Personal Narrative: My Korean Stereotypes

I suppose that as I am not solely Korean, I do not look blatantly different to others, but I look it enough to see it when I glimpse in the mirror. Sometimes I think that is the worst part; people do not always recognize my Asian blood and therefore do not hold back in the degrading comments that they make. When I was in high school, especially when sitting in a history class, there were always classmates who felt the need to throw out inapt remarks, hoping to receive a laugh from the class. A teacher’s simple question would often result in a feeble-minded “because they’re Asian” response. Because I have worked to disconnect from my Korean ethnicity, I could usually convince myself that these comments did not pertain to me, but knowing my ancestors

Stereotypes are so prevalent in today’s world that one hundred years from now, they might very well be considered fact. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone state that Asians are naturally intelligent, I would probably be set for life. Somehow, being intelligent has been skewed into something negative by those who relay these thoughts. I don’t …show more content…
Parents often expect their children to excel in academics; school is competitive and it is a race to the top of the class. Mabel Wong, in her blog post “Why Asians Are Smart At School. Or Not So Smart.,” explains that her dad constantly repeat to her, “Everyone has a degree now. Everyone. You don’t want to get left behind.” Excelling in academics is expected. Why does that deserve scrutiny? It angers me that people could possibly believe that I didn’t have to work just as hard as everyone else to get where I am at this point in my life. Being Asian is not a ticket to success, but until others comprehend this, it will continue to be used as means to devalue the effort I’ve put into my