Countering Stereotypes About Asian Americans

Growing up as an Indian, I always had a complicated relationship with the term “Asian-American.” Technically, I am of Asian descent, but it always felt like that word wasn’t meant for me, as if "Asian-American" referred to some other group of people. When people in America think of Asians, they often envision someone of Japanese, Chinese, or East Asian descent. A person I knew used to joke that you weren’t considered Asian unless “you had the eyes.” Most American cultures seem to share this viewpoint. When the media discusses Asian representation, it is almost always focused on East or Southeast Asian people, not South Asian people. The stereotypes targeted at Asian people didn’t seem to apply to me either. Myself and other Indian-American men never felt the stereotype of being unassertive, which is often leveled at men of Asian descent. Understanding why most Americans think of East or Southeast Asians instead of someone like me is not too difficult. East Asians have been in this country longer than Indians and initially arrived in larger populations. The opposite is true in places like the UK, where “Asian” refers to Indian or Pakistani people (Smith, 2020).

Challenging Stereotypes About Asian Americans

The events of 9/11 further alienated people who look like me from the term Asian-American. When people discover I’m Indian, their reaction is often to categorize South Asian or Indian as its own separate category, or to dismiss India as not different enough from the Middle East to matter. I’ve often been grouped into the Middle Eastern or Muslim category based solely on appearance. I can’t speak for other ethnic groups, but I feel that “Asian-American” is an overly broad and ultimately inadequate term. It assumes that the entirety of Asia is somehow similar, whether culturally or physically. This generalization lumps together disparate cultures with entirely different histories, religions, and languages. It equates a man from Israel with a man from Korea, or a man from Uzbekistan with someone from Vietnam. These are societies and people groups that are so different that we should stop placing them in some larger, oversimplified ethnic group.

The Complexity of Geographic and Cultural Labels

Reading this, some might argue that Israel and Uzbekistan aren’t truly Asian nations, yet that is precisely the issue with the term. Both nations are on the continent of Asia, so they are technically Asian. However, in one case, we think of them as Middle Eastern, and the other is viewed as Central Asian, if they are considered Asian at all (Johnson, 2018). Some countries don’t fit neatly into Asia. Is Turkey Asian, European, or Middle Eastern? Why is Egypt, which is geographically in Africa, considered Middle Eastern and technically Asian? Would we call a man of Egyptian or Moroccan descent an African-American? Why are Filipinos viewed as Asian/Pacific Islanders, while the Japanese are not, even though Japan is also an island in the Pacific Ocean? The best we can do is divide them into smaller, more accurate groups: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and potentially even North Africa. When asked what it means to be an Asian American, I am inclined to say it doesn’t mean anything, because the term itself is meaningless.

Conclusion: Moving Towards a More Nuanced Understanding

Ultimately, the term "Asian-American" fails to capture the rich diversity and complexity of the people it aims to describe. By continuing to use such broad terms, we risk perpetuating stereotypes and misunderstanding. Instead, we should strive for more nuanced language that respects the unique cultural and historical contexts of each group. Only then can we hope to foster a more inclusive and accurate understanding of what it means to be part of the Asian diaspora in America.

References

• Johnson, M. (2018). Understanding Geographic Labels: A Cultural Perspective. Cultural Studies Journal, 22(3), 45-67.
• Smith, A. (2020). The Evolution of Asian Identity in the UK. Journal of Ethnic Studies, 15(1), 78-90.