Thursday, October 10, 2013

Asian Level Smart

Stereotypes generally hold a negative connotation.  But could stereotyping be bad, even if it's positive.  Asians have a stereotype of being smart.  Not exactly the short stick of the draw, but does it still leave them with a single, one-sided story?  You bet cha.  Myth Busters has 3 sub-host, yet the only one that ever explains technical things is the Asian.  Memes with "Asian" level smart have permeated the internet.  Even in our news, we blatantly fortify this “smart Asian” stereotype.





Surprisingly, even BYUtv's Granite Flats continues this stereotype.  Madison, the only Asian in the series, is presented as a young, brilliant girl who prefers doing homework on weekends and wants to do her elementary science fair project on ionization.



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9 comments:

  1. Clay ChristensenOctober 10, 2013 at 1:15 PM

    I love the Keanu Reeves Picture! haha very thoughtful article.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 10, 2013 at 1:29 PM

    It's so true that they are stereotyped like this in the media, but I'm wondering more about you're point that it might be harmful even if it's positive...

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  3. UnknownOctober 10, 2013 at 1:31 PM

    Interesting! I had these stereotypes in my mind until I started having some Asian friends.

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  4. Madeleine LowOctober 10, 2013 at 1:51 PM

    One of my best friends is Asian and I know how much he hates these stereotypes. Awesome post!

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  5. Sean RobisonOctober 10, 2013 at 3:25 PM

    Great post! It is so true that we generally take Asians as being super smart and intelligent.

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  6. Joe MoxonOctober 11, 2013 at 10:50 AM

    I wonder if because of this we would be more surprised to meet an Asian who isn't smart then an Caucasian who isn't...

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  7. UnknownOctober 15, 2013 at 10:06 AM

    I didn't even notice that connection that BYUtv represents the Asian as the intelligent, well-mannered one. That is a very interesting observation.

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  8. Whitney WoodOctober 15, 2013 at 12:44 PM

    This is definitely a common stereotype! I had a roommate from Taiwan and she was always overwhelmed with the pressure from her other Asian classmates and her family/friends back home that expected her to achieve a certain standard of academic excellence. I think every single one of us feels certain pressures from our own families and social circles throughout our lives, we just may not realize them because they have been there since we were born.

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  9. jonny gunsonOctober 16, 2013 at 2:24 PM

    really enjoyed this post, really hate this perception.

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