I was wondering if anybody else here gets the same thing from people they know or meet.
I'm often judged on my appearance. My very Asian appearance in a very white part of Canada.
You know, the token Asian guy? If you've seen
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, you probably know the stereotype. It's usually the intelligent, hard-working, silent and unathletic guy. Usually nerdy and very good at math/science.
I would say I'm hard working, but hardly silent. I'm told I whine a lot by friends. I don't dress like a 'nerd', at least I don't think I do.
Ok, math people. How many of you have gotten a weird look when you said that you're into math? I know I've gotten my fair share.
At least you're judged by your interests. People always draw conclusions on the way I look.
This teacher I never even talked to said, "Hey, you look smart, come here and do this problem."
During elementary school, I was put in a ESL (English Second Language) class. I could read and write better than all my other classmates, and I proved it so they moved me out of the class. They were so impressed by me due to their own ignorance. English was my first language, so I can only assume they put me in there because of my face. There were kids in my class who couldn't read and weren't thrown in ESL. Damn...I hated Elementary school. (This wasn't in Quebec, but in Western Canada). When I moved to Quebec around Junior High, I was put in more advanced English classes, in an english school.