Asian Ethnic Identity

1
Asian Ethnic Identity
Humbly asking, pardon to mention it, I detect in
your eyes slight flame of hostility. Quench it,
if you will be so kind. Friendly co-operation are
essential between us. -Charlie Chan

• Examining the evolving stereotypes of Asians in
  North America

Figure 9
Figure 1
Figure 2
Introduction Like any group in society, Asians
in North America have faced a number of
stereotypes that reflect the views of the
dominant culture. Looking at the various ways
that Asians have been portrayed in the media, it
is clear that Asians in North America are always
stereotypically depicted as the perpetual
foreigner. Whether they are seen as successful
and hardworking or evil and manipulative, Asians
are othered in a way that emphasizes their
inability to ever be accepted into mainstream
society as a true North American.
Asian Males in the Media Caucasian actors donned
yellowface in a number of Hollywood movies (See
Fig. 1 and 9 Charlie Chan, Fig. 2 Mickey Rooney
as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffanies). Male
Asian stereotypes usually range from the quiet,
submissive, overly polite and intelligent Charlie
Chan to the sinister and untrustworthy Fu Manchu
(below). Their Chinese accents clearly marked
them as foreign and therefore suspicious. Other
characters like Mr. Sulu from Startrek portrayed
Asian males as emotionless and asexual. In recent
movies featuring Jacky Chan, the Chinese actor is
often the sidekick who has no real love interest.

The stereotype that portrays Asian males as
emasculated and weak comes from the the 19th and
20th century occupations that Asian males had to
take, such as working in laundromats and Chinese
kitchens. Due to the lack of jobs available to
them due to discrimination, Asian males took jobs
that were traditionally seen as womens work,
leading to the belief that Asian males as less
masculine than any other group.
Wen Ho Lee The Spy who Wasnt Lee arrived in
the US in 1964 as a student and eventually ended
up working at a laboratory in Albuquerque, where
he had access to the nations nuclear arsenal.
Lee was accused of espionage and charged with 59
counts. After a controversial trial and numerous
accusations, Lee pled guilty to a single
misdemeanor and was found innocent of all other
charges. Despite his status as an American, he
was perceived as a foreigner.
Figure 3
The Model Minority Myth - Positive or
Negative? A predominant stereotype in the United
States, the myth emerged in the 1960s and became
more publicized in the mainstream media in the
1980s, celebrating Asian Americans as the model
minority. News shows like 60 Minutes and NBC
Nightly News aired special segments on the
success of Asian Americans in high schools and
universities. On 60 Minutes, Mike Wallace asks,
Why are Asian Americans doing so exceptionally
well in school? They must be doing something
right. Congratulations even came from the White
House when President Ronald Reagan praised Asians
for succeeding in their search for the American
dream.
Figure 6
Humour Gone Wrong The article above was featured
in Details Magazine in 2004, which asked the
question, Gay or Asian?
Figure 5
Geishas, China Dolls and Dragon Ladies In 1990,
an article appeared in GQ Magazine called
Oriental Girls The Ultimate Accessory. The
author writes Shes fun, you see, and so
uncomplicatedShes a handy victim of love or a
symbol of the rape of third world nations, a real
trouper.
References Takaki, Ronald. 1998. Strangers from
a Different Shore. New York Back Bay Books
Tuan, Mia. 1998. Forever Foreigners or Honorary
Whites? New Jersey Rutgers University Press Wei,
William. 1993. The Asian American Movement.
Philadelphia Temple University Press Wu, Frank.
2002. Yellow America Beyond Black and White. New
York Basic Books. Zia, Helen. 2000. Asian
American Dreams. New York Farrar, Straus and
Giroux.
Figure 4
Despite displaying Asians in a seemingly positive
light, the stereotype exaggerated the successes
and failed to recognize the struggles of Asian
Americans. Portraying Asians as hardworking,
obedient and overachievers also led to the belief
that Asians were submissive, unemotional and
calculating. Asian Americans experienced a
backlash of the stereotype during the 1980s in
Detroit. Factory workers were unemployed and
Detroit was designated the new poor. Auto
factories suffered from the oil crisis and the
popularity of the more energy efficient Japanese
auto imports was rising. Anything Japanese was
despised, including Asian auto workers, who were
perceived as hardworking but also as foreigners
who stole American jobs. The model minority
myth also leads to the belief that Asians have it
easier than any other minority group. They do
not experience as much racial discrimination and
if they do, they persevere and work to overcome
it. In Yellow Race in America beyond Black and
White, Frank Wu writes the myth is a gross
simplification that is not accurate to be
seriously used for understanding 10 million
people. He continues by adding that the myth
also taunts other minority groups such as African
Americans with the question of, They made it
why cant you? The myth also denies that Asians
experience racial discrimination.
Figure 7
Stereotypes of Asian women in the media often
fall into three categories. The geisha and the
China doll are usually submissive, obedient and
quiet women who harbour hidden and repressed
sexual desires and the dragon lady is
cold-hearted, manipulative and ruthless. China
Doll or Dragon Lady, the stereotypes portray
Asian females as being more feminine and highly
sexualized. They are different from normal
women because of the mystery and intrigue of the
East or the Orient.
By Florence Li SOCY233
Figure 5