Stereotypes
The author of this brief report has been asked to answer a few questions as it pertains to stereotypes and interacting with people of other cultures. Indeed, the author has been asked to identify what a stereotype is. Second, there will be the identification of a culture that is challenge to work with in one or more ways. The stereotypes that are affiliated with the selected culture, at least some of them, will be defined. The author will then describe two practices that will help the author of this response work with this group more effectively. Finally, there will be a conclusion. While Asians are becoming a larger and larger asset to the melting pot that is the United States, it can sometimes be challenging to interact with them and frustrations can abound.
Analysis
A stereotype is a belief or presumption about a race, gender or other defined group. The stereotype can be negative or it can actually be positive in nature. The stereotype might be ridiculous and obtuse on its face or it may be validated by a lot of people in the group in question. Regardless, stereotypes are not a good thing as people will assign them to people of that group even if there is no basis to do so. For example, a common stereotype about Asians is that they are "good at math" and that they are otherwise intelligent. While Asians have greatly excelled as a group when it comes to academic and other achievement in the United States, this is still a stereotype and this should not be allowed...
The author of this response is well aware that "Asians" is a fairly broad group. Indeed, this would include the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans and the Vietnamese ... just to name a few. However, these groups are often conflated by American society and a lot of the stereotypes between the groups related to more than one of those individual nationalities, so the author will address them as a group (Listovative, 2014).
As noted above, one of the main stereotypes about Asians is that they are very smart and good from an academic standpoint. This would be a "positive" stereotype but it is still a stereotype. Even if the tendency from a statistical and demographic standpoint is that Asians tend to fare better than average when it comes to academics in the United States (which is true), predisposing and assuming this when it comes to a random Asian is less than wise and is really ignorant, to say the least. Another stereotype about Asians that is talked about and mentioned much less is the "hierarchy" of Asians. While not present or confirmed by all Asians, the author has been privy to some sources that suggest that the Chinese, the Japanese and Koreans are considered the "elite" Asians and that all of nations in that area have "lesser" people. This would obviously be borne of Asia, to be honest, and not the United States. However, it is still a stereotype and it is one that has made its way to American shores in the form of immigration from…
