"I am... I am not"

"I am..... Asian.."

"I am not nor do I care to be the top of the class and proficient in every school subject".

This was the main activity during the Diversity Dialogues held at the library last Friday December 8, 2017.  We were asked to fold our blank 8 by 10 inch pieces of paper in half and title one "I am" and "I am not" on either sides of the fold. Now, what you decide to do with these dialogues was completely up to the person. You could either be vague and indefinite by saying something like "I am a blond, but I am not dumb" like Dr. J did as an example in front of the group. However, you could also choose to be personal and in depth by saying something like, ""I am Asian and I am not--nor do I care to be--the top of the class and proficient in every school subject" like I did.

And then, this got me thinking... why did I even write this? Why is it that I, myself, even think I need to be smart because of my race? Because of stereotypes? But how did these stereotypes even evolve and become engraved into my mind at such a young age? Ever since I was young, people I didn't even know expected me to become a doctor, engineer, scientist, and I even once had someone suggest becoming a botanist! First off, what is botany anyways?

We then started to discuss, as a group, how these stereotypes came to exist in our world. Some people suggested media, literature, expectations, and cultural norms. Like because we live in America, we're expected to be "fat"... However I'm an American, and I don't believe I'm that over weight.. Or am I? But why does this even matter?

Tying this back to the TC book, I think intersectionality and the social construction of gender play a big role in stereotypes. For example, because i'm Asian, have what you may say are "chinky" eyes (however I don't think my eyes are that chinky) and eat rice, I'm already pre-expected to be a math GOD. However, I suck at math, I hate science, and i'm probably below or not even near the middle of the class rank. Because of my cultural background and ethnicity, I'm suppose to live up to a standard that isn't even proven factual. How can someone say that Asians are scientifically proven to be smarter than any other race in the world? But for some reason, even though we don't have the facts to prove this, people still believe it.

Also, the social construction of gender plays a big role in this too. Like because I'm a girl, it's a stereotype that I'm suppose to be dumber than the normal man, run or play sports like a "girl" (what ever that is supposed to mean) and that just because I'm on my period, that gives me a reason/excuse to be a bitch. However, I know for a fact that none of these are actually correct.

Overall, I learned that media plays a big role in setting stereotypes for any person of any race/gender/group. Also, that it takes just one person to start a change and put a stop to these stereotypes. The activities we did and discussions we had were great and eye opening, and I cannot wait to attend another one of these.