What are some main sterotypes americans have about chinese people?

Question

What are some main sterotypes americans have about chinese people?

Answer 1

Let’s admit it, everybody has stereotypes toward things around the world. Stereotypes make people overestimate or underestimate others, but no matter what images they are, they are still false images. As an international student who came to the United States three years ago, I encounter many stereotypes either from Americans to Chinese people, or the other way round. Sometimes I feel offended or confused when some Americans assume things about me or take something for granted. And at the same time, I also made mistakes by assuming what Americans are like. In an effort to avoid unhappiness among people, I want to clarify some false images held by Americans and Chinese people toward each other.

First of all, I want to correct the stereotypes of Chinese people.

Maybe it's because of the influence of some Hollywood movies, but some Americans assume all Chinese people are like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi – that is, Chinese people know kung fu. However, this is a big mistake.

Actually, such kung-fu fighters just appear in movies. In China, there are certainly people who practice kung fu, but most of them do it just for maintaining good health, not for fighting.

This stereotype brings many troubles to Chinese people. One of my friends – a Chinese-American who lived in Los Angeles – said that when he was in high school, some American students asked him to have a fight with them because they assumed he knew kung fu, like Jackie Chan in "Rush Hour." They wanted to know if they could beat Jackie Chan. However, my friend is a normal person and knows nothing about kung fu. These fights, which are caused by a stereotype, usually lead to harming Chinese people physically and psychologically.

The second point I want to clarify is that not all Chinese people are excellent in math or science subjects. Many Americans assume this to be true. However, that is not the case, and I can exemplify this by using my own experience. I am Chinese but I was never good at math. In fact, when I was in high school, I always got a C for my math grade, and sometimes even a D.

In my intercultural communication class, my instructor said that in some American high schools, teachers put Asian students into classes dedicated to students good at math. However, these teachers do not really understand these students’ math abilities, they just assume the students are good at math because they are Asians. In this case, if the students are actually not good at math, these classes can really kill them. Although this stereotype tends to put Asians in a good light, overestimating people is still bad and brings unnecessary troubles to them.

The third stereotype, which I think is the most extreme, is that some Americans think Chinese people hate white people. A white American even asked me whether a Chinese person would shoot him if he were seen in China. I think this is the worst stereotype I hear about.

Certainly, I cannot represent the whole population of Chinese people, but for this stereotype, I totally disagree. When I was in high school, I had several white instructors, and my classmates and I respected them just as we respected other teachers. And when I worked in a government office, I had some Portuguese coworkers and we got along well. From what I observe, Chinese people have no problem getting along with white people, except for when they are too shy.

After talking about the stereotypes Americans have toward Chinese people, I will talk about the stereotypes held by the Chinese toward Americans.

First of all, before I came to the United States, many of my Chinese friends and I thought Americans were very open in their relationships. We thought they liked to change girlfriends or boyfriends occasionally. However, now that I know more Americans, I found this belief to be a big mistake.

Maybe that's because of the influence of the media, such as the famous TV show “Sex and the City,” which is broadcast on a Hong Kong television station and watched by many Chinese people. Many people thought Americans could never maintain stable relationships with their partners – well, after all, Carrie and Samantha change partners almost every episode.

However, when I came to America, I found that was not the case. Some Americans I know maintain very good relationships with their partners. For example, my host sister has dated her boyfriend for about four years, and this year they are going to get married.

Now I know that whether a person likes to maintain stable relationship does not depend on a person’s nationality, but on his or her personality. Every country has people who like short-term relationships; we think Americans are especially like that just because of the influence of American movies and television dramas. It was not until I came to the United States that I found this stereotype to be totally wrong.

Another stereotype people have is that America is a junk-food nation filled with unhealthy people. I think what led to this stereotype is that many American-based companies which expand their businesses into China are related to fast food, such as McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In the Chinese viewpoint, fast food is junk food and will lead to obesity. In this case, when some Chinese people think of Americans, they relate them to unhealthy fast-food shops, and then they think about obesity.

However, when I came to the United States, I realized it was not the case. Many Americans live healthy lives: They do yoga, go to the gym and eat organic food. I think there are unhealthy and healthy people in every country, and Chinese people may stereotype America as a junk-food country because they use their concept of McDonald’s to define the whole American population.

The third stereotype held is that the United States is a dangerous place to live. Famous Hollywood films, such as "Miami Vice" and "Mission: Impossible III," display America as a place filled with violence. Moreover, television news and newspapers in China report the violence acts in American high schools and colleges. These images make many people believe the United States is an aggressive nation.

When I first decided to further my education in the United States, my belief that the U.S. was a very dangerous place was one of the reasons I was hesitant to come here. However, when I came here, I found out it just the opposite. When I was in Seattle and Los Angeles, I neither encountered any violence act nor harassments. For these three years, I lived a very peaceful and happy life. I understand that the way of life, not the country I stay in, most affects peace of life.

No matter what kind of stereotypes you hold, they are bad because they lead to false assumptions about other people and hurt those who are falsely presumed. You cannot judge the personality of a person based on the contents of the media – especially movies and TV drama – because they usually exaggerate the extremes and hide the normal. Next time you encounter people from other nations, try to throw away your presumptions and know them through getting along with each other.

Answer 2

smart and hard workers,i don't see a lot of them on government  aid

Answer 3

theyr yellow

Answer 4

Oh Jesus...I'm chinese so... well, some of the most common ones are;

1. Chinese people can't drive

2. We're good at math (pretty much true)

3. Ping-pong/badminton

4. We see everything in widescreen

5. Americans often mistaken Chinese with Asian

6. Shop at Costco and Walmart, essentially cheap

7. Spiky hair.

8. Chinese parents beat their kids for getting B's

9. Overall Chinese parents are really really stern.

Most people don't use these as insults, but demonstrate them in a friendly way as a joke.  I actually tell Chinese jokes more than Americans.

Answer 5

that they are smart.

Answer 6

They own hand laundries

Answer 7

that they play some instrument really well or are really smart and nerdy, I guess I've known to many Chinese people to buy into those though :-)

Answer 8

#1 QUESTION IN THE WRONG SECTION!

#2 all look the same

#3 good with numbers

#4 love rice

#5 the woman are niave and love white men.

Answer 9

1) Can't drive

2) All know kung fu

3) All do tai chi in the park

4) Still can't drive

5) Like chinese food

6) Ride bicycles

7) Jackie Chan is not Chinese

8) Are incapable of saying the letter "r"

9) Are really good at building railroads

and the number 10 stereotype some Americans have about Chinese people....

10) Are great with math, small objects and are some of the politest d**n people on the entire planet

BTW.... you DID ask for stereotypes, which are lame and outlandish by definition......

Answer 10

they all look alike/sound the same, they all own cleaners, they all own nail polish shops...i hate stereotypes....my best friend was Chinese (I say was because we both moved and we dont keep in touch as often) and she hated when stupid people came into our work and used those stereotypes...she used to get mad!!

Answer 11

Chinese woman are attractive. The people are wise. The Chinese that migrate to the US are very hard working.

I admire hard working people with good values.

Answer 12

short, with the exception of Yao Ming

skinny

good work ethic

good at math

squinty eyes

do laundry

eat cats

eat dogs

eat rice

own restaurants

.....what is the point of this?

Answer 13

they eat a lot of rice!!! (not that thats a bad thing or anything)

they are good at math and science and computers

they eat dogs (or is that just thailand or something- i dunno...)

Answer 14

i hate how a non asians will try to talk like them by saying "ching chang chong" its stupid and annoying.

Answer 15

I must open with, I don't hold these personally!

All Asian people look alike

they all eat rice

they are all good in math

they don't speak English

they don't talk to their neighbors

Answer 16

- They are short.

- They are infatuated with cameras.

- They all look like Hiro Nakamura.

- There are alot of them.

- They eat lots of rice and wear funny hats in the rice fields.

- Their cuisine really is loaded with MSG and sugar.

- They like to eat cats instead of chicken.

- They all know Karate and can kick the c**p out of us, even though we are much bigger than they are.

Answer 17

That they are good at math and know Karate

Answer 18

like people in china, or chinese-americans? well here's for chinese people actually living in china

maybe that they aren't as family-oriented b/c they only have one or two kids.

or

they force their kids to work too hard at school

Answer 19

I don't really understand why you're asking this question, except maybe to pin us all as racists.

That said, they're super smart, care about grades and school, can't drive, smell like moth balls, and are taking over.

Answer 20

that the are all smart and skinny

Answer 21

That they would wok the dog....but seriously I keep hearing that they do not age as fast. They look younger than they are.

Answer 22

that they see wide not tall

Answer 23

That they eat cats, are very small,  and intelligent. stuck-up,ie not wanting to mix with americans, and taht womens genital area is sideways.This is a list of things i've heard from people and ARE NOT MY VIEWS!!! My idea is that God made us all.

Answer 24

Ones I've heard....  

They have a built in calculator, they look alike, everything Chinese sounds the same, most people in China work in toy factories, they're short, parents are cruel (As in, they just expect the absolute best), and they think they're better than everyone else.  

Wait, I think that last one's a Japanese stereotype, nevermind.  

Why, may I ask?  

Also, why's this in the Environment board?