Turn down that STEREOtype

As some of you loyal fans of Cathleen may have noticed, she doesn't post all that frequently. Much like her, I love ranting about shit and receiving commentary. So, Cathleen and I have worked out a joint blog agreement. It's more like "The Lipsynching Girl featuring the Singing in the Shower Girl". I believe she's covered some of this in her previous blog so here I go.

All you are familiar with one of the most common Asian stereotypes. Yes, I'm talking about the idea of intelligence that is immediately associated with someone of Asian descent. It's crazy because it's like before people have even heard one word come out of this person's mouth they just assume they're like Einstein to the fifth power. It's like they think we have some built in genius orb or something, like something we're guaranteed at birth. Asian is to intelligence as boy is to penis. Well guess what? Both parts of that analogy are bullshit. The latter covers a whole different topic matter which Cathleen can probably cover so I'll focus on the first one. Would you really take a look at my last name and then put me in charge of your life savings because, "Damn, she's Asian. They're math whizzes. Finally, an answer to my financial problems!" If you're the type of person who does do that, I'll be blunt about it; you're a DUMBASS! And just because I'm Asian it doesn't mean I can't be one too. I'm sure most of you have taken biology and can you tell me where in our DNA does it code for intellect and hard work? I have an A in biology (not because I'm Asian) and I don't believe that shit exists.

If some of you are wondering how "those Asians are soooooo smart", I'll tell you. While I can't speak for every Asian American, I can tell you why I'm academically successful and it has nothing to do my genes. Unlike a lot of people, I don't get shit handed to me on a silver platter. I don't even get shit handed to me on a rusty copper platter. I don't get shit handed to me. And that has affected how I choose to manage my studies. Both my parents experienced extreme examples of poverty first hand. Even though they live in the U.S. now, have a couple of cars, decent jobs, nice house, it doesn't wipe away that struggle. And for that reason, I don't have the greatest looking clothes and like 15 pairs of shoes to match a single outfit and a sidekick which I can use to text even though it's cheaper, and less time consuming just to call someone. That struggle that they have carried with them from China, I carry it too. I may have been born in the U.S., but that doesn't mean that I've escaped poverty, that that atrocity will never touch me, that having to work 3 jobs just to pay the phone bill is an impossibility. Whether you're White, Black, Mexican, Indian, whatever, these things can be a reality. So the reason I study my ass off and strive for academic excellence is not because of my bloodline, it is because I don't want that to be a reality for me; not for my children or my children's children.

So this gist of this is basically that people have reasons for why they do what they do and why they are they are the way they are. To all the dumbasses I had called out earlier, don't think for a second that an Asian does what he does because of genetics.

- Singing in the Shower Girl aka Vivian