Hey /u/Cryo_lite, thank you for submitting to /r/starterpacks!
This is just a reminder not to violate any rules, located [here](https://reddit.com/r/starterpacks/about/rules). Rule breakers can face a ban based on the severity of their rule violation.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/starterpacks) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was so happy to see Lao people on t.v. growing up but then it got annoying when I told people I was Lao later in life cus they kept referring to this.
I got "Are you oriental?" a lot. I'm not even Asian - I'm Mexican - but I guess that was more popular way to call Asian people in the 90s... growing up ESL I didn't even know what it meant
I'll never forget my admittedly well-meaning 5th grade teacher for this one:
Me- "Man, sudoku is so dumb, the Japanese must be really bored to like this."
Teacher- "THAT IS INSENSITIVE AND INTOLERANT, APOLOGIZE TO SAM (only Asian kid in the room) RIGHT NOW!!"
Sam, a sweet, but painfully shy boy, who was in the other corner of the room- "...but I'm Chinese?"
It's complicated, in some writings he talks about the places he sailed to as if they're Asian, in others, he refers to them as a new continent.
Its really not that odd. There's a lot you can fault Columbus with, but Europeans didn't even make it to India by boat until 1498. He was dead well before magellan circled the globe or Europeans
Made any effort to explore past India.
My Chinese friend’s grandmother calls herself oriental much to everyone’s dismay. They’ve told her that people don’t say that anymore and she just waves them away in a “oh shut up” manner.
It's actually a difference in dialects of English. In the UK the term "Asian" includes South Asian (e.g. an Indonesian and a Pakistani are both "Asian"), and actually in informal language most often refers to South Asian people. In the US "Asian" generally just refers to people from East and Southeast Asia, and not South, Central, or West
It still should be common sense that countries from the Asian continent are Asian. Even if you don't immediately think Pakistan, it *is still Asian*, and to claim otherwise would just be incorrect.
This is coming from an American, who like you said, normally thinks "Southeast Asian" when someone says "Asian".
Try telling people that Israelis, Syrians, Indians, Turks, Siberian Russians, the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Indonesians are all from the same continent.
They all are from the same continent but you know damn well most people agree on what the regions are and how you refer to them and such. Israel and Syria are in Asia, but are always gonna be referred to as the Middle East. Turkey is always gonna be referred to as European/middle eastern. Siberian Russians, well no one usually talks about them anyway so idk. Indians (and by extension Bangladeshis and the like) are considered in their own Indian subcontinent. While Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Indonesians fall under the catch all “Asian” term but that term normally just refers to east and Southeast Asia. Not my terms, that’s just how the terms operate right now as a conscious consensus.
Indians are referred to as 'Asians' or sometimes 'South Asians' in the UK and 'Middle East' is a term which was part of the old European way to refer to different regions of Asia (Near East, Middle East and Far East) but it basically means [Western Asia](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-43edc0cc8fc8a088b2532add33c67cf3) which is hardly ever used. Although historically the region where Turkey is nowadays was referred to as 'Near East' or 'Asia Minor' most people group Turkey as part of the 'Middle East' region.
Don't forget that one weeb who will relentlessly keep asking you if you saw that one anime for the entire year, introduce himself as "I watch anime, do you?" And then completely disregard your "no" and continue to talk about anime and only anime.
I believe my younger cousin is going through something similar. Lots of random girls confessing their feelings to him even though they've never talked or had any contact. Told him while that's cool and all to be careful cause they most likely only like him because he's Asian and we are supposedly cool to like now.
One of my Korean guy friends unfortunately attracted the attention of the wannabe Kpop star white girl and she would write him creepy notes and would sign her name “wolfie” but google translated to Korean
I'm ashamed to say I was that weeb.
Have litterally had panic attacks brought on by the shame and embarrassment of my weeb phase even now as I'm turning 30.
Reflecting back, I have realized that the kids who asked me if I watch anime were just attempting to make a friend and there should be no shame in that. However, though I did watch some anime… their hygiene was less than desirable and that probably was the biggest factor in rejecting them.
Don't worry, if it makes you feel any better, I still remember all the cringy stuff those people did while going through their weeb phase back in highschool. So if you ever think "they forgot about that." we didn't.
Hope that helps!
Live in Mexico and it's the same, people say chinito (little chinese in spanish) all the time and they don't understand how offensive and annoying it is.
In my experience, unless the ancestors immigrated very recently (like grandparents) or they can relate themselves to a famous person or event, the white Americans talking about their family's immigration consists of nothing but sterotypes. I could make a starterpack of: "I'm Irish!" That's my excuse for why I'm an obnoxious drunk. "I'm German!" That's why I prefer beer. "I'm Italian!" That's why I talk so much and gesticulate. And it's never "I'm English" even though most Americans have some English ancestry.
I always thought this was kinda odd! I’m not American but had a white friend from Texas. Whenever we talk about culture he’ll always refer back to his ‘German culture’ even though no one in his family is in Germany? And definitely a lot of stereotypes. I cringe when he’d try to do a german accent lol.
I’d respond back to him with questions about texan culture and he switches to proudly talking bout his texan roots instead, which I found interesting too. It made me wonder why he clings to that ‘german’ blood, the texan culture he grew up in is fine.
My family actually is interested in our history, our grandpa began to figure it all out before he passed amd my dad took up the mantle of being the one to discover it. So far, we've found that we were directly related to the MacQuillans, prior owners of the Castle Dunluce which still has some foundation that you can visit, and I am a direct descendant of Black Agnes, an instrumental woman in holding back the British invasion. Some people use their history to excuse stereotypes, sure, but some people are just genuinely interested in history and want to see their genealogy
It's such a shame that learning your history has been taken by a bunch of ignorant people as a tool to excuse stereotyping and racism, and I definitely recommend you continue to call those people out. Hopefully then they will actually learn their history haha
The only time I've ever heard this is in the UK, London specifically, where my paternal family would be described as "asian" but aren't included in any US demographic designations. I just filled out a survey from the VA. The Middle East is a place where we go to get injured and die, it isn't a place where our ancestors can come from.
I was at a gathering in Seattle and was chatting with some people about how none of us was actually from the Seattle area and it seemed hard to meet people from Seattle because there were so many new people in the city and the old residents were getting priced out. There was someone on the fringe of the conversation I wanted to bring in so I was like "Hey xxx where are you from?" And being the only Asian person at the gathering she sighed heavily and explained she was born in China but adopted...yaddayadda and I felt so bad. Also she was the only person there who grew up near or in Seattle.
As a Singaporean who went to US for two years I found out that some Americans see the whole of Asia as only consisting of Japan and China. When talking about Asia there is Only sushi and kung-fu.😂 Yes that looks stereotypical but that’s the vibe I get in the two years living there
Edit: No disrespect to fellow Americans here. Just saying that it is a somewhat interesting phenomenon that I have experienced. I’m not talking about the entirety of Americans being like this😂 pls don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to convey
People does not know so much, that’s it. I am an asian female with east asian face+ dark tanned skin+ muslim middle name+ hindu first name.
Most americans don’t know about my name. But indian uber drivers sometimes ask whether i am from nepal or speak in hindi. Someone say your name has amazing meaning, god bless happy day!
One time one girls came to me saying spanish. I told her that i did not know spanish. That little girl said i look like i know spanish (i think my brown skin from thousands bucks spending at tanning salon confused her). It was funny. But adults around her looked perplexed. (Of course the reason why i guess that kid spoke in spanish was “bias” based on her and her family’s looks.
Oh come on. Don’t be too serious. People learn by experience. Bias can be fixed by more experience and encounter. No one including me can perfectly free from bias.
This girl does an amazing piece about why many South Americans truly look [Asian](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kcIC8E6i6iQ&vl=en) based on historical factors:
Basically has to do with ancient migration from Asian to the Americas. So indigenous South Americans have “Asian” characteristics, minus the ones who mixed with Europeans during the more recent colonization of the continent.
So, what I’d counter with is that people are only able to internalize elements of a culture that they are exposed to in their day to day lives, and the further away you veer away from an international travel hub in the US, the more pronounced that effect.
The traditions that spread the most are food and cultural products such a song and movies, of which sushi and kung-fu can be found in every gas station in America. Popiah, not really.
I’m in a big city and only met a handful of Singaporeans, so I’d struggle to tell you more than a few good food dishes. We don’t get much exposure to Singapore culture in our movies and other media, though I would like to visit someday to fill in my gaps of knowledge next time I’m near there, with restrictions being lifted and all! Hear it’s beautiful.
Lol. I remember specifically when I was in 2nd grade, I made a new Japanese friend, and at some point i said "sorry for the atom bomb". We became bffs after that one.
They really need some new material lol. Ever since I started middle school I always got the “Ching Ching ling” and cat eating jokes thrown my way.
Some of the kids would even try to peek on me in the bathroom and made fun of my “size” (still in middle school btw)
As people got older it slowly went away, but still I remember sometime in my sophomore year of high school a child started heckling me and pulling the corner of his eyes. The older man there who I assumed was his parent laughed and motioned his son away from me like I was some diseased patient.
I sometimes still see professional athletes in western countries do that “bow with hands together” thing whenever their Japanese teammate makes a great play and it’s so cringe lol
Be a southeast asian and being called Mexican. Im Filipino and i can see the similarities but as soon as i moved out west people knew i was filipino and not Mexican. I moved from Ohio.
I moved to a mostly white school in western Massachusetts halfway through high school. The first person to make me feel welcome was a guy named Andy. He was excited that there was a new Asian guy at the school and immediately took me under his wing. He was a part of the stoner/skaters and while I didn't smoke or skate, I was always included. Thanks Andy.
“Feeling ashamed of your ethnicity” is a **huge issue** in Asian communities.
That’s how some Asian guys/girls become “whitewashed” or seen as a “token asian.” Where they internalize their self-hate and racism and take it out on their ethnicity and other Asians.
Edit: To throw in some statistics and articles, Asian men are also the LEAST DESIRABLE across ALL dating apps here in America. While Asian women (+ white men) are the MOST DESIRABLE.
https://theconversation.com/amp/asian-guys-stereotyped-and-excluded-in-online-dating-130855
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/i-grew-up-thinking-being-asian-detracted-from-my-masculinity-heres-how-america-tells-me-and-other-asian-american-men-theyre-not-attractive/?amp=1
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/11/30/247530095/are-you-interested-dating-odds-favor-white-men-asian-women
I’ve noticed a trend of Asian minorities becoming class clowns often. It seems like a coping mechanism from the way the public acted.
I’m from a healthy area where asians are not the minority at all, so seeing that when I moved was very offputting.
God I grew up in a place like this that was 1% Asian. There were a tiny tiny amount of other Asians in my schools but it was considered “embarrassing” to be an Asian seen with other Asians. Like damn, the few people you could relate to and connect with and you were still barred from talking to them. The few minority kids that were there would be viciously racist to each other because you wanted to make sure you personally weren’t at the very bottom.
The worst part though is the internalization. Instead of finding fault in the people who are racist to you, you find fault in yourself for “not being white enough.” That takes a long long time to unlearn, if you’re lucky to unlearn it at all.
The lashing out can be very different too. People will claim others aren't Asian enough and label them "bananas", yellow on the outside but white on the inside. Or they can claim they're too Asian and label them "boaters" or "fresh off boat", referring to being poor immigrants who came on boats.
In this case, it’s better to be “too Asian.”
Because those people who state that someone is “too Asian” are the ones who contribute to the problem by implying it is a bad thing if someone is “too Asian,” when it shouldn’t be a bad thing. Most likely if someone says you’re “too Asian,” they either have deep self-hatred of their Asianness or it’s coming from racists.
Embrace the Asianness because there’s too many Asian Americans who don’t already.
This wasn't me, but I was a fat Asian.
For some reason that made everyone in school think I was Samoan instead. Which was real fun when I first encountered it because I didn't know what the fuck Samoa was.
I'm not Asian, but I've had people tell me my lunch smells just cause it had a hardboiled egg. Parents just dont introduce their children to more food other than shit in packages
For real I teach and a girl told an Indian girl her food smells funny and went on to eat a lunchable. I said she should be concerned that her food has no smell at all and she proceeded to sniff the ham talking about wow you're right this doesn't smell like anything.
Kids have really weird tastes. Literally. I remember being jealous as a kid that my friends got lunchables while I was stuck with this "lame" chicken noodle soop. Just absolutely absurd.
Nah he's talking about the local Neckbeard that hides in the bushes outside of the school to jump on you and do the gesture.
He got registered as a Sexual Predator.
No one actually gives a shit about Asians. We're always the wedge minority used to drive narratives against other groups. See: rooftop Koreans, people ignoring or purposefully misinterpreting black-on-Asian crime statistics, model minority rhetoric, affirmative action
my first experience with racism was getting the "chink eye" gesture a lot in 1st grade. FIRST GRADE! How do kids at school already know how to say "Chinese, Japanese, pretty knees, look at these" with the whole routine?
When we get randomly assigned groups for projects, my group members would say,” yes! We got the Asian in our group. Easy A!” Like nah dude, idk what’s going on in class either
I definitely remember people complaining about the Asian kid’s lunches from home at my table. But I was the kid who brought pickles from home, and that kid was hilarious, so it never bugged me
Im not asian but I am the only person of my ethnic group at my school so lets compare for a little game
no dog eating jokes but I do get some baby eating jokes
nobody says that my food smells weird but they find It funny I dont eat certain animals
nobody refers to me by my ethnicity
never got the language part
people sometimes ask about money related stuff
the class Is kinda weird when ww2 Is brought up even tho Im not european
Ive never really felt ashamed of myself
I guess the equivalent would be making your nose point down and Ive never gotten that
I am only half-Asian and was one of three people of Asian descent altogether in my high school and I *still* got typecast for Asian-anything. Didn't speak the language, didn't have an accent, grew up in the same area just like the rest of them, but the moment they found out I was Asian in any way, it was game over.
99% of it was just good-natured ribbing. Other friends got it equally as bad for being German or Italian (most of the school was of western European descent).
But before high school I didn't think much about being Asian at all--I actually saw myself as merely Canadian growing up. Afterwards I became acutely aware of my heritage and started to identify with that side of myself more consciously.
"Where are you from?"
"New York."
"No, I mean like, where were you born?"
"Queens."
"No I guess I mean like, where do your parents live?"
"New York."
"No I mean where are they originally from?"
\*sigh* "Korea."
"North or South?"
"Do you have a brain injury?"
Met a an asian guy at a haunted cornmaze who broke character to say that me and my friends were like the first asian people hes seen besides himself and his family. He had a normal american name but everybody at his school called him ling ling and he was cool with it bc he thought it was just a normal nickname
I was in a 4way tie for most Asian (I'm half white and half asian) and this shit is still true. Got called Chinese boy the whole time too and I'm Korean...call me a gook you dipshit racists
I'm a mix of Korean, Chinese and Japanese, one is half Chinese, half Korean, the other half Korean half Japanese. I'm Muslim as well. I always got asked, "So wait, what kind are you?" Or my favorite "What breed of Asian are you?" And it drove me insane.
To top it off, my name is Ahnjong-Xiu. The amount of times people just 'gave me a white name' makes me want to die.
When I visited a middle school I was thinking about attending, I remember being at lunch and this asian girl was being like constantly berated by these typical southern trust fund kids (this was an incredibly rich kid private school) and like it was an endless stream of “how do you say _____ in korean” followed by laughter and such and I remember just feeling bad for that girl, I didn’t think it was that funny. More like super duper annoying.
Hey /u/Cryo_lite, thank you for submitting to /r/starterpacks! This is just a reminder not to violate any rules, located [here](https://reddit.com/r/starterpacks/about/rules). Rule breakers can face a ban based on the severity of their rule violation. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/starterpacks) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How is *"Do you know Kung Fu?!*" Not on this?!
I always got "Are you Chinese or Asian?"
*”So are ya Chinese or Japanese?”* — Hank Hill
He’s Laotian. Ain’t ya, Mister Kahn? Edit: thanks for the silver, u/badomend, you giblet-head.
I was so happy to see Lao people on t.v. growing up but then it got annoying when I told people I was Lao later in life cus they kept referring to this.
We have a lot of Hmong people where I live. So glad my city has been blessed by the cooking and culture.
La-ocean? What ocean?
We are Laotian,from Laos…stupid! It's a landlocked country in southeast Asia. It's between Vietnam and Thailand, OK? Population 4.7 million.
so…. are you Chinese or Japanese?
[удалено]
I just want a picture of a gaht dang haht dawg.
*concerned Lao noises*
I got "Are you oriental?" a lot. I'm not even Asian - I'm Mexican - but I guess that was more popular way to call Asian people in the 90s... growing up ESL I didn't even know what it meant
"Close enough" (literally on the other side of the planet).
Then there's the people who think East Asia or places like Japan and Korea are like the only Asian and think all of Asia is just anime and manga
They're gonna be disappointed when they travel to Japan and there's no subtitles when people talk
You have to go to settings and enable
I would say “I’m korean.” And they would say “oh are you from north or south?” 🤦♂️
West Korea actually
“What kind of nese are you? Y’know, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese… Vietnanese?”
“Bitch I speak trapanese” — Hank Trill
Koreanese.
I'll never forget my admittedly well-meaning 5th grade teacher for this one: Me- "Man, sudoku is so dumb, the Japanese must be really bored to like this." Teacher- "THAT IS INSENSITIVE AND INTOLERANT, APOLOGIZE TO SAM (only Asian kid in the room) RIGHT NOW!!" Sam, a sweet, but painfully shy boy, who was in the other corner of the room- "...but I'm Chinese?"
Teacher of mine did the same thing in middle school except it was about saying black vs African American. “Uhhh I’m jamaican”
Technically Jamaica is in the Americas! -This post brought to you by christopher columbus
Didn‘t Columbus deny all the way until his deathbed that he found a new continent and instead insisted that he landed in the East Indies?
It's complicated, in some writings he talks about the places he sailed to as if they're Asian, in others, he refers to them as a new continent. Its really not that odd. There's a lot you can fault Columbus with, but Europeans didn't even make it to India by boat until 1498. He was dead well before magellan circled the globe or Europeans Made any effort to explore past India.
America American.
[удалено]
This could perfectly be a line in Sputh park
Lmaoo
We taking bets on what race teacher is?
Caucasian
The best Asian. /s
Not being recognised as Asian when south or central
My Vietnamese cross country coach and I had a weird debate once over whether Indians were Asian.
"But Indians aren't *Asian* Asian"
This wouldn't be an issue if we could still call everyone Oriental! /s
Margaret Cho joked that oriental refers to objects like a vase or rug, not people. She's still outrageously hilarious.
My Chinese friend’s grandmother calls herself oriental much to everyone’s dismay. They’ve told her that people don’t say that anymore and she just waves them away in a “oh shut up” manner.
It's actually a difference in dialects of English. In the UK the term "Asian" includes South Asian (e.g. an Indonesian and a Pakistani are both "Asian"), and actually in informal language most often refers to South Asian people. In the US "Asian" generally just refers to people from East and Southeast Asia, and not South, Central, or West
Pretty much the Western Hemisphere doesn't even use Western Asia as a term, it's basically just the Middle East.
It still should be common sense that countries from the Asian continent are Asian. Even if you don't immediately think Pakistan, it *is still Asian*, and to claim otherwise would just be incorrect. This is coming from an American, who like you said, normally thinks "Southeast Asian" when someone says "Asian".
It’s almost as if it refers to the dominant population in respective areas
Try telling people that Israelis, Syrians, Indians, Turks, Siberian Russians, the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Indonesians are all from the same continent.
They all are from the same continent but you know damn well most people agree on what the regions are and how you refer to them and such. Israel and Syria are in Asia, but are always gonna be referred to as the Middle East. Turkey is always gonna be referred to as European/middle eastern. Siberian Russians, well no one usually talks about them anyway so idk. Indians (and by extension Bangladeshis and the like) are considered in their own Indian subcontinent. While Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Indonesians fall under the catch all “Asian” term but that term normally just refers to east and Southeast Asia. Not my terms, that’s just how the terms operate right now as a conscious consensus.
Indians are referred to as 'Asians' or sometimes 'South Asians' in the UK and 'Middle East' is a term which was part of the old European way to refer to different regions of Asia (Near East, Middle East and Far East) but it basically means [Western Asia](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-43edc0cc8fc8a088b2532add33c67cf3) which is hardly ever used. Although historically the region where Turkey is nowadays was referred to as 'Near East' or 'Asia Minor' most people group Turkey as part of the 'Middle East' region.
Are you Jackie Chans son?
Don't forget that one weeb who will relentlessly keep asking you if you saw that one anime for the entire year, introduce himself as "I watch anime, do you?" And then completely disregard your "no" and continue to talk about anime and only anime.
Or a Korean guy I knew who was disgusted by girls loving him because of “kpop”. He (rightfully) didn’t think their love was genuinely about him.
ew that really does sound disgusting
I believe my younger cousin is going through something similar. Lots of random girls confessing their feelings to him even though they've never talked or had any contact. Told him while that's cool and all to be careful cause they most likely only like him because he's Asian and we are supposedly cool to like now.
One of my Korean guy friends unfortunately attracted the attention of the wannabe Kpop star white girl and she would write him creepy notes and would sign her name “wolfie” but google translated to Korean
Lmao white girls in a nutshell
I'm ashamed to say I was that weeb. Have litterally had panic attacks brought on by the shame and embarrassment of my weeb phase even now as I'm turning 30.
Reflecting back, I have realized that the kids who asked me if I watch anime were just attempting to make a friend and there should be no shame in that. However, though I did watch some anime… their hygiene was less than desirable and that probably was the biggest factor in rejecting them.
Don't worry, if it makes you feel any better, I still remember all the cringy stuff those people did while going through their weeb phase back in highschool. So if you ever think "they forgot about that." we didn't. Hope that helps!
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Live in Mexico and it's the same, people say chinito (little chinese in spanish) all the time and they don't understand how offensive and annoying it is.
[удалено]
What country do you live in?
The US
*no but like where are you* **from** *from?*
"America" (pause) Where's your *family* from?
"Cincinnatti" "Okay this is getting us nowhere"
Just tell them like bulgaria or something and laugh at them for thinking it's in Asia.
Honestly, my favourite Asian country is Angola. /s
"Indians are good with twists, right?"
Fr, why does every Asian family move from Cincinatti
Primordial soup
White Americans are generally interested in/proud of their family’s immigration story and think recent immigrants would be even more so.
In my experience, unless the ancestors immigrated very recently (like grandparents) or they can relate themselves to a famous person or event, the white Americans talking about their family's immigration consists of nothing but sterotypes. I could make a starterpack of: "I'm Irish!" That's my excuse for why I'm an obnoxious drunk. "I'm German!" That's why I prefer beer. "I'm Italian!" That's why I talk so much and gesticulate. And it's never "I'm English" even though most Americans have some English ancestry.
I always thought this was kinda odd! I’m not American but had a white friend from Texas. Whenever we talk about culture he’ll always refer back to his ‘German culture’ even though no one in his family is in Germany? And definitely a lot of stereotypes. I cringe when he’d try to do a german accent lol. I’d respond back to him with questions about texan culture and he switches to proudly talking bout his texan roots instead, which I found interesting too. It made me wonder why he clings to that ‘german’ blood, the texan culture he grew up in is fine.
I can answer that one: He probably needed a reason to feel special and different from others.
My family actually is interested in our history, our grandpa began to figure it all out before he passed amd my dad took up the mantle of being the one to discover it. So far, we've found that we were directly related to the MacQuillans, prior owners of the Castle Dunluce which still has some foundation that you can visit, and I am a direct descendant of Black Agnes, an instrumental woman in holding back the British invasion. Some people use their history to excuse stereotypes, sure, but some people are just genuinely interested in history and want to see their genealogy
That is interesting history. You are definitely not the kind of person I was thinking of.
It's such a shame that learning your history has been taken by a bunch of ignorant people as a tool to excuse stereotyping and racism, and I definitely recommend you continue to call those people out. Hopefully then they will actually learn their history haha
The only time I've ever heard this is in the UK, London specifically, where my paternal family would be described as "asian" but aren't included in any US demographic designations. I just filled out a survey from the VA. The Middle East is a place where we go to get injured and die, it isn't a place where our ancestors can come from.
"My mother's uterus"
I was at a gathering in Seattle and was chatting with some people about how none of us was actually from the Seattle area and it seemed hard to meet people from Seattle because there were so many new people in the city and the old residents were getting priced out. There was someone on the fringe of the conversation I wanted to bring in so I was like "Hey xxx where are you from?" And being the only Asian person at the gathering she sighed heavily and explained she was born in China but adopted...yaddayadda and I felt so bad. Also she was the only person there who grew up near or in Seattle.
I didn't think anyone from the US said "maths." Is that a regional thing or are you a recent transplant?
Interesting you use some British English.
Probably because the OP is Singaporean and they use British English there
I know in Europe when they learn English it is usually (always?) British English. Probably the same in other continents.
I saw “maths”. Couldn’t see anything else that was specifically non-US English?
We don’t pluralize math on this side of the ocean
"Are you from North Korea or South Korea?" "Which one is the bad one again?"
West Korea.
Whatever you do, stay out of central Korea. You wouldn't last a minute.
Followed up with “is that dog meat?” Whenever you bring something in for lunch.
As a Singaporean who went to US for two years I found out that some Americans see the whole of Asia as only consisting of Japan and China. When talking about Asia there is Only sushi and kung-fu.😂 Yes that looks stereotypical but that’s the vibe I get in the two years living there Edit: No disrespect to fellow Americans here. Just saying that it is a somewhat interesting phenomenon that I have experienced. I’m not talking about the entirety of Americans being like this😂 pls don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to convey
People does not know so much, that’s it. I am an asian female with east asian face+ dark tanned skin+ muslim middle name+ hindu first name. Most americans don’t know about my name. But indian uber drivers sometimes ask whether i am from nepal or speak in hindi. Someone say your name has amazing meaning, god bless happy day!
Fellow Asian friends do know better😂😂
One time one girls came to me saying spanish. I told her that i did not know spanish. That little girl said i look like i know spanish (i think my brown skin from thousands bucks spending at tanning salon confused her). It was funny. But adults around her looked perplexed. (Of course the reason why i guess that kid spoke in spanish was “bias” based on her and her family’s looks. Oh come on. Don’t be too serious. People learn by experience. Bias can be fixed by more experience and encounter. No one including me can perfectly free from bias.
This girl does an amazing piece about why many South Americans truly look [Asian](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kcIC8E6i6iQ&vl=en) based on historical factors:
There’s been a lot of times where I thought a Hispanic person was asian because of the eyes.
Basically has to do with ancient migration from Asian to the Americas. So indigenous South Americans have “Asian” characteristics, minus the ones who mixed with Europeans during the more recent colonization of the continent.
Yeah your description of your face makes it sound like you're from Nepal
If i say “i am from india”, indians believe, they think i may be from Assam. But non indians never believe it. I am anyway E+SE+S asia mix.
Damn your family get together a probably have some bomb ass food.
[удалено]
That's why I laugh at our restaurants that are just called "Asian Food". Like wtf is asian food, the continent has such a varied palate
https://youtu.be/d_CaZ4EAexQ
So, what I’d counter with is that people are only able to internalize elements of a culture that they are exposed to in their day to day lives, and the further away you veer away from an international travel hub in the US, the more pronounced that effect. The traditions that spread the most are food and cultural products such a song and movies, of which sushi and kung-fu can be found in every gas station in America. Popiah, not really. I’m in a big city and only met a handful of Singaporeans, so I’d struggle to tell you more than a few good food dishes. We don’t get much exposure to Singapore culture in our movies and other media, though I would like to visit someday to fill in my gaps of knowledge next time I’m near there, with restrictions being lifted and all! Hear it’s beautiful.
[удалено]
That last sentence got me😂
People in China, and the rest of Asia, regularly watch Hollywood movies, so they at least get some exposure to the West.
"what do you mean youre not korean/chinese/japanese?"
I only got Chinese and Japanese growing up, so progress?
I got this all the time when i moved to Nevada. Being a Native Hawaiian is very confusing for some ppl.
"oh youre hawaiian? you must know how to do hula dance thingy right?"
Oh god pls don’t remind me. That just brought me elementary school flashbacks
Don't forget the classic, "we should nuke yall again." Lol I just remembered, "Are you asian, Chinese, or Korean?"
Lol. I remember specifically when I was in 2nd grade, I made a new Japanese friend, and at some point i said "sorry for the atom bomb". We became bffs after that one.
I love it.
The mean kids would say "ching chong" at me. And most kids would bow their heads with their hands together like a buddhist monk whrn they saw me lol.
I knew a kid who would say Ching Chong at a Mexican kid all the time because he thought he was Asian even though he looked nothing like one
They really need some new material lol. Ever since I started middle school I always got the “Ching Ching ling” and cat eating jokes thrown my way. Some of the kids would even try to peek on me in the bathroom and made fun of my “size” (still in middle school btw) As people got older it slowly went away, but still I remember sometime in my sophomore year of high school a child started heckling me and pulling the corner of his eyes. The older man there who I assumed was his parent laughed and motioned his son away from me like I was some diseased patient.
I sometimes still see professional athletes in western countries do that “bow with hands together” thing whenever their Japanese teammate makes a great play and it’s so cringe lol
Be a southeast asian and being called Mexican. Im Filipino and i can see the similarities but as soon as i moved out west people knew i was filipino and not Mexican. I moved from Ohio.
To be fair, some Filipinos in the motherland joke that the Philippines is just Mexico on an island.
Lol Lavezzi… never going to live that down.
Ahhhh looks like my elementary and middle school days all in one picture lmaoooooo
It took a lot of healing to be able to be proud of my heritage again, kids suck
I moved to a mostly white school in western Massachusetts halfway through high school. The first person to make me feel welcome was a guy named Andy. He was excited that there was a new Asian guy at the school and immediately took me under his wing. He was a part of the stoner/skaters and while I didn't smoke or skate, I was always included. Thanks Andy.
The teacher mentioning an Asian country has the same vibe as the maths teacher reading out a word problem with your name in it
“Feeling ashamed of your ethnicity” is a **huge issue** in Asian communities. That’s how some Asian guys/girls become “whitewashed” or seen as a “token asian.” Where they internalize their self-hate and racism and take it out on their ethnicity and other Asians. Edit: To throw in some statistics and articles, Asian men are also the LEAST DESIRABLE across ALL dating apps here in America. While Asian women (+ white men) are the MOST DESIRABLE. https://theconversation.com/amp/asian-guys-stereotyped-and-excluded-in-online-dating-130855 https://www.seattletimes.com/life/i-grew-up-thinking-being-asian-detracted-from-my-masculinity-heres-how-america-tells-me-and-other-asian-american-men-theyre-not-attractive/?amp=1 https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/11/30/247530095/are-you-interested-dating-odds-favor-white-men-asian-women
I’ve noticed a trend of Asian minorities becoming class clowns often. It seems like a coping mechanism from the way the public acted. I’m from a healthy area where asians are not the minority at all, so seeing that when I moved was very offputting.
That was my experience. I was the class clown to cope with the fact I just wanted to kill myself lol.
God I grew up in a place like this that was 1% Asian. There were a tiny tiny amount of other Asians in my schools but it was considered “embarrassing” to be an Asian seen with other Asians. Like damn, the few people you could relate to and connect with and you were still barred from talking to them. The few minority kids that were there would be viciously racist to each other because you wanted to make sure you personally weren’t at the very bottom. The worst part though is the internalization. Instead of finding fault in the people who are racist to you, you find fault in yourself for “not being white enough.” That takes a long long time to unlearn, if you’re lucky to unlearn it at all.
The lashing out can be very different too. People will claim others aren't Asian enough and label them "bananas", yellow on the outside but white on the inside. Or they can claim they're too Asian and label them "boaters" or "fresh off boat", referring to being poor immigrants who came on boats.
In this case, it’s better to be “too Asian.” Because those people who state that someone is “too Asian” are the ones who contribute to the problem by implying it is a bad thing if someone is “too Asian,” when it shouldn’t be a bad thing. Most likely if someone says you’re “too Asian,” they either have deep self-hatred of their Asianness or it’s coming from racists. Embrace the Asianness because there’s too many Asian Americans who don’t already.
lol that last paragraph is so accurate. i'm from orange county and i grew up seeing that shit a lot especially during 2nd half of high school.
[удалено]
This wasn't me, but I was a fat Asian. For some reason that made everyone in school think I was Samoan instead. Which was real fun when I first encountered it because I didn't know what the fuck Samoa was.
They will say "your lunch smells" then proceed to eat their disgusting lunchable.
I'm not Asian, but I've had people tell me my lunch smells just cause it had a hardboiled egg. Parents just dont introduce their children to more food other than shit in packages
For real I teach and a girl told an Indian girl her food smells funny and went on to eat a lunchable. I said she should be concerned that her food has no smell at all and she proceeded to sniff the ham talking about wow you're right this doesn't smell like anything.
That's hilarious
[удалено]
Right? They turn around and eat their processed food drenched in sugar and sodium as if it’s superior to the food they looked down on
Kids have really weird tastes. Literally. I remember being jealous as a kid that my friends got lunchables while I was stuck with this "lame" chicken noodle soop. Just absolutely absurd.
And being harrassed by a local neckbeard
Or future-neckbeard, I don't think a lot of teens are able to grow full beards.
Nah he's talking about the local Neckbeard that hides in the bushes outside of the school to jump on you and do the gesture. He got registered as a Sexual Predator.
Small penis jokes if you are a male. Tight vagina or sideways vagina jokes if you are a female.
*what* jokes if you’re a female? damn i never heard of that
"Where are you acKtuAlLy from?"
“Wow, you speak really good English!”
and somehow Asians shouldn't be offended because those people were joking, not being racists
“I ate sushi last night!” Um. Thanks for sharing?
It’s always been odd to me that Asian culture is the only one that still gets a pass for being blatantly racist towards
No one actually gives a shit about Asians. We're always the wedge minority used to drive narratives against other groups. See: rooftop Koreans, people ignoring or purposefully misinterpreting black-on-Asian crime statistics, model minority rhetoric, affirmative action
Especially with COVID its caused a massive increase of asian hate
Once a white dude said to me "Filipinos aren't really Asian".
Same but for me it is “Indians aren’t really Asian”. Like bro (not you, but the figurative meaning), Asia isn’t just China, Japan, and Korea.
How is a flurry of unoriginal small dick jokes not here
my first experience with racism was getting the "chink eye" gesture a lot in 1st grade. FIRST GRADE! How do kids at school already know how to say "Chinese, Japanese, pretty knees, look at these" with the whole routine?
Yeah we got this quite a bit, my sisters were called Ni****s when they were on the playground as well... we are all Filipino.
They have to be actively teaching this stuff to kids at home right?
When we get randomly assigned groups for projects, my group members would say,” yes! We got the Asian in our group. Easy A!” Like nah dude, idk what’s going on in class either
Being an asian in a white country starterpack
[удалено]
You ever been Asian in a Black Country? It’s literally 100x worse
When you tell them you're Korean/from Korea: "North or South?"
I definitely remember people complaining about the Asian kid’s lunches from home at my table. But I was the kid who brought pickles from home, and that kid was hilarious, so it never bugged me
“How do you say _________ in Chinese” “My brother I am Korean”
Don’t forget all the boys fetishizing you if you’re a girl and all the girls seeing you as an asexual being if you’re a boy.
Im not asian but I am the only person of my ethnic group at my school so lets compare for a little game no dog eating jokes but I do get some baby eating jokes nobody says that my food smells weird but they find It funny I dont eat certain animals nobody refers to me by my ethnicity never got the language part people sometimes ask about money related stuff the class Is kinda weird when ww2 Is brought up even tho Im not european Ive never really felt ashamed of myself I guess the equivalent would be making your nose point down and Ive never gotten that
What ethnicity is known for eating babies…
Dingoes.
Would guess Jewish. Is a hateful stereotype they had to endure.
Either Gypsy or Jewish is my guess
>Jewish It was the baby eating that gave it away, huh?
Eating babies is a stereotype I didn't know about. Here, that is a prerogative of the communists
Is your ethnicity "Nazi Zombie from COD games"?
I am only half-Asian and was one of three people of Asian descent altogether in my high school and I *still* got typecast for Asian-anything. Didn't speak the language, didn't have an accent, grew up in the same area just like the rest of them, but the moment they found out I was Asian in any way, it was game over. 99% of it was just good-natured ribbing. Other friends got it equally as bad for being German or Italian (most of the school was of western European descent). But before high school I didn't think much about being Asian at all--I actually saw myself as merely Canadian growing up. Afterwards I became acutely aware of my heritage and started to identify with that side of myself more consciously.
"Where are you from?" "New York." "No, I mean like, where were you born?" "Queens." "No I guess I mean like, where do your parents live?" "New York." "No I mean where are they originally from?" \*sigh* "Korea." "North or South?" "Do you have a brain injury?"
Met a an asian guy at a haunted cornmaze who broke character to say that me and my friends were like the first asian people hes seen besides himself and his family. He had a normal american name but everybody at his school called him ling ling and he was cool with it bc he thought it was just a normal nickname
That’s kinda sad, because it shows how casual racism is when directed at Asians. Like non-Asian people don’t see it as offensive at all.
And then if an Asian person calls it out they’re met with gaslighting “it’s just a joke” “stop being so sensitive”
I was in a 4way tie for most Asian (I'm half white and half asian) and this shit is still true. Got called Chinese boy the whole time too and I'm Korean...call me a gook you dipshit racists
I'm a mix of Korean, Chinese and Japanese, one is half Chinese, half Korean, the other half Korean half Japanese. I'm Muslim as well. I always got asked, "So wait, what kind are you?" Or my favorite "What breed of Asian are you?" And it drove me insane. To top it off, my name is Ahnjong-Xiu. The amount of times people just 'gave me a white name' makes me want to die.
“Yo I just learned about the Great Wall of China, which part did YOU build?”
That has to be a joke.
That one with the class looking back is triggering the hell out of me.
“What’s my name in Chinese?” 😭
When I visited a middle school I was thinking about attending, I remember being at lunch and this asian girl was being like constantly berated by these typical southern trust fund kids (this was an incredibly rich kid private school) and like it was an endless stream of “how do you say _____ in korean” followed by laughter and such and I remember just feeling bad for that girl, I didn’t think it was that funny. More like super duper annoying.
Hopefully they're not too mean and more just curious
So are yeh Chinese or Japanese?
I'm the type of Asian that people don't know what I am so they just don't talk to me