Chinese Americans seen in negative light.

[Ken Cheng]

There are some who drive recklessly, but probably more who are just "bad" at driving. I.e. no sense of direction, don't know what to do, etc.

My dad, who was Hong Kong-born and -bred, has often described to me how Hong Kong was the "Shaolin Temple" of driver's training, and that, due to the nature of the former colony's driving laws and a general devil-may-care attitude among Hong Kong drivers, the streets of Hong Kong were veritable killing fields for absent-minded pedestrians and timid drivers.

From what I remember of a childhood visit to Hong Kong when I was about seven years old, Dad wasn't exaggerating. I'd never felt endangered riding in a car in Los Angeles, but in Hong Kong, each taxi cab ride was...shall we say, exciting.

In fact, my dad also says that when he first started driving in the U.S., he was surprised by how mellow and laid-back it seemed compared to driving in Hong Kong. He found American drivers (yes, even in Los Angeles) much more polite and careful in their driving than were drivers in Hong Kong.

And then there's Taiwan, whose drivers my dad said scared even him.

[Wanlie Tong]

Well, who isn't a racist at all? That opinion from GX is a needed instance (to make comparism) at least, which she is entitled to sound.

Plus, you can't compare an apple with a cherry, even though they're red.

1) There are lots of people who aren't racist.
2) Racism is never needed, though I agree she entitled to say what she wishes.
3) There is no apple to cherry comparison. Racism is being compared to racism.

[Wanlie Tong]

Yes, I'm racist. So what about it.

It is your choice. I just find racism extremely illogical and very sad.

[jiang bao]

One step for improved Asian image would be for the mainstream media to show Asians as normal likeable people. It’s almost impossible to find any show with a leading Asian man. Asian women do get a better opportunity, though it’s mostly in roles of love-interests for non-Asian dudes. How about just a show showing an Asian couple with a normal life, as just supporting cast, even?

In cities, FOBs tarnish our image. In the rural areas, whites don’t get a chance to interact with Asian people and form their views based on 1) negative portrays of Asians, in particular, Asian males in the media, and 2) the animosity/rivalry with China.

A sidebar, does anyone here have a local tv station with a male news anchor? Over here in NYC there are a number of female Asian or half-Asian anchors, but 0 male ones)

[Ken Cheng]

At the risk of playing semantical games, here...

According to anthropologists and ethnic studies scholars, "ethnicism" is what most people practice. This is assuming certain behavioral tendencies due to ethnic identity as perceived through external characteristics. "Racism" is something one step further: the deliberate use of ethnic difference to claim superiority and subject another ethnic group to one's authority or whim.

So unless somebody is deliberately using ethnic difference to take unfair advantage of people from another ethnic group, it's not racism. It might, however, be ethnicism.

[Ken Cheng]

A sidebar, does anyone here have a local tv station with a male news anchor? Over here in NYC there are a number of female Asian or half-Asian anchors, but 0 male ones)

Here's the exception that proves the rule, I guess: in the greater Los Angeles area, KABC-TV's leading sportscaster is a young Asian American named Bob Fukizaki. Yes: an Asian as lead *sportscaster* (covering the Lakers, Dodgers, Clippers, Kings, college football, etc.) for one of the three major networks.

[Ghaleon]

One step for improved Asian image would be for the mainstream media to show Asians as normal likeable people. It’s almost impossible to find any show with a leading Asian man. Asian women do get a better opportunity, though it’s mostly in roles of love-interests for non-Asian dudes. How about just a show showing an Asian couple with a normal life, as just supporting cast, even?

In cities, FOBs tarnish our image. In the rural areas, whites don’t get a chance to interact with Asian people and form their views based on 1) negative portrays of Asians, in particular, Asian males in the media, and 2) the animosity/rivalry with China.

A sidebar, does anyone here have a local tv station with a male news anchor? Over here in NYC there are a number of female Asian or half-Asian anchors, but 0 male ones)

- import model scene

- Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift

- Hero

- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

- Romeo Must Die

- Jackie Chan

- Jet Li

- Bruce Lee

- K-Drama (yes, even white people watch K-drama. The "Korean Wave")

- Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

- Jin, chinese rapper

- Japanese Samurai Musashi

- Japanese Anime


Even my white and black friends know about all that.

[Guo Xiang]

How about just a show showing an Asian couple with a normal life, as just supporting cast, even?

And when they run into trouble, they were unable to solve their problems and require help/rescue from the nice white people.

[Candide]

Ghaleon, if things are so rosy for Asian Americans, why don't you do the various Asian American activist groups a favour and tell them to stop doing what they're doing, stop whining and get on with life, coz they aren't needed anymore?

In cities, FOBs tarnish our image.

Not MY image though. I'm a FOP. Many FOBs/FOPs do piss me off (to be fair, they pissed me off when I was living in Asia too), but so do the ABCs, especially the ones who think that other Asians are making them look bad in the eyes of the good white folks.

[Ghaleon]

Ghaleon, if things are so rosy for Asian Americans, why don't you do the various Asian American activist groups a favour and tell them to stop doing what they're doing, stop whining and get on with life, coz they aren't needed anymore?

Not MY image though. I'm a FOP. Many FOBs/FOPs do piss me off (to be fair, they pissed me off when I was living in Asia too), but so do the ABCs, especially the ones who think that other Asians are making them look bad in the eyes of the good white folks.

Maybe they are just a bunch of geeks not in-tune with popular culture? Maybe they live in Oaklahoma or something? Big cities like toronto, vancouver and new york are totally different.

The way you say it makes it seem like asians are hopeless immigrants in foreign countries who get bullied upon or looked down upon by every other ethnic group.

i'm from toronto so i can't really speak for australia. how is it in australia?

[remember_Cedric]

1) There are lots of people who aren't racist.
2) Racism is never needed, though I agree she entitled to say what she wishes.
3) There is no apple to cherry comparison. Racism is being compared to racism.

I used to think that way, but that's denial. You know, I could make a casual and harmless remark (supposedly out of humour) yet it is of racist substance. For instance, I once told this to my boss (Indian, Tamil), I never meant it but it's subconsciously in me, "Gosh, when I stepped into the exam hall just now, there were only like 8 locals and the rest are Nigerians (95%). I suddenly have the impression that I was taking exam in Nigeria."

We are in city of no angels, my friend. We can only categorised racism on how hurtful is the act/manner of it.

The act of the whites racism has caused the asian. GX is expressing her dismay as an asian. That's the difference. It's always easier to pinpoint racism vs racism as a whole but you it's the impact that should be considered.

So, if you're expressing your dismay and say that you're not - it's good.

Not MY image though. I'm a FOP. Many FOBs/FOPs do piss me off (to be fair, they pissed me off when I was living in Asia too), but so do the ABCs, especially the ones who think that other Asians are making them look bad in the eyes of the good white folks.

I know ABCs, but what is FOP? *lazy to scroll back and read if it was ever mentioned*

im from san francisco and u dont want to mess with asians here, we have guns and we control the black market, so ur not getting any weed if u do.

Come on, guys, with that thugs-talking, it's already good enough to make another bad reflection of Asians. BTW, I've heard of Tamil Tigers...but no SF tigers nor Toronto tigers.

[xJadedx]

i dont get it, why do i have to break out of the stereotype and not live my life the way i want it? so even if im good at math (which im not), i should fail math on purpose? if im a bad driver, i should go drive 24/7 so i can master driving?

i dont know about u guys and trying to break out of the asian stereotype, but for me i enjoy what i do everyday and some of it fits in the asian stereotype and some dont, but i surely dont give a shit what other people think about it.

I never said that you had to "break out" of your stereotype or that you can't just be yourself. I said that if you don't want to always be affected by the stereotypes, then get away from being a stereotype yourself. If you don't care about others' stereotypes of you, then there isn't a problem to begin with.

Let me elaborate: say you (general you, not specific you) don't want to be just labeled as the Asian person who's good at math - then just show that you're capable of doing a bunch of other things too. You don't need to purposely fail math (that's just plain stupid). Obviously, this may only apply to those who do not want to be labeled by the Asian stereotype. Of course, there are many other people who just plain don't give a damn about whether or not what they do is "stereotypical." For them, being labeled the Asian person who's good at math doesn't matter, so they don't need to anything about it. But if it's soemthing that bothers you a lot, then just change it.

[Candide]

Maybe they are just a bunch of geeks not in-tune with popular culture? Maybe they live in Oaklahoma or something? Big cities like toronto, vancouver and new york are totally different.

The way you say it makes it seem like asians are hopeless immigrants in foreign countries who get bullied upon or looked down upon by every other ethnic group.

I can write so much, but I have not much time, so here's an example from New York:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07042007...a_martinez.htm

Two white guys (and two women) bashed a group of Chinese men right on a busy Chinatown street, screamed racial epithets and taunted everyone.

Now can you imagine those white guys even dare to go to any other ethnic enclave and do the same thing? Or even if they're crazy enough, do you think they'd have got out alive?

i'm from toronto so i can't really speak for australia. how is it in australia?

Down here people of all backgrounds are mostly apathetic about everything so racial tension is low. Our image is not too different from that of our North American folks though. We have folks who think that everything is fine and dandy, just like you, and we have those who think that we could do a hell lot better for ourselves.

[Wanlie Tong]

I used to think that way, but that's denial. You know, I could make a casual and harmless remark (supposedly out of humour) yet it is of racist substance. For instance, I once told this to my boss (Indian, Tamil), I never meant it but it's subconsciously in me, "Gosh, when I stepped into the exam hall just now, there were only like 8 locals and the rest are Nigerians (95%). I suddenly have the impression that I was taking exam in Nigeria."

I don't think that taking notice of the ethnic composition of a room is racist. If you had thought that you were sure to be one of the top scorers on the exam because most of the test takers were Nigerian than that would have been racist.

We are in city of no angels, my friend. We can only categorised racism on how hurtful is the act/manner of it.

How hurtful it is can only be judged by the person being subjected to it. To be hurt is natural. To feel angry when hurt is natural. But how one chooses to act in response is up to them. Why should a person react to senselessness by being senseless themselves?

The act of the whites racism has caused the asian. GX is expressing her dismay as an asian. That's the difference. It's always easier to pinpoint racism vs racism as a whole but you it's the impact that should be considered.

I can't agree. Humans are free to make a choice between wrong. Racism is a choice, no one is forced to be a racist. When confronted by wrongl to become that which you depise in others is to fail not only society but to fail yourself. No single individual can defeat evil in the world, we can only as individuals be the best possible people we can.

[jiang bao]

- import model scene

- Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift

- Hero

- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

- Romeo Must Die

- Jackie Chan

- Jet Li

- Bruce Lee

- K-Drama (yes, even white people watch K-drama. The "Korean Wave")

- Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

- Jin, chinese rapper

- Japanese Samurai Musashi

- Japanese Anime


Even my white and black friends know about all that.

From your list, I don’t think you understand what the issue at hand is. My point is that there are rarely any portrayals of Asian Americans living as normal Americans. You know, a portrayal not associated with gangs, no kung fu, no over-controlling husband/parents, no timid/speak no English immigrants. In need of: portrayals that show that Asian-Americans are Americans too.

Just the other day, I saw this mini-tv series in which the one guy who can’t handle the pressure from certain events is the little Asian dude. Of all the possible characters to break down, the Asian is the one.

Off the top of my head, John Cho is one of the few Asian actors who gets to play more “American” roles.

[Guo Xiang]

Edited: NVM. It's senseless.

[xJadedx]

John Cho is awesome - Harold and Kumar was one of the funniest movies I've seen, and he was great in Ugly Betty and Star Trek (well, not so much Star Trek).

[Ghaleon]

From your list, I don’t think you understand what the issue at hand is. My point is that there are rarely any portrayals of Asian Americans living as normal Americans. You know, a portrayal not associated with gangs, no kung fu, no over-controlling husband/parents, no timid/speak no English immigrants. In need of: portrayals that show that Asian-Americans are Americans too.

Just the other day, I saw this mini-tv series in which the one guy who can’t handle the pressure from certain events is the little Asian dude. Of all the possible characters to break down, the Asian is the one.

Off the top of my head, John Cho is one of the few Asian actors who gets to play more “American” roles.

No, i don't understand.

I'm arguing that asians are in-tune with popular american culture.

What's popular american culture? Well its things like Hip-hop/R&B, Basketball (NBA), Action movies, Car import scene, Nightclubs, etc. Asians have a presence there. and i'm not only talking about popular asian stars. normal asians are into popular american culture.

There's also quite a few asian CEO's of companies like ATI Technologies and Nvidia. And lot of asians work for hi-tech companies like Microsoft. So asians have a presence in the hi-tech industry.

I think you're expecting asians to be in TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Which is absurd since asians are only a minority group in north america.

[jiang bao]

Aight, forget it. I am not trying to be insulting, but you are on a different wave length. I dunno if you just didn’t read what I wrote or something else.

I stated in my previous post what kind of portrayal of Asian Americans I want to see more of in American media. And it’s certainly not Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

[Ghaleon]

Aight, forget it. I am not trying to be insulting, but you are on a different wave length. I dunno if you just didn’t read what I wrote or something else.

I stated in my previous post what kind of portrayal of Asian Americans I want to see more of in American media. And it’s certainly not Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

But that's the point. Asian are a minority so you won't see much of them in american media.

I'm more talking about asian american culture (like the import scene for example) and i think you're more concerned with white-washed asians. lot of white and black people know of the import scene. it's pretty popular in the united states and canada. so that's popular culture for you.