¶ … Accent Dilemma

As much as people would like to live in a world without discrimination, it would be difficult and almost impossible for such a world to exist concomitantly to values that the social order currently promotes. Lee should consider taking on a more objective attitude in order for the interviewer to be less prejudiced than he or she would be in a situation involving a 'typical' Asian person. It is not necessarily that Lee would have to abandon his cultural values and to ignore the significance of her cultural identity. However, the reality is that people are prejudiced and stereotypes dominate the social order. This means that people should avoid putting across behaviors that could make others associate them with particular stereotypes as long as they want to achieve their goals.

It would be inevitable for a person like Lee not to consider stereotypes when dealing with a job interview. "Members of minority groups may enter a wide range of social situations involving members of the majority culture as hesitant and unconfident, and they may be greeted in a less than welcoming way." (Schneider 217) Individuals belonging to the white majority might take on involuntary attitudes that appear to be exaggerated and can make non-whites feel uncomfortable as a result of these respective attitudes.

I would advise Lee to focus on her qualities and to avoid using Asian slang. I do not really feel that she should try and ignore her background, as I believe that finding a middle-way between 'being Asian' and trying to have the interviewer be objective would be the best solution in this situation. People have to fight fire with fire and in a society where individuals find it difficult to ignore stereotypes one should focus on refraining from displaying his or her cultural identity as long as the respective person would like to become an active part of an environment where he or she might be discriminated.

Works cited:

Schneider, D.J. (2005). The Psychology of Stereotyping. Guilford Press.