrent. But as noted above, Asian people in the US have done extremely well in recent decades -- academically, economically, socially, etc. Indeed, many statistics suggest people of Asian backgrounds have had an incredibly amazing rise in prosperity. So given all that success, I find it frustrating and whiny when I see some Asian poster complaining that she's facing racial discrimination because someone asked "where she's really from," or when I see lengthy discussions about whether an Asian student was discriminated against because he was waitlisted at Harvard and forced to slum it at Penn, even though he had a 2200 SAT score. When you're doing really well, you don't get to whine about racial discrimination. I feel the same disgust when I see white posters complaining about affirmative action. Unless you're truly suffering, your window to complain about discrimination should be very small. Accept that along with all the benefits you've enjoyed, you may need to carry some burdens too.

Let me repeat -- I know other posters of other races do these same things, and I know not all Asian posters engage in these topics. I'm just saying I find these two theme obnoxious when Asian posters repeat them.

I'll probably get flamed now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there so much racism against Asians?: DH and I are children of Asian immigrants. We worked hard in school and attended ivy league schools. I think the difference is that back in the 80's, we were both token Asians in our schools. Reading all the negativity on the TJ threads saddens me.

I'm a new poster to this thread. I agree there's a disheartening amount of negativity on DCUM, and some of it is expressed toward people of Asian background, but I don't necessarily see Asian people as suffering any more negativity than any other group. Maybe you could be more specific?

I will say I get frustrated with some of the Asian posters on DCUM (or maybe it's just one really vocal Asian poster ... no way to tell) who repeatedly make the following claims:

1. Brag that Asians are smarter, more hard working, wealthier, and generally better than anyone else academically. (One example among many: "Face it. The Asian kids are just smarter and work harder." http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/45/302601.page#3497789). I know the statistics showing how well Asian students do at school. But when some Asian posters repeatedly boast about it, and tell other ethnic groups that their children are not as good, they're being assholes. Imagine how you'd feel about a white poster bragging about how much wealthier whites are than Hispanics -- total asshole, right? So yes, there are other posters like that on DCUM who brag about some superiority they think their race enjoys, ... but they look like assholes too. There's no need for Asian posters to join in on that noxious habit.

2. Complain about the discrimination Asian people suffer. Yes, I get that some people engage in racially discriminatory acts against those of Asian ethnicity, and I'm not excusing that one bit. Discrimination against anyone is abhorrent. But as noted above, Asian people in the US have done extremely well in recent decades -- academically, economically, socially, etc. Indeed, many statistics suggest people of Asian backgrounds have had an incredibly amazing rise in prosperity. So given all that success, I find it frustrating and whiny when I see some Asian poster complaining that she's facing racial discrimination because someone asked "where she's really from," or when I see lengthy discussions about whether an Asian student was discriminated against because he was waitlisted at Harvard and forced to slum it at Penn, even though he had a 2200 SAT score. When you're doing really well, you don't get to whine about racial discrimination. I feel the same disgust when I see white posters complaining about affirmative action. Unless you're truly suffering, your window to complain about discrimination should be very small. Accept that along with all the benefits you've enjoyed, you may need to carry some burdens too.

Let me repeat -- I know other posters of other races do these same things, and I know not all Asian posters engage in these topics. I'm just saying I find these two theme obnoxious when Asian posters repeat them.

I'll probably get flamed now.

I don't think Asians post those things to brag. The comment you cite made after Asians were pretty much attacked on that thread. In my opinion - I've seen it more as a defensive position from Asian posters.

[Anonymous]

I mean "The comment you cite WAS made after Asians..."

[Anonymous]

Asian kids hate white kids. Are parents taught us to play within our own race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there so much racism against Asians?: DH and I are children of Asian immigrants. We worked hard in school and attended ivy league schools. I think the difference is that back in the 80's, we were both token Asians in our schools. Reading all the negativity on the TJ threads saddens me.

I'm a new poster to this thread. I agree there's a disheartening amount of negativity on DCUM, and some of it is expressed toward people of Asian background, but I don't necessarily see Asian people as suffering any more negativity than any other group. Maybe you could be more specific?

I will say I get frustrated with some of the Asian posters on DCUM (or maybe it's just one really vocal Asian poster ... no way to tell) who repeatedly make the following claims:

1. Brag that Asians are smarter, more hard working, wealthier, and generally better than anyone else academically. (One example among many: "Face it. The Asian kids are just smarter and work harder." http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/45/302601.page#3497789). I know the statistics showing how well Asian students do at school. But when some Asian posters repeatedly boast about it, and tell other ethnic groups that their children are not as good, they're being assholes. Imagine how you'd feel about a white poster bragging about how much wealthier whites are than Hispanics -- total asshole, right? So yes, there are other posters like that on DCUM who brag about some superiority they think their race enjoys, ... but they look like assholes too. There's no need for Asian posters to join in on that noxious habit.

2. Complain about the discrimination Asian people suffer. Yes, I get that some people engage in racially discriminatory acts against those of Asian ethnicity, and I'm not excusing that one bit. Discrimination against anyone is abhorrent. But as noted above, Asian people in the US have done extremely well in recent decades -- academically, economically, socially, etc. Indeed, many statistics suggest people of Asian backgrounds have had an incredibly amazing rise in prosperity. So given all that success, I find it frustrating and whiny when I see some Asian poster complaining that she's facing racial discrimination because someone asked "where she's really from," or when I see lengthy discussions about whether an Asian student was discriminated against because he was waitlisted at Harvard and forced to slum it at Penn, even though he had a 2200 SAT score. When you're doing really well, you don't get to whine about racial discrimination. I feel the same disgust when I see white posters complaining about affirmative action. Unless you're truly suffering, your window to complain about discrimination should be very small. Accept that along with all the benefits you've enjoyed, you may need to carry some burdens too.

Let me repeat -- I know other posters of other races do these same things, and I know not all Asian posters engage in these topics. I'm just saying I find these two theme obnoxious when Asian posters repeat them.

I'll probably get flamed now.

The people who brag how superior they are than other because they are lack of self-esteem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Asian kids hate white kids. Are parents taught us to play within our own race.

Damn well I guess my mixed family is just screwed then. LOL