ENG ESSAY. Mistaken Identity. Literature & Language

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Mistaken Identity
What happens when you work hard and strive for excellence only to have your hard work and determination washed down by a stereotype? Well, in her essay Positive Stereotypes are Hurtful, Too, Hailey Yook writes a compelling and moving account of how all stereotypes are detrimental to people’s wellbeing. Her focus is on how Americans of Asian descent often have their achievements, especially in academics, tarnished by the statement “You’re so Asian” (Yook, 126). Apparently, the world expects Americans of Asian descent to be academically gifted. Every academic achievement is made to feel like a product of one’s Asian genes which is further from the truth. To a great extent, the world has welcomed these stereotypes which prove harmless to the intended party. Yook insists that even these positive stereotypes are harmful as well. Borrowing from Yook’s essay, this paper seeks to showcase that even what society refers to as positive stereotypes are destructive and that they could be part of the often ignored racist generalizations that often end up discriminatory towards an entire race.
In her article, Yook focuses on the often propagated idea that all Americans of Asian descent are gifted academically or as she says can be “perceived as nerds” (Yook, 126). Well, even though the entire world appears to be okay with this stereotype, Yook notes that like all stereotypes, this also strips “people of their individuality and alienate them for not meeting the standards that imposed upon them” (Yook, 126). Generalizations tend to ignore an individual’s character, goals, personality, likes, and dislikes, passion, etc. They strip all the above from a person and consider them a part of a whole. When such stereotypes are used, the obvious response is laughter and the conversation continues as before. However, what many fail to understand is how they can reduce one’s achievements and success to a stereotype. Instead of being recognized for who one is, someone gets recognized for being a part of a race. One’s identity gets buried deep in the stereotypes, and they simply become a replica.
It matters greatly how people view another person. For example, my use of the phrase Americans of Asian descent is a way to acknowledge that anyone who fits this category is first of all American. It is unfair that all minority groups often have their ancestry as the first name. For example, African Americans, Asian Americans, etc. For Alton Fitzgerald White, being black gave him an experience that will stay with him for years. White was moving on with his life as he always does and on Friday, June 6, 1999, he found out that he was not truly free. His face and the stereotypes against Americans of African descent gave him away. Even though he was well-behaved, “was a good person, and always told the truth,” he found himself in a cell together with criminals (White, 1). To the police, it was “standard procedure,” but to White and the three other “innocent black men,” this was because of stereotypes against Americans of African descent. The police did not care that these men are sepa...