No matter what kind of Asian you are, you’re brought up in many of the same ways. I compiled a list of the top 5 things I believe almost every Asian kid has experienced. Let me know if you can relate to any of them.
“Do we look like White parents to you?“
As Asian kids we were sometimes jealous of our Caucasian friends. When I asked for new shoes, my dad said, “Go get a job!”
When my friend Jimmy asked for new shoes (T-Mac 2s to be precise), his dad said, “What color?”
For Christmas I got $20. My friends got video game systems and/or iPods.
I got everything I needed, but of course living in my community, it made me feel very jealous of my neighbors. In retrospect, of course, the way they raised me made me appreciate everything I received.
The result? I stopped taking things for granted and became a much more ambitious person.
“I promise you this is a good trade!”
Asian girls may have never experienced this, but almost every Asian guy traded Pokemon/Magic/Yu-gi-oh cards. That shit was the bomb back in the day.
And being Asian, there were always some guys trying to rip other, less-educated people off. It felt BAD being on the shitty end of a trade.
However, I can’t lie, I was on the right side of those trades every now and then. (It’s not my fault those kids were so unaware).
Now that I’ve gotten got older and wiser, the experience I learned to find the true value of something before buying or trading for it. Now I always check Ebay before I buy something.
“You can’t date a BLACK person!”
Asian parents are RACIST. That’s the truth and unfortunately there’s nothing that can really be done about it.
Luckily, this next generation is becoming more and more tolerant. Living in a liberal city, I’ve also put my racism behind, but you sometimes can’t help but adopt some of the mindsets that your parents instill in you.
Although I have absolutely nothing against Black people, it is true that I have never dated a Black girl in my life. I wonder if the things my parents taught me have anything to do that. I’m open to dating a Black girl right now though. Any takers?
“Work hard / study hard“
Notice I didn’t say work hard play hard. Because there is no play when it comes to Asian families.
Parents didn’t ask “What school are you going to go to?” They asked, “Harvard, Yale, or Princeton?”
Yes Tiger moms exist. That’s why Asians make up 20% of the top schools even though we only make up 5% of the United States. And this number would be even higher if there weren’t any so-called “Asian quotas.”
I can go on and on about how Asians are being discriminated against in the education world, but it’s beating a dead horse at this point. Unfortunately, for now we just have to deal with it.
Asian kids have to study much harder than Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics to get the same results, and our parents knew that, which is why they preached the work hard study hard mentality.
“Go Play Piano!“
Did any Asian kid not play the piano? What is the whole fascination that Asian parents have with the piano anyway?
I cried. I screamed. I laid on the floor. I did everything I could to stop playing the piano.
Eventually my mom got the hint and enrolled me in martial arts, which I also didn’t like (but hey, at least she tried).
However, in my old age, I regret not having stuck with piano playing. It would be really awesome if I could bust out a couple songs on the keyboard (even if only to impress chicks). Music is such a great part of life and the piano is actually a really awesome instrument.
Looks like mother really knew best. I envy those kids that stuck with it and can still play now.
So what do you guys think?
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below.
Written by Editorial Staff