Lots of folks have been writing in to tell me about this Tumblr site: asians sleeping in the library. Basically, it's a bunch photos of Asian students... sleeping in the library. And other academic facilities. Kind of funny, right? Right?
Fellow Asians, are you with me? I mean, on one level, I can appreciate this. I certainly wouldn't have called myself the most disciplined college student, but I do recall more than a few snoozes with my head perched on top of a textbook. At the library.
So it's funny. But then the slightly uncomfortable laughing-at-you quality of it starts to sink in. The person responsible for the blog, a student at Binghamton University, is a self-described "handsome jew who also likes to sleep in the library." He also apparently likes photos of sleeping Asian students.
From the outset, the blogger boldly claims that Asians are "better at life and they get better grades than you for a reason." And this little endeavor is meant "to celebrate, not berate, the hardest workers at our universities."
Oh, brother. I don't think the intent is malicious, but this guy could learn a thing or two about extolling the model minority myth, even in jest.
I couldn't help but be reminded of Black Out Korea, another hey-look-at-the-funny-Asians blog chronicling the phenomenon of Koreans getting piss drunk and passing out in public. Again, kind of funny at first... until you come across the photos of all the grinning, douchey expats giving you the thumbs up next to a passed out Asian man.
Same idea as Asians sleeping in the library, only a lot uglier, and with more alcohol. I know some fellow Asian folks who find either or both of these blogs rather hilarious, and that's your call. I'm just saying there's something about both of them that makes me uncomfortable.
