How Asians Look in the Westerners Eyes - Coursework Example

How Asians look in the westerners’ eyes Introduction Most Chinese tourists are welcomed in their destined touring locations though most westerners loath the bad behavior manifested by such Chinese tourists (Servando 1). Thus, the question in this paper is how westerners view Asian or Chinese people concerning racism or ethnicity. It is evident from the researches done by various scholars that westerners view Chinese individuals differently. They are seen as individuals who easily bend any available laws or etiquette set by westerners. Though there are few formal extremes instances of Asians discrimination by the westerners, there is still much presence of discrimination. This is according to research done by various scholars. Scholars admit that there are few violent race attacks though Asians should be concerned with their journey to embrace the west. Thus according to the research conducted by various scholars and from my own research, it is evident that the westerners are biased when it comes to their relations with the Asians people. The Asian, on the other hand, tend to outdo such bias by becoming rude and misbehaving in the presence of westerners. Moreover, most Asian individuals tend to bear a high level of resentment towards the westerners to the extent of coming up with an anti westerners campaign all over mostly in china. This paper dwells on the report conducted to determine the authenticity of these hypotheses. The main idea here is to prove that most Asians are looked down upon and discriminated based on their race and ethnicity by the westerners. Methods To conduct this experiment, a group of Asian was critically observed when they visited other foreign western countries. In another situation, a group of easterners visiting Asian countries was also observed to find out how they reacted towards each other. This observation happened during the day especially when the number of tourist in both Asian and western countries was at the peak. The western country observed was the United States while the Asian country observed was china. The sources were observed unknowingly to prevent them from tampering with the findings. If they knew that they were being observed, they could alter the results of the findings to favor the study. The observer was patient enough to follow these tourists around without their suspicion. This observer had a wide knowledge of various non-verbal cues and was able to encode the non-verbal cues of the tourists during their conversations. In other situations, the observer ensured that he interacted with both the Chinese and American tourists and provided them with questionnaires to fill in regard to how they felt about each other. What drew me to this particular topic was the various complain I have heard about the behaviors of Chinese tourists in western countries. Since I have never had that experience with the Chinese tourists, I decided to make my observations to have conclusive evidence. Moreover, this information has always been one sided and from it, I gathered that most Asians especially the Chinese are discriminated against by the westerners based on their ethnicity and racial situations. The main problem that arose in the course of this study was the language barrier since it was difficult to understand the Chinese language. However, I had enrolled the services of an interpreter to make the interpretation. Moreover, some of the individuals interviewed had a problem with volunteering information. Some of them felt like it was a trap for them. I had to give them my assurance that the results of the study were completely confidential and no names would be mentioned for the sake of safeguarding their identity. I had my fare share of experience with both the westerners and the Chinese with Chinese food being the major challenge during my short stay in Beijing china for my study. Findings From the study conducted, both the Chinese and the Americans have contradicting views about each other. The Americans coded the Chinese as being rude, and unfamiliar with the ways and behaviors of the foreign countries. However, such Chinese tourists are always laden with cash to spend and most countries are happy when they tour them due to the amount of cash they bring with them (Lee 1). Most of the American individuals interviewed on the topic reviewed that Chinese individuals have a tendency of spitting in public, which is quite disgusting, and also using high pitch outdoor voices inside residential places or hotels. Moreover, such Chinese individuals are also fond of speaking loudly while having their meals which most westerners view as lack of table manners. In some American hotels, there are set specific locations for Chinese tourists. Most Chinese individuals are set to stay in the most luxurious locations of the hotels while their westerners’ counterparts are set on lower or rural parts of the hotels. Though it is evident that Chinese in such situations are set in different locations form the Chinese due to their contribution towards tourism sector, some of the westerners feel less comfortable dining with their Chinese counterparts. That is why they are set at different locations of the hotels. On their part, the Chinese also had their view of the westerners especially the American individuals. There have been numerous anti-western sentiments especially among the youths of that country (Li 1). Due to inability to understand the English language better in china, most of them have various stereotypes that they have labeled against the westerners especially those in USA. They stereotype the Americans as more competitive and expensive to deal with. They marvel at the way the Americans live alone in large personal spaces, which are quite limited in china. Moreover, due to numerous numbers of fast foods in china today, the Chinese view the westerners’ lifestyle and diet as quite unhealthy. They feel that the western individuals are far less concerned about their health than the Chinese individuals do. Moreover, since Chinese individuals are fond of sharing food with others, thus the way Americans are fond of eating alone is selfish according to such Chinese individuals. Discussion In many western countries, Asian individuals are seen as model immigrants who are successful and well integrated. Such Asians are faced with racism of low level where they are expected to live by the expectations set forth by the westerners (Cripps 2). Failure to do so, they are greatly ridiculed or criticized. That is why in most situations, Asians are not allowed to mingle freely with westerners because they do not follow the set guidelines of the westerners. As a result, they are viewed as rude and failing to follow the required etiquette. Westerners find it ironic that Chinese individuals for instance are not used to tipping waiters in restaurants. They wonder aloud why such individuals with the amount of money they have cannot tip off waiters since there are waiters with meager salaries who survive on tips. The westerners fail to understand the point of view of such Asians but rather judge and discriminate them based on such information that is not even important in the first place. Westerners should learn to appreciate such Asians for who they are because at the end of the day, the money is theirs and they do with it whatever they please. Most westerners have established various stereotypes against the Asians thus preventing good interrelation between them. The only reason most individuals are learning Asian languages like Chinese is to maximize on the evident economic breakthrough of such Asian countries like china (Levin 4). It is not a wonder to find various international airports with Asian writings since individuals from Asian countries appreciate any individual who is able to speak or understand their language. Thus, the only interest the westerners have on the Asian individuals is the amount of money they are able to dig from them. This is discrimination of the highest order since Asians need to be appreciated for who they are and not for what they can offer. In another study conducted, western men find Asian men more exotic and alluring than the Asian men on western women (Scollon, Scollon and Jones 8). Asian women residing in America are more likely to marry outside their race than the American Asian men. Though this is a good thing, practically it is a sign of discrimination. It is ironic how most westerners cannot stand Asians especially in hotels or public places. However, when it comes to their women, they develop a sense of being attracted to them. Most scholars point out that the attractiveness of Asian women on the eyes of westerners lies in their spirit of yielding and submission. The westerns in pursuit of Asian women are only interested in taming Asian society in general. This model of femininity is more appealing to more traditional western men who have a great sense of reservations about the impact femininity has on beauty and even gender. Though not all western men are driven by such backward fantasies, these urges contribute to the view of the Asian women in the past. It is able to explain the reason why the relationships between Asian women and western men are more prevalent compared to those between Asian men and western women. The unattractiveness that Asian men have on western world women is accounted for by the perception of them as too effeminate physically and too patriarchal in the social domain. The westerners view the Asian men as being too reserved and dexterous for their liking (Yoo, Le and Oda 34). Though the patriarchal social domain of these Asian individuals is quite a turn off, it should not be a basis for their discrimination by the westerners especially women. The reason is that is their way of life and it is too unfortunate for most westerners to generalize all Asians and let the character of some of the Asians to affect the whole of the Asian population of men. Moreover, the westerners should look beyond the negative qualities of such Asian men which to the westerners are a turn off. Instead, they should focus on the other positive qualities of the Asian men being industrious for instance (Wainwright 32). The stereotypes that the westerners have formed on Asian men and the whole population for instance should not be a basis for discrimination. They should be in a position to understand them better before discriminating against them and find out some of their strong points because there is no one perfect in this world. Everyone has their own negative side and if that would be a basis for discrimination, then everyone in the whole world would be discriminated against. In addition, it is evident that most of the Asians who misbehave in foreign countries do so because of being illiterate. Picture an illiterate but industrious individual with loads of cash. What can prevent them from feeling the heat that comes with a full pocket? It is evident that the more educated Asian individuals are better behaved than those with little or no levels of education are at all (Shen 2). For instance, middle aged Chinese men or older ones tend to behave more unruly because they received little or no education at all during the time china was facing political tumultuous. Since most of them are not even fluent in English or know none at all, there is no way they can have the knowledge of the culture of other countries or individuals. Such are the kind of people who make the generalization of Chinese or Asian men as those who do not follow the rules and etiquette in other westernized countries. Thus, they have discriminated against all Asian individuals based on the chosen few who misbehave in foreign countries due to illiteracy levels. The fact that Asian especially the Chinese are not allowed to mingle freely in some hotels in the United States and in other western countries is also a sign of discrimination. Westerners should learn to appreciate the Asian people and seize creating excuses for the sake of acting differently towards Asians. Other studies conducted also indicate the possibility of discrimination against the Asians. In 2001 for instance, US laws against ethnic-Chinese migrations continued to operate in some of the states including Wyoming (Whang 1). In 2011 to date, perpetrators who long for impunity who indicate that their behaviors fall within the expected norm continually look down Asians upon. For instance, a superstar basketball who was born in the United States but has Asian Origins, Jeremy Lin was once stereotyped and called names like the ‘kung fu grip.’ Moreover, in the clash of the of an Asian flight number 214, a certain broadcast station in California known as KTVU broadcasted a list of fake names just because they are from Asia. In another controversial situation, a band based in Los Angeles released sexist and racist lyrics video dubbed Asian Galz and defended it saying that it was a celebration of Asian women. Jimmy Kimmel of ABC also aired a segment claiming that the United States should kill all the Chinese population to solve its $1.3 trillion balance of trade with china. The issue of discrimination on the Asian has not recently started. It is a move that have existed for a long time now. For instance, in 1995, a certain Us federal commission discovered that Asian Americans were less paid in most of the categories of occupation even after gaining the same level of education and having the same level of qualifications with the other westerners. The findings concluded that racial difference contributed to the difference in treatment of the Asians and the whites. Another study conducted in 2009 by various sociologists found out that Asian Americans had to score at least one hundred and forty points more than whites did in a specific standardized exam before they were allowed to join admission in most of the top universities. Even today, Asians who represent an approximated 5% of the total population in the United States continue to face underrepresentation as a minority group in movies. Hollywood is yet to allow an Asian male to star in movies unless it is a movie that does not separate them from their given identity of a foreigner with specific martial arts. In such films, the Asian female are often shown as those sexually available to Caucasians and in some instances African Americans while their fellow Asian males are often desexualized and never shown as succeeding in their given relationships. According to those studies conducted, negative perceptions in the media are seen to be the reasons behind the failing relationships. In other situations, the Asians are often discriminated against and become a loving stock among the westerners due to their physical characteristics. For instance, most individuals make fun of the Chinese eyes indicating that they often have difficulties in seeing. Conclusion There exists discrimination against the Asians in most western countries. This discrimination exists in all aspects ranging from the various stereotypes that they have been given to their point of association. Most of the westerners alienate themselves from associating with the Asian because they require them to behave in a certain way that the Asians are not used to. Moreover, most of the western countries are only attracted to the Asians due to the benefit they bring to their tourism industries. Due to the amount of money, that Asians especially the Chinese people bring with them when they tour foreign countries, such western countries have even started learning their Asian language. Most of these western individuals seem to be only attracted to the Asians due to the benefit they have on their countries economy. Nevertheless, when it comes to other aspects including association between the two, they start discriminating against them. In most instances, the Asians are discriminated against before joining the famous universities in the western countries. They have to achieve over 140 points more than the western individuals in certain subsidiary tests that they are tested with. Moreover, such Asians especially the ones living in America are not allocated equal employment opportunities when it comes to job opportunities despite having the same qualifications as the western counterparts. They are also discriminated against when it comes to the romantic relationships established. Most individual men from western countries are attracted to Asian women due to their submissive nature. They are attracted to the fact that such Asian women can easily submit to them unlike most of the fellow western women who are guided by the act of feminism. Thus, such Asian men are only attracted to the Asian men due to the benefit they can get from them. In other instances, Asian men are stereotyped as being so patriarchal thus, they are not favorable among the western women generation. Such stereotypes are a sign of discrimination because not all Asian men are the same. Generalizing all of them is where the problem emerges. The other stereotype of remarking all Asians especially the Chinese as a rude is also a point of discrimination. The rudeness problem is mostly prevalent among the illiterate population of such Asian men. Such Asian men do not know how to communicate in the English language. The only language that they are able to communicate in is their native language. Thus, telling such individuals to abide by the customs of other western countries is like speaking in tongues to them. Such individuals cause all the Asians especially the Chinese to be labeled as rude. Studies have shown that most of the educated Asians are more civilized and understand the cultures of other countries especially the western countries. Thus, it is so unfortunate that most westerners discriminate against Asians on the bases of them being form different races. Governments in both the Asian and western countries should ensure that they advocate for equality for all. They should come up with forums where both the Asians and the westerners understand each other better. With a better understanding, the stereotypes and the discrimination labeled against them can reduce significantly. Moreover, with better understanding, the two can collaborate to diversify and improve the productivity of their continents for the mutual benefit of the two and other individuals around the globe. Works Cited Cripps, Karla. Chinese Tourism: The good, the bad and the backlash. 12 April 2013. . Lee, Annie. Chinese tourists are more valued and respected by foreigners after 10 years? 9 April 2010. . Levin, Dan. Wooing, and Also Resenting, Chinese Tourists. 16 September 2013. . Li, Amy. Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights. Saturday 3 August 2013. . Scollon, Ronald, Suzanne B K Scollon and Rodney H Jones. Intercultural communication : a discourse approach. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Servando, Kristine. How North Korea is coping with uncouth tourists from China. 5 August 2013. . Shen, Frances Chi-Hui. Validating the Internalization of Asian American Stereotypes Scale. New-York: ProQuest, 2008. Wainwright, Jon S. Racial Discrimination and Minority Business Enterprise. New York: Routledge, 2014. Whang, Jung Heum. Body Politics of the Asian American Woman. New York: ProQuest, 2009. Yoo, Grace J, Mai-Nhung Le and Alan Y Oda. Handbook of Asian American health. New York: Springer, 2013. Read More