Learning Activity 3.5, Task 3: Who am I?

The speaker, a proud Vietnamese girl, shares her frustration with the stereotype that all Asians are good at math. She emphasizes that not all Asians excel in math and that it is important to remember that Asians are humans with individual strengths and weaknesses. She mentions the stress and discrimination that Asian students may face, including bullying and being called nerds. She also expresses concern about potential discrimination based on her appearance if she studies abroad in a Western country. Being a member of the Kinh people who make up the majority of the country's population makes me a very proud Vietnamese girl. Since Vietnam is a member of the Asian community, we share a lot of similar characteristics and habits. That is why most of the Western people who meet me for the first time don't see me as Vietnamese, but often as Chinese or a Southeast Asian kid. Almost everyone assumes that I'm good at math when they first meet me because I'm Asian, which is one of the stereotypes about my culture that frustrates me the most. Rather than being appraised, I perceive assumptions that all Asians are math geniuses as racist. First off, not all Asians are good at math. It is important to remember that, at its core, Asians are humans, and as such, they may be terrible at something while excelling in other areas. The majority of my friends at school in Ho Chi Minh City are Asian, but not all of us excel in math. In fact, math is a nightmare for most of us. Being an Asian student, we experience stress from having to live up to people's expectations, even when they are based on stereotypes, which can lead to discrimination in the classroom in many Western nations, since Asian kids can get bullied and be called nerds. Therefore, I would like to clarify that Asians are also humans, and not all of us are math geniuses. We also excel in one area while lacking in the other. Since math is not something that comes to me naturally, it bothers me when people just assume that I'm brilliant at math and expect me to do well in school even when they first meet me while ignoring my real personality of being an autistic girl. I'm afraid that if I study abroad at a university in a Western country in the future, my appearance will also be a source of discrimination.