Stereotyping places unreasonable expectations on Asians

By Courtney Ng     3/19/09 7:00pm

There was a moment during the recent Student Association elections when I experienced a feeling I don't think I ever expected to encounter at Rice - I felt ashamed.While reading the ballots for the Rice Student Volunteer Program candidates, I came across a write-in ballot that read, "some Asian girl." It is difficult to express in words how that comment made me feel, but I can come close by calling it an overall sensation of embarrassment, sadness and anger. In that moment, I was ashamed to be an RSVP member, to be a Rice student and most of all, I was ashamed of being Asian myself.

To most people, that reaction might be considered extreme or even unfounded, considering that the comment was obviously meant to be a joke that poked fun at the common conception about RSVP's racial makeup - that we are all Asian. While that idea is not only untrue, it also overlooks an important point about the purpose of RSVP. Since we are funded by blanket tax money, which is composed of the Student Activities fee we all pay as Rice students, all Rice students are technically RSVP members.

Even if you think you are unfamiliar with what RSVP does, you have probably encountered us at least once in your Rice career. We organize Outreach Days, awareness weeks that address several social issues, carnivals for children such as Project Pumpkin and Spring Fling and we collaborate on a regular basis with other volunteer organizations to ensure that volunteer opportunities are available at all times to Rice students. In short, we are passionate, hardworking, diverse individuals. We are not simply Asian.

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Perhaps the reason the write-in ballot angered me so much is because this is not an isolated occurrence of racism against Asians at Rice. Not only was the same ballot written-in during last year's elections and not removed during the entire elections period, but it was printed on the Backpage of The Rice Thresher this year.

Furthermore, in the two years I have been at Rice, I have heard countless comments about the racial backgrounds of those involved with RSVP and volunteerism. I believe that these racist comments place a stigma on volunteering that makes the experience seem limited to one type of person, which discourages other students from getting involved with our programs.

Some might argue that associating volunteerism with Asians isn't a form of racism because volunteerism is a positive act. To those critics, I say that Asians do suffer from positive stereotyping, as they experience pressure to be good at certain things and feel like failures when they are not. At the same time, when Asians do succeed, people might view them as doing so because they are Asian, which diminishes the satisfaction they receive in their unique achievements.

Personally, as a multiracial Asian and white female who studies anthropology, loves to write and dance and occasionally struggles to grasp basic algebra concepts, I have always been haunted by positive stereotyping. It seems that when I am taking part in activities that people see as "Asian," such as volunteering, I am being unoriginal by conforming to others' expectations of me. Simultaneously, if I pursue a field in which Asians are underrepresented, I feel like an "other," an outsider who is betraying her Asian roots.

The worst aspect of positive stereotyping is that it overlooks those Asians who are struggling with the same hardships that people of all races deal with - financial difficulties, schoolwork and even social pressures. As author Frank H. Wu writes in his book, Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White, "It is the stereotyping itself, not the positive or negative valence it assumes temporarily that is dangerous. . A stereotype confines its subjects." Therefore, stereotyping volunteerism as an act only carried out by Asians confines the appeal of that act to one group, thereby alienating students of other racial groups.

At the same time, it makes Asians who are involved with volunteer organizations feel as though they are doing what they are expected to do, which downplays their personal investment and the value of their work.

While this column was not intended in any way to condemn a single person, organization or even Rice as a whole for these racist comments, I can only hope that in the future the Student Association, the Thresher and other Rice students will have a more heightened awareness about the damage these comments can do.

I also implore the SA and the Thresher not to condone such comments by leaving them on the elections ballot or by printing them in our school newspaper. Doing so not only offends other Asian students, whom I have spoken with and who feel similarly about what occurred, but it does not fare well for Rice's image on a local and global scale. Anyone from outside of our university who read that comment might very well have assumed that all Rice students feel it is okay to stereotype Asians, which is not only untrue now, but which I hope will become even more inaccurate in the future as we continue to raise awareness about racism against Asians.

Above all, I hope that the end to this form of covert stereotyping will not only mean some relief for Asian students at Rice, but that it will also see the increased involvement of the student body in volunteerism on a regular basis. RSVP and many of its partner organizations work tirelessly to get students off campus and make Houston a better city for all of its residents. To diminish that work in the form of racism is perhaps the most insulting way to attack the noble cause of volunteerism. We are all part of a university that prides itself on its diversity, global-mindedness and compassion for others. This is why I continue to dedicate my time to RSVP and why I am speaking out now, because I believe that as informed and intelligent students, we can always, always do better.

Courtney Ng is a Hanszen College sophomore.

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