What assumptions do people in the US and Canada make about Chinese people before they’ve even met them? What changes when those assumptions follow you into a classroom, a workplace or a conversation with a stranger? Join Kuan, a professional voice actor of Chinese descent who grew up in both countries, for a discussion about what it’s like to be Chinese in North America. Drawing on his own experiences, Kuan will explore how attitudes can differ across places and generations, and introduce the idea of the “model minority”: a stereotype that portrays Asian communities as uniformly hardworking, academically successful and unlikely to rock the boat. Why can a stereotype that sounds like a compliment still put pressure on people and make their struggles harder to see?

We’ll talk about how these perceptions shape the way people are treated and what it feels like to be seen as both successful and somehow still an outsider. Who gets asked where they’re “really” from? When does a cultural assumption open a door, and when does it quietly close one? Expect candid stories, surprising revelations and a chance to rethink what we assume about people on both sides of the Pacific. You don’t need to have lived abroad or know anything about North American history. All questions and perspectives are welcome, and there’s no expectation that anyone speak for an entire culture.

在美国和加拿大，人们在还没见到一个华人之前，就已经对他有什么想当然的假设了？当这些假设跟着你走进教室、职场，或者一次跟陌生人的聊天，会发生什么变化？跟着 Kuan 来聊一场讨论吧。他是华裔职业配音演员，在美加两国都长大。这次聊在北美当华人是什么感觉。Kuan 会结合自己的经历，聊聊不同地方、不同代际的态度能差多少，也会介绍“模范少数族裔”这个概念：一种把亚裔群体描绘成个个都努力、学业出色、不太会惹事的刻板印象。为什么一个听起来像夸奖的刻板印象，还是能给人压力，也让他们的挣扎更难被看见？

我们会聊这些看法怎么塑造人们被对待的方式，还有被同时看成“很成功”又“仍然是个外人”是什么感觉。谁会被问“你到底是从哪儿来的”？一个文化上的想当然，什么时候会给你打开一扇门，又是什么时候会悄悄关上一扇？会有很坦诚的故事、让人意外的真相，也有机会重新想想我们对太平洋两岸的人都有哪些想当然。你不需要在国外生活过，也不用懂北美历史。欢迎所有问题和视角，也没人需要代表一整个文化说话。