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By Yongshi
When I was little I hated my race. I didn’t like being Asian. I didn’t like eating the same old boring rice everyday. I didn’t like how my family was so loud and I didn’t like how I was stuck in a caste that I couldn’t get out of. I never liked the stereotypes about Asians. Like how we are chinky just because most of us have mono eyelids or how every Asian gets good grade because our parents are strict. Sometimes stereotypes can lead to new stereotypes. Like how Asians can’t drive because they are chinky and can’t see.
These stereotypes caused me to lower my self-esteem and at one point also caused me to stress. I remember during elementary school, I would always get twos on my report card, which isn’t a good thing, and my reading level was always lower than the passing level. This made me feel like I was not Asian and that I couldn’t fit in the way mainstream society wants me to.
But when I got my grades up things got worst. People would copy off of me on my homework and classwork. They say that because I’m Asian, my answers must be correct. This made me feel mad. “Why are they getting credit for something they didn’t do?” “ Why am I doing all the hard work while they just chill and take my answers?” “ Why am I not doing anything about it?” These questions filled my head and soon I realized that I was the one who let them get credit, I was the one who let them copy me, I was the one who never told the teacher, I never did anything to stop it. I was scared. Scared to get beat up for not letting them copy me, scared to get bullied like in movies where the mean girls embarrasses the weak girl in front of everybody.
But soon I discovered Ryan Higa from YouTube, as well as Kevjumba, Mychonny, and Wongfu Production. These people changed my life. These Asian Youtubers showed me that not every Asian stays home all day to study. I found out that even Asians can be funny, even Asians can make their family proud of them without getting good grades. Even Asians can have fun. So so what if I can’t drive? With my good grades I can earn plenty of money and get a personal driver, so what if I eat rice everyday? According to www.newhealthguide.org, rice is good for you and it provides many nutrients and heath benefits. So what if my family is loud, this shows that we are proud to be Asian without being embarrassed. Right now I am a freshmen in high school and I am proud to say that I’m Asian.