Am I Introverted, or Just Asian?
“Quiet Asian kid.” Someone called me that while I was in university in Canada. I hate that term, that stereotype. I am introverted, yes. I am Asian, of Chinese descent, yes. But must one necessarily follow the other?
I like this.
I consider myself an introvert, but I can be really confrontational (evidence: loudly calling a young, tall, drunk white kid in a crowded elevator in New York City a racist, in front of all his friends). I think part of it has to do with my mom (never one to not speak up about bad customer service) and my dad (who had come to the US from rural China at the age of 11) regularly encouraging me: “Don’t be a typical Chinese! Speak up!”
So yes, he encouraged me by both enforcing stereotypes and convincing me to break them!
I think if you are Asian and you happen to be quiet, people may attribute it to the culture of your upbringing. A quiet white kid is just a kid who is quiet. And white. A quiet black kid is just a kid who is quiet. And black. But a quiet Asian kid is The Quiet Asian Kid. It just plays well into stereotypes.
