More Than Just a Stereotype
by Elijah Wu
In my history class a couple of years ago, I learned about how Chinese families left their lives in China and came over to America to seek a new life, and many of them were given jobs such as helping build the transcontinental railroad. I learned about the hard conditions of life and the racism that they faced. I was surprised at how badly Chinese people were treated, as they had to buy their own supplies, they were paid thirty percent less than the average white man, and were separated into Chinese-only work camps. The Chinese immigrants were usually also given the most dangerous part of building the railroad, which was handling nitroglycerin, (which is highly explosive and dangerous) to blow away a path for the transcontinental railroad to go through mountains and hills. I feel downcast that this kind of treatment and prejudice happened to people of the same ethnicity that I am.
Through my thirteen years of living in America, I have experienced relatively little racism compared to others who told me about their personal experiences of being called bad names and being discriminated against by groups. Being an Asian boy, I am surprised that I face little racism on a team that consists of mainly Hispanic and white teammates. I am really grateful for the respect and genial feelings that my teammates give me whenever we are together on the field playing a game or in practice, doing drills. Our collaborations will bond us together and will overcome the fact that we are different races, and we forget the fact that we are of different ethnicities.
When I tell people that my favorite subject is “math,” or “science,” they respond, “Yeah that’s what I expected you to say.” It is nice to be known to study hard, but the truth is that Asians do all the things and activities that people of other races do. This stereotype of Asians only studying hard is a sub-standard representation of Asians, as reality is so different from ideas of races that our brains form based on not-always-true statements. Asians are a lot more than our typical stereotypes, and our rich cultures cultivated from thousands of years ago show that we cannot be expressed by our stereotypes. Paintings, calligraphy, and poetry, passed down through generations of dynasties show that Chinese are people with deep culture, and I think that each race’s culture should be respected. Racist treatment is quite sordid, and it causes people to have disquietude when they meet another person from another race.
As a minority, I used to think racism as an irrepressible force, but the more that I think about this, the more it is unfair. I want to keep striving to stop racism as much as possible. People need to comprehend the fact that everyone is equal, and that racism really does not make sense, because you are degrading other people’s status just because of their skin color, or how their language sounds. I want people to be treated like equals because that is what they are, and stereotypes will not help fix divisions, as they will only make things worse.
Judges' Comments
This writer reflects on difficult past histories and compares it to his own present day experiences. Wonderful job! - A.K.
The author is surprised at the racism faced by the Chinese immigrants when he compares his experience growing up in an environment where he enjoys a close bond with his friends from different races with little in the way of the stark racial treatment suffered by the earlier immigrants. He refuses to be stereotyped and wants others to learn that the Chinese culture is broader than just being good at the hard sciences. He concludes that stereotyping is a form of racism, and grapples with how to combat it. It is heartening that his awareness of racism raises many questions for him. - K.K.L.
This is such a strong essay – I really love how the writer draws on history and uses the tough facts they learn to think about their own life and the importance of spaces of belonging. I love how the author organizes this essay as well – moving from history, to the present and the author’s own life, to a final understanding that racism can and should be fought. Beautiful work!!! - S.T.
by Elijah Wu
In my history class a couple of years ago, I learned about how Chinese families left their lives in China and came over to America to seek a new life, and many of them were given jobs such as helping build the transcontinental railroad. I learned about the hard conditions of life and the racism that they faced. I was surprised at how badly Chinese people were treated, as they had to buy their own supplies, they were paid thirty percent less than the average white man, and were separated into Chinese-only work camps. The Chinese immigrants were usually also given the most dangerous part of building the railroad, which was handling nitroglycerin, (which is highly explosive and dangerous) to blow away a path for the transcontinental railroad to go through mountains and hills. I feel downcast that this kind of treatment and prejudice happened to people of the same ethnicity that I am.
Through my thirteen years of living in America, I have experienced relatively little racism compared to others who told me about their personal experiences of being called bad names and being discriminated against by groups. Being an Asian boy, I am surprised that I face little racism on a team that consists of mainly Hispanic and white teammates. I am really grateful for the respect and genial feelings that my teammates give me whenever we are together on the field playing a game or in practice, doing drills. Our collaborations will bond us together and will overcome the fact that we are different races, and we forget the fact that we are of different ethnicities.
When I tell people that my favorite subject is “math,” or “science,” they respond, “Yeah that’s what I expected you to say.” It is nice to be known to study hard, but the truth is that Asians do all the things and activities that people of other races do. This stereotype of Asians only studying hard is a sub-standard representation of Asians, as reality is so different from ideas of races that our brains form based on not-always-true statements. Asians are a lot more than our typical stereotypes, and our rich cultures cultivated from thousands of years ago show that we cannot be expressed by our stereotypes. Paintings, calligraphy, and poetry, passed down through generations of dynasties show that Chinese are people with deep culture, and I think that each race’s culture should be respected. Racist treatment is quite sordid, and it causes people to have disquietude when they meet another person from another race.
As a minority, I used to think racism as an irrepressible force, but the more that I think about this, the more it is unfair. I want to keep striving to stop racism as much as possible. People need to comprehend the fact that everyone is equal, and that racism really does not make sense, because you are degrading other people’s status just because of their skin color, or how their language sounds. I want people to be treated like equals because that is what they are, and stereotypes will not help fix divisions, as they will only make things worse.
Judges' Comments
This writer reflects on difficult past histories and compares it to his own present day experiences. Wonderful job! - A.K.
The author is surprised at the racism faced by the Chinese immigrants when he compares his experience growing up in an environment where he enjoys a close bond with his friends from different races with little in the way of the stark racial treatment suffered by the earlier immigrants. He refuses to be stereotyped and wants others to learn that the Chinese culture is broader than just being good at the hard sciences. He concludes that stereotyping is a form of racism, and grapples with how to combat it. It is heartening that his awareness of racism raises many questions for him. - K.K.L.
This is such a strong essay – I really love how the writer draws on history and uses the tough facts they learn to think about their own life and the importance of spaces of belonging. I love how the author organizes this essay as well – moving from history, to the present and the author’s own life, to a final understanding that racism can and should be fought. Beautiful work!!! - S.T.