A Personal Gender Belief

The Issue of Perceiving Asian American Men

The issue to see American guys of Asian origin as males if they are not acting ’black’ or ’white’ is what I am exploring. I had struggled with this emotion for many years, particularly while in high school. I believe this sensation originated from viewing many films starring Asian American men. Asian American men were portrayed in these films as soft, helpless, feminine, and infantile. The portrayal has been consistent in numerous films, particularly those released prior to 2010. (Schug 222). Such a portrayal made me think about Asian American men. It is a belief that I have tried to shake off especially with my exposure to people from another ethnicity. However, the belief is still there within me to some extent.

Early Memories Shaping the Belief

One of the earliest memories that upheld this belief in me is when I met an Asian American family while we were camping. In this family, the man was doing virtually everything for his family. During then, I thought he was acting feminine. To me, he was not a real man doing all those chores and spending time with his family more rather than drinking beer with other men of his age. In essence, the Asian American was a family man, and it had nothing to do with him being a man or having ‘feminine’ qualities. In many communities, this belief was being communicated regarding the Asian American man having a small figure or rather body frame. In contrast, most white and black Americans are built. In schools, most Asian Americans were shy and this enhanced this belief among the students.

Derogatory Effects of the Belief

I have not expressed this belief to other people. I believe that this belief to some extent is derogatory to the men of Asian descent. One of the ways which other people will react to this belief from me is anger. Many of my friends love people of different ethnicities. As such, I believe that they will be angered by my thoughts about Asian Americans. My parents will be disappointed in me since they have tried raising me to respect people of all cultures. One of the most upsetting comments regarding this feeling is that people may think I am a racist person. I not racist in any way but I still harbor these thoughts about Asian Americans. One of the responses I can give about my beliefs is that the media has shaped these thoughts in me. Many individuals will not believe this, but I will try to convince them about my belief.

Racism and Ableism Issues

The belief that Asian American men are not men is reflected in the racism issues in the United States. Black men are stereotyped to be violent and thieves while white high school children are stereotyped to shoot students at school (Schug et al. 124). In this instance, the Asian American is thought be less as of a man compared to both the whites and the black Americans. The belief resulted in ableism for decades especially during the 1920s were Asian men in America were given the roles which were described then as being feminine (Harris, Luke and Christopher 61). The roles include taking care of children and doing laundry. The reason for such roles is that they were classified as being unable to perform ‘manly’ tasks. Currently, this belief has manifested itself interpersonally through relationships. Women prefer men who are muscular and big bodied individuals. Many Asian American men having a small body have made them be sidelined, or rather avoided by many women. The belief continues to be a hindrance to the people of Asian descent in the United States.

Cultural Identity and Respect

If this belief is true, I will be disappointed by such an outcome. I tend to believe that people are different because of their cultures. The traditions shape a person’s identity. For many, changing such an identity is difficult, and I believe this is the case for Asian American people. The belief huts me because I know that it is in the nature of every person to follow his or her culture. Being part of culture makes up a person, and it is what makes people unique. The belief helps me always to respect people of other ethnic backgrounds. Respect is imperative for the peace and harmony among the people.

Challenging Stereotypes and Embracing Multiculturalism

The belief hurts the people around me by making them feel inferior. I have many Asian Americans who are close to our family, and I believe that this issue has been a pain for them. However, I also think that it has helped them be stronger especially when facing any adversity. One can see how successful most Asian Americans are in school. This may be one of the reasons why they keep performing better. As for this learning edge, the next step is embracing multiculturalism. Through such an undertaking, I will be a better person in the society and understand people from different ethnic backgrounds. I will explore the cultures of people in the United States to be knowledgeable and help other people from holding such stereotypes.

Works cited

Harris, Frank, J. Luke Wood, and Christopher Newman. “An exploratory investigation of the effect of racial and masculine identity on focus: An examination of White, Black, Mexicano, Latino, and Asian men in community colleges.” Culture, Society and Masculinities 7.1: 61.

Schug, Joanna. “Gendered race in mass media: Invisibility of Asian men and Black women in popular magazines.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture 6.3: 222.

Schug, Joanna, Nicholas P. Alt, and Karl Christoph Klauer. “Gendered race prototypes: Evidence for the non-prototypicality of Asian men and Black women.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 56: 121-125.