Examining Asian Stereotypes

As an Asian American living in the United States, I find myself dealing with prejudice and stereotyping on a near-constant basis. It's a weird thing with Asian people; despite my being completely American in terms of culture, I'm still viewed as a foreigner. I've learned to tolerate it over the years, but there's the occasional person who just doesn't seem to have a care about being ignorant.

We can't just tell these people to stop generalizing, but what we can do is feed them the knowledge they need to stop assuming the wrong things. In order to shed some light on the origins of Asian America's most prominent stereotypes, I thought I'd try my hand at explaining them one by one. By doing so, I hope to help people understand why certain stereotypes exist, and why they couldn't possibly apply to everybody.

Don't expect anything too in-depth; these are just my thoughts. If you are a fellow Asian American, feel free to contribute. Also, note that I'll mostly be discussing stereotypes associated with East Asians. Now, to begin with...

Pokemon: Old Gen vs. New Gen

I grew up with Pokemon, just like every other human being from my generation. At its peak, it was just about the biggest thing ever. Everybody with a Gameboy played the games, and everybody with hands and feet had a collection of Pokemon cards. It got so ridiculous that by the second year of the craze, my elementary school banned Pokemon cards from school property. Nowadays, most people look back with extremely fond memories of the early days of Pokemon. Then there are people like me, who never lost their childhood spirit and still play the games.

Now, as an adult Pokemon player, there's one thing that never ceases to bug me.

Axe Commercial is Beyond Ridiculous

This is a recent commercial for Axe body products that has been on TV lately. Go ahead and watch it if you haven't already. Done? If you didn't find anything wrong with that, consider yourself a simpleton.

Axe commercials have always been known for being a bit sexist, but this commercial is just a step beyond ridiculous. For me, it's not even that it's blatantly misogynistic. What really drives me over the edge is just how idiotic and misinformed this commercial is.

The views we have right here, right now are going to be true forever. Right guys?!

"Girls are getting hotter"? Seriously? How about, society's perception of women has changed over the years? People used to value a different type of woman back then. Just look around for pictures of models from around a century ago. Or perhaps some Ancient Greek statues of women. What we consider "hot" now has only been the status quo for a few decades. Beautiful women from the past would be considered "fat" in modern society. 

But to the people at Axe, none of this obvious information even exists. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that the people who make these commercials are even human adults. I wouldn't be surprised if they were teenagers, or monkeys. 

Does Batman Need a Robin?

I'm no long-time fan, but I absolutely love Batman. I love the comics, the animated series, the games, and the movies. There's a lot to like about Batman, from his dark, psychological inner-battles to his enormously intriguing gallery of rogues. But mainly, it's his humanity that sets him apart from other heroes. The fact that he accomplishes what other superheroes can't without actual superpowers just appeals to me. But...this post isn't about Batman.

5 Technology Myths (We Have Got To Stop Believing)

I've already done a post about some popular old wive's tales, so I thought I would go over some of the most popular myths about technology that are completely untrue. Modern technology like laptops and smartphones are a common part of our daily lives, so we're bound to have handfuls of misconceptions flying around. I'm writing this post primarily because too many people seem to be misinformed about certain technology "facts". I can't stand watching people do completely unnecessary things, so let's put some of that to rest.

The MSG Allergy Myth

Chances are, if you've ever had MSG come up in a discussion, it was about how bad it is for your health. It really gets a bad rap, especially in the U.S. This reputation is completely undeserved, however. Next time, take a moment to question whoever thinks MSG is bad for you; can they even name any specific reasons for why it's unhealthy? Most likely, the answer is no.