“I’m Asian, But I’m Not…” is a BuzzFeed video that addresses stereotypes about Asians by showing a diverse range of Asian American young adults talking about Asian identity and stereotypes. The first half of the video shows the people finishing the statement, “I’m Asian, but I’m not..” and the second half shows them answering the question, “In addition to being Asian, what are you?” For example, in the first segment, one woman says, “I’m Asian, but I’m not quiet,” and another woman says, “I’m Asian, but most people think I’m Latina.” Another woman says, “I’m Asian, but I’m fifth generation.” A man says, “I’m Asian, but I’m over six feet tall,” and another says, “I’m Asian, but I’m from Kansas.” In the second half of the video, they make statements such as, “I’m Asian, and I’m Hispanic,” “I’m Asian and I’m also an LGBT activist,” “I’m Asian and I love talking about my feelings with my parents,” “I’m Asian and a professional cyclist,” and “I’m Asian, and I’m an extrovert.” The video ends with the message: “Don’t let stereotypes define who you are.”
This video was published in 2015 on BuzzFeed and is part of a series of videos addressing stereotypes and identity, such as in the “I’m Muslim, But I’m Not…” and the “I’m Latino, But I’m Not…” videos. BuzzFeed is an American internet-based news and entertainment company known for producing content that is popular culture/entertainment-oriented and easily sharable and engaged with through social media. While they also produce news articles, most BuzzFeed content is in quick to digest image and graphics-based forms such as lists, quizzes, and short videos.
discussion
What stereotypes about Asians are the people in the video responding to? Did anything they say surprise you? Did you learn anything new?
How are Asians portrayed in mainstream U.S. movies, television, the news, and other media? How does this affect the everyday lived experiences of Asians living in places like the U.S., where visibility and diverse representations are limited?
What are the dangers of reducing people to one singular aspect of their identities? Do you think this video is successful at demonstrating that people have many identities and are multifaceted? Why or why not?
