In Erin Sharp’s composition entitled Burger Queen, she recounts her experiences meeting people from all walks of life while working in a fast food chain. Ms. Sharp laments that many people are judgmental, stating, “People told I go to Cornell view me as bright and ambitious. Put me behind a counter at McDonald’s, however, and I am usually assumed to be a high school dropout with fifteen unseen piercings.” (Sharp, 2002, p. 116). I can personally understand her frustration about people stereotyping others based on where they come from and what they do. It doesn’t matter if you are rich, poor, educated or not, stereotyping comes from people from all walks of life, causes one to be discriminated against, and disrespects one’s identity.
Living in China for over half a decade, I have had many different encounters with stereotyping. As part of an international community, I meet a lot of Americans, interact with them on a daily basis and it became natural to me to even speak like them, with the occasional non-American mispronunciation slip. Many other Americans I meet for the first time ask me where I am from in America. It blows their mind that I am actually Malaysian, then they are shocked and respond “But you have no accent!”, “You sound American to me!”, or “Did you spend some time in America?”. Thus, I am assumed to be American based on the way that I speak. People easily assign tags to others based on what they see or hear, which is really a natural thing to do.
On the very opposite end of the spectrum, the local Chinese think I am Chinese based on the way I look. Needless to say, I blend in very well with everyone else in China, but sometimes people can tell that I dress a little differently. Nevertheless, sometimes I am treated poorly because of how I look. When I first visited my colleagues at a more international residence, I was interrogated by the ladies working in the building, “Where are you going? What do you think you are doing? Who are you?” with a tone as harsh as sandpaper. When they realized that I am not Chinese and I teach there, their mannerisms made a whole hundred and eighty degree turn. Apart from my features, I have been equally punished for my youthful looks. I was asked to show my staff ID while dining at the staff cafeteria as I was assumed to be a student. Not forgetting the laundry man making sure who I was before allowing me to use the machine (I have made it a point to be in his good graces since), but that is beside the point. Why people are treated differently based on their looks or perception of who they are is distressing to say the least.
Besides unequal treatment, throw in unequal opportunity into the equation. Employment opportunities are more in your favor if you are Caucasian or obviously foreign looking. While applying for jobs in China, I got a call back after submitting my resume to a company. They got in touch to get my photo, ID and credentials. Upon receiving copies of my documents, there was a long silence. I followed up with a call to the person who first spoke to me asking for my details to find out if they have received everything in order. She told me everything was fine, but they found me unsuitable for the job. I asked her to tell me the honest truth if it was because of how I looked. She told me to my face that I of all people should know that a white face is better for business. “It’s just marketing, you know.” Thank the Lord for His mercy, there are some institutions and individuals who value experience and credentials over looks, or else I would never have landed my job based on my youthful Asian looks.
Erin Sharp and I are just two of the many thousands, if not millions of people who have been faced with discriminative responses based on stereotypical eyes. Our society is filled with so much hurtful inequality and favoritism because of this. Treating others unequally because of how they look greatly damages an individual. We would do well to stop having preconceived ideas of what people should be; instead, finding out about who they really are. I have no hidden piercings or skeletons. Come get to know me for me.
Reference
Sharp, E. (2002). Burger Queen. In S.V. Buscemi. A reader for developing writers. (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Seriously, whatever! 