Why Asian American Stereotypes Are Destructive And Unacceptable In Civil Sociey

Although Asian American men are a heterogeneous group with diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, they are frequently depicted in rigid, stereotypical ways that assume few differences exist among them. Guided by social identity theory, the purpose of this study was to examine 158 Asian American male college students' perceptions of people's stereotypes about Asian American men. Arguably the most pervasive and influential stereotype about Asian Americans is the model minority stereotype (Kawai, p109). Embedded in this stereotype is the idea that Asian Americans are intelligent, academically and professionally successful (particularly in the fields of math and science), hardworking, and relatively free from personal problems (Kawai, p109). Several studies have shown that compared with other racial/ethnic groups, Asian Americans are perceived to be intelligent, achievement-oriented, hardworking, and serious about work.

Another prominent stereotype about Asian Americans relates to the perception of social incompetence (Lin et al., p34). Several studies have shown that Asian Americans are perceived to possess unflattering interpersonal traits, such as being reserved, unfriendly, shy, and lacking in warmth. Moreover, the social incompetence stereotype is empirically linked to the model minority stereotype; that is people who tend to stereotype Asian Americans as professionally or academically successfully also tend to view Asian Americans as socially incompetent (Lin et al. p34). In commenting on this link, Lin et al. (p.34) argued that collectively, the model minority and social incompetence stereotypes make Asian Americans targets of prejudice laden with envy and discomfort.

A third prominent perception about Asian Americans is the perpetual foreigner stereotype (Lee et al., p69). Although Asian Americans have lived in the United States since the 1800s, they are commonly perceived as foreigners, un-American, or as people who remain strongly connected to their cultures of origin and are therefore “unassimilable” (Lee et al., p69). One of the most tragic manifestations of the perpetual foreigner stereotype is the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. Even though the majority of Japanese Americans at that time were U.S. citizens, they were treated as an enemy race whose loyalty was to Japan. Consequently, 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to internment camps (www.youtube.com).

Empirical support for the perpetual foreigner stereotype has also been demonstrated through studies on implicit associations. For example, in a series of studies, Devos and Ma (2008) found that Lucy Liu (an Asian American actress) was implicitly perceived by college students as less American than Kate Winslet (a White British actress), despite participants knowing that Lucy Liu is American and Kate Winslet is not.

Although the model minority, social incompetence, and perpetual foreigner stereotypes have been applied to Asian American women and men, some stereotypes may be more salient to Asian American men as compared to Asian American women. Several scholars have argued that stereotypes about Asian American men need to be situated within a sociohistorical context. As a consequence of discriminatory laws, attitudes, and policies in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Asian American men ...