Linda

Before we went to China, I asked my friend Linda was stereotypes and ethnocentric biases that she faces. She replied via email with the following response:

"Well for bias some people still ask me where I was born and whether English was my first language. They expect me to do well academically, sometimes to do better than I would normally. Sometimes they expect me to be able to speak, read and understand the Chinese language (Mandarin and Cantonese). Other than that I don't remember other biases people might have. They might have assumed that I eat Chinese everyday (I do eat Chinese food most days because of my mom) and that I celebrate Chinese New Year and the Moon Festival (I do but it's just mostly a day or a few days of praying and special food)."

We met the following day, and discussed these issues further. Since Linda is one of my friends from high school, I remember students constantly asking her about her country of origin and primary language. Linda cannot speak Mandarin fluently and constantly finds herself in situations where individuals assume she can speak the language. We also spoke briefly about the stereotype that all Chinese individuals are intelligent. Linda was the valedictorian of her class. She worked extremely hard for her grades, and dislikes it when individuals feel that she was naturally going to receive her grades. Although this may be a good stereotype, this often puts other individuals under an extreme amount of pressure.

Now that we are back in Chicago, I will continue to discuss these issues with my friend.

Thank you!