Racial stereotypes not fodder for jokes
(04/03/08 4:00am)
While we as Duke students understand that April 1 is a time for jokes, the "China Invades Duke, SAT Scores Rise" article turned an opportunity to utilize creative and smart humor into a crass, low-brow exercise. The article is based on oversimplified, overarching stereotypes about Chinese students at Duke, and while one may argue that the myth of the so-called "smart Asian" is a positive one, even "positive" stereotypes harm by masking the reality of the continuing discrimination against Asians and Asian Americans today.