Not What I Expected

The other day I went to my niece's cello recital.  I'm guessing that your mental image may be much like mine in that the students who were performing that day will be mostly Asian American and perhaps mostly female.  It's not that I want it to be that way but media in the US has propagated the image of cute Asian kids who were prodigies playing violins like Antonio Vivaldi. The funny thing is that though I tried to learn the violin at the age of eight, I lasted about a week to the consternation of my mom. It was more about the expense of buying the violin than the disappointment of a supposed "Tiger Mom."

So, imagine my surprise when I walked into the room and saw only three Asian kids out of a dozen and mostly boys who were poised and ready to play their cellos.  It was a good reminder that stereotypes don't really hold up as much as our society likes to believe that they do.  Next time when someone says that stereotypes have a "grain of truth" to them, just wait a day or two (or more) and you'll find yourself confronted with that stereotype easily busted.

The challenge though is seeing those stereotypes truly dismantled, which can takes decades and even centuries. All we need to do is take a look at the on-going -isms and oppression that surround us in our nation and around the world.  Unlike the song from "Frozen," this is no time to "let it go." Rather it's a time to press in and move forward as generations before us has done to bring about justice and equity for all.

Comments

  1. TeallAqua0February 13, 2015 at 6:23 AM

    Elena, I am a 48-year-old woman considering going for an MA in counseling, and I'm enjoying your blog! It raises some questions for me. If you're up for it, I'd love to be able to email a bit. If you want to keep it to the comments page, I understand that, and I'll be asking. Thanks, Patricia

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    1. Elena February 16, 2015 at 9:16 AM

      Hi Patricia - Thanks for your email! You may read more about my postings about counseling at http://www.counseling.org/news/blog/authors/elena-yee. Also feel free to link with me on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/pub/elena-yee/5/126/508

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