Cross-racial stereotyping

My experiences growing up as a minority in a metropolitan area taught me that a place with a large capacity for diversity also has a large capacity for racial tension.

Fortunately, at Central, I have seen firsthand, an aura of acceptance that precedes any events that may happen. Recently, I have noticed, though, that many people have been calling others out for their actions, personalities, and likes/dislikes, by calling them a non-example of their race. Although most don’t intend to offend others, as a victim, I have often become slightly offended. For example, I am Asian, and would like to be regarded as so. However, I was once told that I was “such a White girl,” because I like the television show Friends. First of all, being Black, White, Latino, Multiracial, Asian, etc. does not determine what someone likes, who they are, and/or what they can do. Not only White girls like Starbucks, not all Black men are criminals, and a Latina woman can hold many occupations asides from being a maid.

In my opinion, an insult that introduces race is ignorant because it assumes that someone fits an irrelevant stereotype perfectly. It is an ineffective way of disguising an insult directed towards a person’s preferences, personality, or characteristics. If someone told me that I act like a White girl because I have an Otterbox phone case, then that would be insulting my preference in phone cases, not my heritage. But, since my heritage has nothing to do with my preference in phone cases, the insult is completely useless.

Likewise, if I, theoretically, told a Chinese boy who struggled with math that he didn’t act Chinese because Asian people are supposed to excel at math, then I would be insulting his math skills, not his racial identity. However, that insult would be dimwitted because being Asian has nothing to do with one’s math skills.

Although this kind of insult is meaningless, it is still hurtful, though, because many, including myself, have interpreted it as a shortcoming. I am Asian, and I would like to be acknowledged as an Asian, not some other race that doesn’t define me. I would rather be insulted straight up than be both insulted and racially stereotyped, which brings me to my next point.

This type of insult is actually not what I would consider to be a stereotype, but, rather, a “cross-race stereotype,” (which is not a legitimate English term.) It occurs when a person acknowledges that someone fits a stereotype of a race that doesn’t define him/her. Although it is different from stereotyping, I would consider it to be just as hurtful.

Let’s face it, what would the world be like if everyone fit a stereotype that didn’t belong to their race? Could all ethnicities like Starbucks? Could White men and women be criminals? Could a Latino/Latina pursue an academic career? Oh, wait! It is possible; in fact, it’s called modern society. Never underestimate the power of diversity, because it is even stronger than the influence of stereotypes.