Stereotypes

A true story.

Three math groups:

High, medium, low.

You've been placed in medium.

You are not ecstatic, but satisfied

With the group chosen.

 

He comes to you.

"What? How could you be in medium?" he exclaims,

More at the whiteboard than you.

"Why not?" you ask.

"Because you're Chinese," he says,

Now looking at you.

 

"What difference does that make?" you say.

"Because all Asians are smart."

You are flattered to be grouped

With people who are intelligent.

But it is short-lived.

 

You look inside and wonder,

Does a few intelligent people make

Everyone else with that heritage

Smart as well?

Author's Note

Did you like the last question? Are there any suggestions?

Reviews

[Kimberly]

I like this poem a great deal because it plays with the typical story of discrimination. Most people write about the 'negative' discrimination where the steryotype is that a person of that particular race or heritage is stupid or barbaric, but certainly the stereyotype that all Asians are hyper-intelligent and know kung-fu is just as discriminatory. I like that you left in that momentary flutter of flattery to show the reason that maybe people think it's okay to be prejudiced if it's 'complimentary' and follow the realization that this is just another form of discrimination (in this case in the form of a - perhaps unintentional - back-handed compliment) cloaked in praise. I do like the last question.

Now, for helpful (hopefully) criticism: In my opinion, this reads like a short story not like a poem. So I would either reconstruct it so that it reads like a poem (cadence, rhyme scheme) or reconstruct it so that it is in the form of prose. Right now it's something in the middle. My prefrence (and it would be easier because all you'd need to do is delete the spaces) would be as prose. Be careful of using "he exclaims", you've already used an exclamation point and the way the sentance is written we already know that he is exclaiming.

Great poem with a great message.