Being Asian

I don't understand it when people say someone is "so Asian."
I am writing this entry as the risk of sounding hypocritical because I use this phrase too. It's become a word that I use now and again to describe something that is stereotypically "Asian." And I understand some of it's uses. I get it if you say someone is "Asian" for liking anime or for watching Korean dramas. Those things come from Asia. Therefore, by association, the people associating themselves with these things are "Asian."

But honestly, some people use the noun-turned-adjective in ways that really do not make sense to me.
For example, I had a friend (I don't remember who this is so sorry if this is you) who visited my dorm last semester. I asked him to guess which bed is mine. Without hesitation, he pointed to the right bed. Then he said, "Your bed is so Asian."
My bed sheets aren't covered with bamboo designs or Chinese characters. In fact, I got the seashell'd sheets from Ikea. Last time I check, they are Swedish.
You could argue that "Asian people like shopping at Ikea because it's cheap," but that's ridiculous. If I was white and had the same bedsheets, would my friend still say that my sheets are "Asian?"

This is one example of how who I am ethnically is being used to explain my actions, choices, or behavior. Sure, it may have some correlation, but it I wasn't Asian, it'd just be a personality trait or a quirk of some sort. Since I have black hair and almond-shaped eyes, the reason why I value my education is because I'm Asian, the reason why I'm a bad driver is because I'm Asian, the reason why I grab a bunch of napkins from the napkin dispenser is because I'm Asian, the reason why I have strict parents is because I'm Asian. The list goes on.

I'm not saying I wish I wasn't Asian. I just wish society would stop using my ethnicity to explain who I am. I mean, the word "Asian" wasn't even used in a broad way until the 1970's. Before that, the Japanese were just Japanese, Koreans were Korean, Vietnamese were Vietnamese, and Chinese were Chinese. Ask any Asian immigrant in the States what ethnic group he identifies with and I guarantee he would not say "Asian." That's because each Asian sub-category is so different and so diverse that people who are part of one don't see themselves to be related to the others. The term "Asian" is merely a term profilerated by the non-Asian society to lump together a diverse group of people and a bunch of stereotypes, relevant or not.

You can say I'm Chinese because I love Chinese food, call me Chinese because I find beauty in the written and spoken language, the culture, and the people. Hell, associate me with being Chinese because of my surname. But I play the piano because I like playing the piano. I value my schooling because I value my future. I grab a bunch of napkins because I use a lot of napkins. Being "Asian" has nothing to do with it.

EDIT:
Friday, April 17th, 2009
This girl in an Asian drama I watched once had the same sheets as me in the show. I cleverly left out that argument. Hahahaha.