Stereotypical Rant..

I was going to insert a retraction here but quite frankly If you are offended then go sit in a corner...

Asking myself for the umpteenth time today, what the hell I'm doing? It’s come to this B.L.O.G a.k.a Blabbering Life On Graphics today. I resign myself to sitting before this LCD to get rid of this nagging bubble of frustration on people. Hold on, this getting a little too deep, I might lose my train of thought If I linger on.

So what’s the issue today? Stereotypical comments....oh yeah, I’m guilty of those too so don’t think I’m pinching all your cheeks out there. All Asians are good at math ...an obvious untruth considering that I am friends with an artist who hates numbers despite coming from a business/engineering family background. Okay maybe that’s a bit too wide scoped but what can I say being of a particular ethnicity has its downs even when everyone is different. 
You’re probably wondering where this rant is coming from, huh? First of all, lemme say I have always taken pride in my ethnicity and I am always keen to learn about other cultures but I dislike it when people throw me in the puddle of stereotypical behaviours of my ethnicity.

Recently as I was practicing, my housemate knocked on my door. I thought he was coming to tell me to pipe down which I would have gladly done but instead he wanted to hold my violin...not much of a shock there but how should I say this, he was rough with my precious Belle and its not because she was expensive. Ask any person who plays an instrument; you form some kind of attachment so someone handling it badly pangs at you. I helped him place it properly and told him how to drag the bow across the string but clearly he thought it served better as a guitar (flinches inwardly).Then he delivered the finishing blow, “(insert ethnicity here) people don’t play such things. This is for Asians and Europeans.”

It shouldn’t have hurt me that much but this wasn’t the first time I was hearing this and what panged me more was that it wasn’t other ethnicities making these comments. To be honest, people of other groups I had met as I trudged along with my case every Saturday morning to my lessons were very encouraging and impressed but whenever I met someone from my ethnicity, that was always the first statement and I always answered with this question, “Really? I had no idea. Remind me again, what instrument do you play?” Not that much of a sarcastic comeback but I burst out laughing every time some of them proudly...I repeat proudly said they didn’t play any. 

So what? I’m a (insert ethnicity here) girl who enjoys listening to classical, jazz,rock and 70’s music in the 21st century. I may bob my head a bit to what ‘we’ listen to today but I honestly can’t play it as much as the others. I don’t wear big hoop earrings that could be mistaken for bangles, I don’t slap lip-gloss on my mouth like its mineral water (I prefer elianto sunscreen lip balm,mild and refreshing), I don’t hood my eyes with heavy mascara, I don’t dye my hair coz it’s as we call it at home P.Q (poor quality), I love comfortable shoes or going barefoot, I bite my nails (I’ve tried stopping before). I do so many things out of the context of a stereotypical (insert ethnicity here) girl my age and I can do so much more as long as I’m happy.

Phew, now that my rant is over..... I know everyone out there has probably been on the receiving and giving end of a stereotype and I’m not gonna give you a five hour speech on how you should love yourself. I would like us to share experiences or things you enjoy doing out of the context of what society has portrayed traits your kind possesses.