Comments | ryan27: Lost in Translation: Asian American in Asia and Asian American in America

ryan27

Lost in Translation: Asian American in Asia and Asian American in America

Jun 04, 2013 23:49

My younger brother, an Asian American who can understand Chinese as well as a 4 year old native speaker, is currently in Hong Kong. He messages me this morning and tells me a story of being in the park the other day, eating some sort of Dim Sum when a White man approaches him. The conversation, as he explains, went something like this ( Read more... )

Comments 33

superficiality June 5 2013, 13:39:40 UTC

People are the worst. I'm also Asian American, and I have such a revulsion of creepers who make assumptions about me based on race.

ryan27 June 5 2013, 18:54:48 UTC

Yeah it's terrible. I can't tell you how many times people have come up to me and told me that I speak really good English!

twinner June 5 2013, 14:15:12 UTC

Very funny

ryan27 June 5 2013, 18:56:14 UTC

I think it wasn't that funny when I was experiencing it, but definitely funny now looking back on it! :)

connorblond June 5 2013, 15:00:25 UTC

ROFLMAO!

ryan27 June 5 2013, 18:57:12 UTC

Haha yeah looking back on it I guess it's pretty funny. People are soo crazy!

connorblond June 5 2013, 19:12:30 UTC

That. And truly creeply. Yikes!

geeky_gwen June 5 2013, 15:20:28 UTC

It sounds so much like a conversation with the random weird person who approaches you out of the blue in Portland, Oregon!

The older white man had just met you and already he's making hints about you submitting to him? And I don't know why he was babbling on about submissive, delicate Asian men; I've known a lot of tough, manly Asian men.

ryan27 June 5 2013, 18:59:18 UTC

Oh yes, I've been to portland many times, and I can definitely see that! I do hate the stereotype that asian, men are submissive, most of them I know can do some serious damage!

geeky_gwen June 6 2013, 14:48:48 UTC

Many of the Asian men I know are very polite, yes, but still strong. That stereotype is completely wrong.

I live about 80 minutes from Portland, I've been there many times, as well as seeing the Portland 'weirdness' here in Albany, OR.

(The comment has been removed)

ryan27 June 5 2013, 23:07:47 UTC

Oh yes, I can totally relate to you! It's very weird being sexualized as being "exotic", as if your appeal stems from the color of your skin. It's a common thing that had happened to me many times! I still get annoyed when people ask me where I'm from. I tell them seattle, and theythink that it's like some city in china! It's sad, really.