I’m sitting at the kitchen table, working on summer homework while babysitting my cousins when I hear: “How is Marlene your mom?”. I look up from my work and focus on my eight-year old cousin’s questioning face. How do I answer a question like that? I was adopted at eight months old from China, she is the only mom I know. I don’t know my birth mother, and from what I know I was at the orphanage for a few months before. As I stammer my way through an explanation that I hope he a curious eight year old can understand, I think about who I really am, how my family came to be and how it can be confusing for him to understand something that seems so different from his family. But, my family is not too different from his. My mother has known me since eight months, so she has been there for the major milestones like any other parent. Then, in his usual way, he hears the answer and goes on to ask what movie we can watch that night, the conversation apparently was over.
Yet, for me, it was far from over. I started to think about all the things my mom had to in order to adopt me. In a way, it is like parents who are planning to have a child themselves. One has to prepare, buy supplies and learn about how to care for children. None of this is different from what my mother did, the only difference is that she went to
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For me, equating ‘Asian’ to ‘smart’ automatically doesn’t mean that I was born smarter than others, rather I feel I have a thirst for knowledge that has been influenced by my background, and that ‘thirst’ is what is making me personally smarter. But, I am not saying that other people who are not or haven’t been in my situation don’t have that thirst. Now more than ever, I find myself thinking about how different my life could have
At first I had no idea why I hadn’t seen my dad in days and why I would have to take a long trip to Washington. After sometime my grandparents sat me down and informed me that my dad did something wrong and was going to jail. They also gave me the life-changing news that I was going to move in with them permanently and they were going to adopt me. After being adopted by my grandparents and taken from my father and home
Mum Betts was born a slave circa 1742, spending her young adult years in the household of John Ashley in Massachusetts. When Ashley's wife attacked her, Betts appealed to a local abolitionist, who brought her case to the courts. Betts was granted her freedom and 30 shillings in damages in 1781, with the case Brom and Betts v. Ashley. Betts became a paid servant and raised a family on her wages. Mum Bett, or “Mumbet” as she was referred to passionately, proved to be extremely determined in ending the slave trade in the new Commonwealth of Massachusetts when she successfully sued for freedom in 1781, amazingly becoming the first African-American woman to win her freedom from slavery.
Have you ever heard the statement that all Asian Americans are good at math and science and they excel educationally? This paper defines the model minority myth, provides historical context in perspective of the Chinese Americans and explains how these Chinese American’s experiences do not fit the model minority myth. The model minority stereotype has various negative assumptions towards Asian Americans and one of them is that it assumes all Asian Americans are a homogenous ethnic group. There are several ways how Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans do not fit the model minority myth. Specifically, the historical context of these Chinese Americans contradicts the model minority stereotype.
The stereotype addressing the topic of Asians being smarter than other races has been around since the 1950’s. This stereotype started as a result of immigrants assimilating into the US. During this time Asians had a considerable higher success rate in school compared to Hispanics and Blacks. This is not the case because in places such as Chinatown where poverty runs rampant Asian immigrants have a difficult time staying above the poverty line. In the essay, “The Harmful Myths of Asian Superiority,” published by the New York Times the author, Ronald Takaki, addresses the reason why Asian people are considered “successful” and “model minorities” by using logic to persuade his audience and statistical information to
Growing up in a family were education is one of the most important accomplishment that we can have in our lives, I can name a lot of people that used education to attain upward mobility. However, the number one person whom I believed made in impact to a lot of people is my Auntie Yolanda Abaca. She was a Nurse, a mother not just to her kids, but also to all of her extended family member, a financial advisor, and now as a CEO of a non-profit organization that helped unfortunate children overseas that has cleft palate.
There is a phenomenon happening in most schools throughout the country. Asian students as young as seven years olds are labeled as gifted and enrolled in various accelerate programs to further develop their talents. Certainly, most of these students are deserving of the honorable recognition. However, many skeptics do question how many of them are viewed as exceptional students based upon the stereotype: they are genetically smarter than their non-Asian peers.
When you think about the word "mother," it usually comes with a sense of love and warmth. Unfortunately, not all mothers evoke these feelings, like the so-called momma bears. These are the moms who, like the animals they are compared to, are very fierce when it comes to protecting their practices, opinions, and most importantly, their young.
A stereotype that is used in everyday mathematics was explained in the book as to why Asians excel at mathematics. Usually people think asians were just naturally intelligent in this field, but it was a surprise to find out that there had been more to them turning out this way in modern society because of the way their culture emerged and evolved. Reading about the past of the Asian culture gave me a different point of view on asians. This book has given me a interest on the asian culture and I also learned that there could be a reason behind certain stereotypes saying asians are intelligent that make some true but not all.
A lot of Asians have positive stereotypes for their characteristic and they are being called “Asians are smart” and later when they are being called smart to often they will be known as “Asians are smart because they are Asian” Sometimes these kind of stereotyping is interesting but at times it is so offensive and humiliating. The other children calling them they are smart type is sometimes hurtful and its making like competing or something like that. Asian are smart but. When Asian go to a different country the native people of that country thinks that Asian immigrants are taking over the country with their high talents, skills and their excellent performance. There was a Australian professor who saw the performance of the Asian in the college
In the story “The Trouble with Talent: Are We Born Smart or Do We Get Smart?” by Kathy Seal explains the difference between Asian children and American children’s work ethic. Kathy explains the school systems in china work differently due to the fact that America has the idea that children are born with a set I.Q. while Asians believe that your intelligence is determined by hard work. The author of this story’s purpose is to persuade the reader by proving her thesis that intelligence is gained through hard work. She does this by using a multitude of valid evidence, having a strong thesis, and connecting with the reader though reader oriented language. The pattern of this essay is clearly a compare and contrast because the author looks at the difference between how Asian and American children are taught. She makes a strong point using the compare and contrast method by providing the reader with valid information on the American and Asian sides to point out that being smart happens though hard work and determination. Seal organizes this compare and contrast by making a point to point analysis of Asian and American culture.
A psychosocial phenomenon known as ‘race’ has the power to bind a group of people together and determine how they are expected to behave (Kendig, 2011). Our behaviour is determined by another phenomenon known as ‘intelligence’ (Colom, Karama, Jung, & Haier, 2010). Since these are both such fundamental aspects of how our society functions, it is crucial for psychologists to understand how these factors interact. However, despite many circulating theories, psychologists have yet to agree upon the extent to which these phenomena affect each other. In this essay, I will explore the reasons for division and ambiguity in the scientific community regarding the definitions and explanations of race and intelligence, and assess whether it is prudent
The schools I went to before third grade had a strong Asian population. Asians were the majority; there were rarely any non-Asians in those schools. During that time, I was allowed to stay innocent and uncaring of what others thought of me. It was a pity those golden days couldn’t last longer. The school I transferred to for the remainder of my elementary education had an extremely low Asian rate. In fact, you could have listed all the Asians in the school with only one hand. With little to none Eastern Asians, my parents pushed me to work harder. Unbeknownst to them, they were trying to mold me into the stereotypical smart Asian. The changes were subtle at first since they
The second article I read was, The new whiz kids by Brand, D. According to the article, Asian Americans have set a standard for Americans on education. A researcher at the U.S. Department of Education found that Asian Americans spend more time on their homework, take more advanced classes, and graduate with more credits than other students. They are known to be high achievers. The stereotype of Asian Americans as the model minority group is not true. It is simply because they work harder. Because of their cultural background and how they were raised, they are really focused on their education. They view education as the key to success. “It’s a matter of dedication, family support and discipline,” says Julliard President Joseph Polisi. He believes that Asians are not naturally talented but because of their hard work, they are able to be successful in what they are doing. Asian American children are greatly influenced by their parents to study hard and get a good degree because the advantage the American educational system has in store for them. Asian American parents expect a lot of educational success from their children because of the sacrifice they have to make for their children to be successful in the future. Because of what they have been taught, asking for help is not easy. They have been taught to not show any emotions and be
This is interesting today because Asian people and White Americans make up the majority of the smartest and most successful people in the United
To some people this is not be viewed as a stereotype due to the fact it is not instantly perceived as “negative”; for those readers who delve in deeper, this stereotype outlines the educational daily hidden pressure of people from Chinese descent whom do not fit this “positive” stereotype. Every day, especially in American society, classmates look to their Asian counterparts to provide the answers to questions they do not know in every subject they take. Nonetheless, this ridiculous assumption hurts the Asian students that do not feel comfortable with their intellectual abilities. Placing Asian students as the “model student” excludes the students who actually have problems and need help that other classmates are reluctant to give the students simply because their classmates do not view helping their struggling Asian classmates as an actual necessity. By “poking” fun and bringing into light both Asian stereotypes, Yang enforces view that stereotypes are in use today.