Asians have of tendency of setting bars for themselves (no not the bars that you go drinking at every weekend). We’re talking about setting bars and standards of recognition. Asians always feel they either belong to something or feel left out. It’s a sense of belonging or entitlement. Each person thinks they’re the perfect Asian and rags on others. But in reality there is no such thing as the “Perfect Asian,” and it’s hard to understand why there is even a category called ‘being Asian”.
This article will be split up into four parts of belonging or not belonging.
The first two parts involve identifying Asians versus everyone else.
#1 There aren’t enough Asians.
We’ve all heard this one. Whenever there is a top 10 list or something popular you will always hear “Why aren’t there any Asians?” or “Why aren’t there any Asians in that list”
Why does it matter that there aren’t enough Asians in Hollywood, or not enough Asians in People’s 50 Most Beautiful People? Or there are not enough Asian professors at your school or not enough Asian CEOs? It shouldn’t matter that much but Asians love to raise that bar and want Asian people to ‘represent’ in everything! If there are no Asians in something, then it’s racist!
“Do you watch House?”
“Nope, there aren’t Asians in it.”
“Do you watch hockey?”
“Nope, no Asians, I watch Ichiro, Daisuke and Yao Ming!”
You would be missing out on alot if you only watched stuff or participated in activities that had Asians in it.
#2 There are too many Asians
Sometimes there are too many Asians in something. Why are Asians only good at sports like table tennis and badminton in the Olympics? There are too many and they should be better at other sports. There are too many Asians taking computer science and engineering. And of course everyone’s favorite, there are too many asian women with white men! There are instances where people will avoid these areas of too “Asian-ness” in order to not be lumped in with the rest.
“Why don’t you take Accounting?”
“Ewww, it’s all Asians in there.”
“Let’s play ping pong.”
“Nah, so Asian, let’s go shoot some hoops instead.”
Which bring us to #3 and the next two parts are Asians comparing themselves to each other.
#3 You’re too Asian
How many times have you been called “Too Asian”? What the heck does that mean? But hear it all the time.
“What are you bringing to the picnic?”
“Rice and salad rolls”
“That’s so Asian.”
“What are you listening too?”
“Jackie Cheung”
“Chinese ballads? You’re too Asian.”
“Where’s your dad”?
“He went to Future Shop to buy a digital camera that is 50% off.”
“Oh, he’s being Asian again.”
Last and probably the worst of the four is:
#4 You’re not Asian enough
You’re whitewashed! You’re a banana! You’re a FOB! You have no connection to your culture at all!
This is very judgemental. The other day my friends and I saw a couple of Asian girls wearing cowboys boots (we are in Calgary after all) and my friend whispered in my ear “Girls are so whitewashed these days”
I replied, “Maybe she just likes those boots,. She might be more Asian than you Miss Bluejeans”.
Ok so sometimes I’m guilty of all this too!
So my plea to everyone is too not lump everything into Asian or not Asian. Watch and listen to anything you like. Take any course you like and buy anything you like. Try not to do more Asian stuff or avoid all Asian stuff. Embrace everything and you’ll find yourself a more well-rounded person.
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41 responses so far ↓
1 YASPy Chick // Nov 20, 2008 at 9:31 am
No Asians in hockey? That’s only sort of correct. Paul Karya (spelling?) is half Japanese. There’s also a woman on the Canadian women’s team who is half Japanese.
I do agree that there needs to be more, but Asian parents don’t seem to like the idea of their kids playing hockey (Canadians, think that Tim Hortons commercial).
2 degenerasian // Nov 20, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Yup and there’s also Manny Malhotra who’s East Indian playing in the NHL.
But there are no marque stars such as Ichiro or Yao Ming.
3 Tyler // Nov 21, 2008 at 12:38 am
Finally someone who makes a point that makes sense damn it! I ams o sick of my fellow Asians letting me know how this is too white or that is too Asian.
After all, I AM AN AMERICAN, and I just want to be an AMERICAN, so stop judging as if you know the person because after all, we are all human beings damn it.
4 Angry Asian Man // Nov 21, 2008 at 7:03 am
How about us Asians just try to be ourselves? I find that a lot of Asians want to be like someone else whether it’s white, ghetto thug, fabulous FOBs etc.. rather than develop their own self. Asians are like sheep. They rather be in a clique than be an individual. So why aren’t there more Asians on TV? Why do we continue to accept the stereotypes that pigeonhole our peoples? Seriously guys, wake up!
5 A FOB // Nov 21, 2008 at 3:13 pm
“You’re whitewashed! You’re a banana! You’re a FOB! You have no connection to your culture at all!”
Umm… since when did FOB mean you’re not Asian enough? Last I heard, FOB’s are the closest things to Asian other than the real thing (people who live in Asia)…
6 degenerasian // Nov 21, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Yes Glad you noticed that. FOB’s are the closest things to Asian other than the real thing.
So if you call a whitewashed person a FOB it’ll really piss them off and they’ll then spend the next 20 minutes bashing Asians
7 The Yellow Panther // Nov 22, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Who are you calling “our” peoples, you Twinkie sellout?
8 cabbierocca // Nov 23, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Just discovered this blog. Funny!
9 Quistis // Nov 23, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I am also in Calgary myself, and I find that the Asians here seem to feel really self-conscious about being Asian. In fact, some Asians try way too hard to be white. Everyone knows how prudish Asian girls are brought up to be, but nowadays, they’re even more promiscuous than white club brats. Just an observation.
10 degenerasian // Nov 23, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Quistis: Yeah it’s sad when an Asian person is embarrassed to be Asian. But we shouldn’t judge that person either. Just respect their decision to be whoever they want to be.
I went to a funeral today where the father died, and the mom wanted a traditional Asian ceremony but the kids wanted a white ceremony so the compromised and it was an absolute mess.
As for girls being promiscuous, that’s sad too it’s their choice to have too much fun and will have to live with the consequences.
11 Angry Asian Man // Nov 26, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Degenerasian, that’s pretty fucked up about the funeral. How can you respect someone who is ashamed of being Asian? I can’t.
12 degenerasian // Nov 27, 2008 at 6:11 pm
That’s a bit harsh I think. This was my friend’s father’s funeral. I’ve known her since she we were 10. Yes she is whitewashed and embarrassed to be Asian. Some of this is her own attitude and some of this is because her parents are sometimes way over the top, they embarrass me sometimes too.
But I don’t choose my friend based on race. We actually do not have alot in common but we still hang out. We always talk about our differences. She is my best friend because she’s always got my back. She’s helped me in school. She’s helped me get a job. She driven my parents to the airport when I couldn’t.
This is the quality of a true friend, even if she doesn’t like being the race she is. I can respect her view even though I don’t share the same attitude. I’ve had many many “Asians” stab me in the back over the years so it’s all relative.
13 Hi // Dec 5, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I hate my friends because they’re all so Asian! Maybe I’m just not Asian enough though to really understand them
14 Miss Lost // Dec 11, 2008 at 3:03 am
okay what is FOB btw? im lost.
15 Kvietgrl // Dec 11, 2008 at 9:37 am
fob = fresh of the boat =)
16 FOB // Dec 14, 2008 at 1:13 am
loll yeah i think u got confused with the meaning of FOB..
17 dbals // Jan 2, 2009 at 11:31 am
Asians have larger brains!!! My god, I didn’t know all this time. Now I have an explanation for my girl friend for any shortcomings.
)))
18 blissfulting // Jan 2, 2009 at 9:58 pm
dbals:
Actually, I’m pretty sure larger brains don’t indicate higher intelligence…not when you’re comparing human beings anyway. (I mean sure, human beings are more intelligent than ants partly because we have bigger brains. ) I may be wrong, but I’ve always thought that was just one of those facts that everyone believed to be true, but actually wasn’t.
19 G // Jan 3, 2009 at 10:15 am
We are all Americans , So you people need to get over the racist stuff. Soon we will have an asian president. There is no difference between white and asian just that we look a little different.And if any people dont like being American get the hell out.
20 J // Jan 30, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Hey I know that there are basically all asians in computer science and engineering. But hey that’s what I like doing. I like computers, I like solving problems, I like engineering. Why should we not then study what we like?
21 Scarlett // Feb 19, 2009 at 3:35 pm
It’s sad when people tell Asian that’s they are too Asian or not Asian enough. Define “Asian”?
I’m proud to be Asian; I don’t brag about it, but i’m not embarassed either. Being Asian just means that we’re coming from the same culture and happen to share some characteristics and stuff like that. And J is right; why should you have to choose between following the stereotype or veering away from it just to rid yourself of the Asianness? Your choices are up to you!
22 Ed // Feb 28, 2009 at 3:49 am
I think people should be concentrated on just being themselves instead of worrying about how Asian they are.
We’re all individuals after all so we should all act like it. Just because someone is born Asian doesn’t mean they have to act a certain way.
I’ve always sucked at academics such as Math, Science, etc. I only excelled in art in high school so I chose to go to art college after.
23 Gaysian // Mar 18, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I’m Asian myself and I could make a mean wonton. It tastes simply FAABBBULLLOUSSS!
24 FOBulous // Mar 18, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Yes, I’m amazingly FOBulous!!!
25 E // Apr 13, 2009 at 8:27 pm
First of all, FOB is used wrong.
Secondly, while we are all guilty of stereotypes, your post is full of them, which makes you seem rather hypocritical talking about not lumping everything into Asian vs. non-Asian.
For example: ” Asians have of tendency of setting bars for themselves… We’re talking about setting bars and standards of recognition.
Asians always feel they either belong to something or feel left out. It’s a sense of belonging or entitlement. ”
Do Asians have this innate tendency encoded in their genes? Do Asians really ALWAYS feel this way?
26 Lauranne // May 3, 2009 at 9:19 pm
to E – cut the author some slack? i don’t see why you had to go out of your way to make a judgment about the author. chill out. it’s not a life or death concept. read it with an open mind! i’m pretty sure the author is merely stating an observational fact. no need to be so excruciatingly critical =)
27 shu_uemura // May 4, 2009 at 5:54 pm
i’m amused that these issues only come up in a country like america. when you come to asia, you won’t find any of these issues being discussed to such an extent.
28 Chrissy // Jul 2, 2009 at 1:12 am
haha definitely agree with the four bullet points. And I, myself, have had problems with “fitting in” vs. “not fitting in” to different groups – the FOBs, the American-born, and the kids who immigrated at a young age. I’ve found that I don’t “perfectly” fit into any of those groups, but then found out that I don’t “perfectly” fit into any group – jock, prep, geek, etc. I’ve just decided to be me. ^_^ (oh yes, I know… so~ Asian) hehe
29 the real thing // Jul 14, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Kindly correct me if I am wrong but isn’t it that if you are born in America, then you are American regardless of the ethnicity of your parents?
I am one of those “real things” (born and living in Asia — the Philippines, to be exact). Most of my family migrated to the U.S. and some of my cousins are born there. One of my cousins recently went here for a visit. She referred to it as “going back to the motherland”.
Now when I think about it, having read this article, I can say that she’s an American (not Asian) born to Filipino parents.
30 Anonymous // Nov 14, 2009 at 11:22 pm
at least where im from fobs are people who are too asian
31 Calgary Rocks // Nov 16, 2009 at 1:12 am
There’s no Asians in House is because all the Asians became real doctors and not actors, so they can’t hire any Asians to play the real doctors. Calgary is probably 10%+ Asian, and a lot of them will probably never get white washed, most of them seem to stick to their Asian circles, especially true for the ones that arrived in 90s, 2000s from HK, China, Korea.
32 BubbleTea // Nov 16, 2009 at 4:07 am
it’s so simple. don’t be stereotypical. instead, it is time to be a new kind of Asian…
THE REVOLUTIONARY PEACEMAKER!!!!
33 ShizumaTaka // Jun 24, 2010 at 8:18 pm
hmm what about the mixed people? My dad is 1/2 Japanese and my mom black… I don’t look anything Japanese at all and I sometimes don’t like to say I am mixed with Japanese because people just look at me like I’m some kind of idiot or something
34 emi // Aug 20, 2010 at 5:19 pm
@J, nothing wrong with that i like comp sci too (not asian though,.,eh) my attitude is that everyone should do whatever they want
35 A (probably somewhat Whitewashed) Tangoing Flamingo // Dec 12, 2010 at 12:05 pm
I’m Chinese American.
My school’s predominantly asian.
I did something (don’t remember what it was), and my chinese classmate looked at me and said in some disgust,”You’re so American!”
… But I am American? She is too…
*confused*
Is it a bad thing to consider yourself American, even if you were born in America, and your parents have lived here a long time and gone to college here? Because I know I’m really un-asian. I didn’t grow up in a Chinese/Japanese/Korean community. I never even had a concept of “asian” or “unasian” or worried about such a silly thing until I was dropped into a school full of asian kids, some whose parents were literally fob, who talked all the time about it.
Is considering oneself American “whitewashed”?
36 A Tangoing Flamingo // Dec 12, 2010 at 12:09 pm
@E, some do, sadly. At least the ones at school will call things too asian, unasian, and all the stuff. For some reason, a huge group of asians at my school are really self conscious about this.
I personally don’t care. If it’s good it’s good. But that’s probably because I must be whitewashed or something…
37 Fil-Am sporting news // Jan 18, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Just want to add, Asians are also good in sports like cricket, & hockey. N sorry to say but westerns are racist.
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39 degeneration is a moron // Oct 20, 2011 at 8:51 am
This obviously refers to Orientals, not Indians.
PS – Please let some dumbass complain about my use of the O-word. I feel it’s a necessary usage because dummies like degeneration cannot make the distinction unless you are explicit in your description of the situation.
40 Yep // Nov 14, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Proud to hate being Asian.
41 hot sexy girl // Apr 13, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Eat Well, Stay Fit, Die Anyway.
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