(glitchy sounds)
- Yeah, it's not too bad, I don't think that--
- I've got one.
- Okay.
- House or apartment?
- You can't raise a kid in the apartment.
- Can you imagine what our kids are gonna look like?
- Aw, they'd be so adorable.
- Our kids are probably gonna get
into every Ivy League school.
- Why would you say that?
- Come on, everybody knows that Asian people
are really smart.
(exhales sharply)
(protestors chanting) - No racist police!
- [John] From the protests against racial injustice.
- No, you need to leave.
- [Man] What's wrong? - [Woman] We don't need
to leave.
- (beep) Asian (beep).
- [Woman] Oh my god.
- [John] To the rise in hate incidents targeting Asians
since the outbreak of the pandemic.
- [Man] He just assaulted me.
- [John] This country is going through a reckoning on race.
And an important focus is on microaggressions
that Americans of different races confront every day
including stereotypes.
- You're just being modest.
Next think you're gonna tell me you don't even know karate.
- [John] Like our actor Dewey, we've all heard them before.
- At my school,
because I was the only Asian kid in my small town,
they looked at me like I'm smart,
I know martial art.
- I'll have another, please.
- [Bartender] Sure.
- Thanks.
- [John] Our actor Jamad has heard them as well.
- Thanks, man.
- Can you imagine if we had kids?
I mean, naturally, I think they'd be athletic.
- I went to school on an academic scholarship.
I wasn't good at sports.
I love sports, but I was never that good at it.
- [John] Even seemingly positive stereotypes
can negatively impact a person's sense of identity
and self worth.
- I think that's kind of, like, stereotyping a little bit.
- [John] If you overheard this conversation...
- No, all Black people are really good at sports.
It's just a fact.
- [John] What would you do?
We shot this scenario before the pandemic
at the Blue Moon Mexican Cafe
where Sarah is at the bar with Jamad.
- Have you ever thought about, like,
what our kids would be like?
- Sure.
- [Sarah] Can you imagine, like, how athletic they'll be?
- [John] Immediately, Sarah's generalization
grabs this man's attention.
- What do you mean by athletic?
- Come on, Black people are great athletes.
Don't you agree, sir?
- I agree with that.
(all laugh) - Thank you!
Thank you.
- [John] At first, it seems like he's siding with Sarah.
- Don't you think that's just a little bit stereotypical?
- Like, yeah, but I ain't trying
to put no lemon on your grapes.
You know what I'm saying?
- This guy is funny.
But it turns out he was actually supporting Jamad.
- They just put you into this hole, you know.
- I don't think she meant it like that.
But I know exactly where you're coming from.
- Do you think it's wrong to say that?
- You should've broadened the scope
because we've been hearing that a long time.
And when you hear that a long time,
people think our value is just that.
- I just feel like Black people are also
just better at sports.
- Your kid can still end up doctors or lawyers
or anything they want to do,
if that's what their head is about.
- [John] Time to introduce ourselves.
How are you doing, my man?
- Hey, how you doing?
- I'm John Quiñones.
- Yeah, I know who you are!
(laughs) I saw your face.
How you doing?
- What did you think of it?
- I thought maybe she was trying to give him a (indistinct)
but used the wrong language.
- People sometimes make the wrong assumptions.
- Yeah, sometimes they don't think before they speak.
- [John] Sarah is back at the bar,
but this time with Dewey as her date.
- I just think that mixed babies are the best.
They get the best of both worlds.
- [John] As the conversation takes an unexpected turn,
these customers are tuned in.
- Like, they would go to Ivy League schools, and--
- Oh. - Get really good grades,
be super disciplined.
Like you!
- [Dewey] Uh, do you really believe that?
- Yeah, everybody knows that. - No, it's--
- Asian people are really smart, it's common knowledge.
- [John] At a loss for words,
this fellow Asian helps Dewey fill the silence.
- I mean, I happen to be a smart Asian,
but that doesn't mean all of them are.
- That's exactly my point.
Thank you.
- [Woman] I'm agreeing with him on this one.
- I mean, do you think this is rude?
- I think it's nice to say, like, he's smart.
But I wouldn't go and say all Asians.
- [John] She explains that Sarah's statements
set up unrealistic expectations,
resulting in people feeling like failures.
- What happens when you have an Asian person
that's not making as high of marks,
and then they feel bad about themselves?
- Mm-hm, mm-hm.
- [John] Her friend points out that stereotypes
can alienate an individual.
- I guess what she's getting at is that it others people.
- Mm-hm.
- You know, if my baby doesn't have intelligence,
and beautiful skin, and never look old,
I think it's a great thing. (Man laughing)
- What, Asian don't raisin?
- Oh, that's a good one!
I know Black don't crack,
but I never heard of Asian don't raisin.
- [John] Despite finding that comment amusing...
All right, let's break this, let's go out there.
She understands the pressure that comes with stereotypes.
- It just makes you feel awkward,
'cause you're representing an entire culture
when, really, it's individualized.
- Yeah.
- Asian people are really smart.
That's not a bad thing, it's a really good thing.
- I thought it was a little offensive, that's--
- What?
Come on. - It is.
- [John] These next two friends use their own experiences
to reason with Sarah.
- Here's a compliment that is usually assumed about Jews.
All Jews are either doctors or lawyers.
- It's a compliment, it's a really good thing.
- Some people would take offense to stereotypes,
some people don't.
- Right.
- There are stereotypes about everyone,
but it's not really necessarily true.
- Let me twist it on you.
You know how they say a stereotypical blonde is dumb?
- But, like, that would be insulting, right?
Like, to say someone's smart is not.
- No, but it's spinning a stereotype.
You're putting them in a little box,
and you're assuming that that's what they are.
- [John] She even suggests a better way
for Sarah to phrase the statement.
- I mean, you could've just been like,
"Hey, you're really smart.
"Our kids are gonna be smart."
- [John] As the day goes on,
some customers give Sarah the benefit of the doubt.
- Our kids would be smart, like,
it's not a bad thing, it's a compliment.
- That's a good thing.
- Take it. - Really?
- Yeah.
You don't want your kids to not be smart.
(all laughing)
- I think it's just a little generalizing.
- Yeah. - [Dewey] You know?
- I mean, we all do it.
But I understand if it bothered you.
- [John] This next customer also agrees with Sarah.
- How is this a bad thing?
- It's a compliment, 100 percent.
- You don't think that's, like, a stereotype?
- Look at you.
You're looking like athlete. - [Sarah] See?
- Come on.
- That's stereotyping, though.
- Right.
- What did you think about what they were saying?
- You get a compliment and you take it to the wrong side.
Stereotype most of the time is true.
- What about the times that it's not true?
That can be insulting to some people.
- I agree.
That's life.
- [John] Jamad is at the bar one last time.
- There's a reason why most athletes are Black.
- [John] Immediately, their conversation
catches the attention of this woman.
- Do you hear yourself?
- That's a good thing, I'm complimenting you.
- [John] And her face says it all.
- I really don't know how to explain this to you right now,
like...
I'm speechless.
- Tell Sarah, yes, maybe you should go.
- Why don't you just give me a break?
- Okay, sorry.
- [John] But once Jamad is alone...
- I don't think they get it.
- Do you understand, like, where I'm coming from?
- Hello? - [Jamad] Yeah.
(both laughing)
- [John] She calmly reassures him,
implying that some people just don't know any better.
- I don't think any offense was meant,
it's just, it's just a cultural disconnect.
From my perspective, I just kind of hold my ground,
and I educate.
- [John] And when Sarah returns,
this educator stays true to form.
- There's so many stereotypes and assumptions.
My kid went to Muhlenberg College.
He just happened to play football.
And the assumption was, okay,
he got a football scholarship.
You know, and I'm like,
"No, he got an academic scholarship."
- [John] She explains that positive stereotypes
are generally tied to negative ones.
- But isn't it true a lot?
And isn't it a good thing?
- Not if that's what we rest our laurels on.
- [John] And for Black Americans,
it's a burden they still carry every day.
- If you're talking about having kids, biracial,
you better look at another perspective,
because there's a day, I don't care how cute they are,
I heard you, they're going to be called the n-word.
You understand?
And it's going to trip you.
- Wow.
They going to be called the n-word, your kids.
- God, I was just celebrating all the really good--
- No, no, no, listen.
Listen, I get it.
Understand what I'm saying.
You don't have to defend it.
You know, we kind of stereotype, too,
in our own way because we're human beings.
- Hi there, how are you?
I'm John Quiñones.
- How are you?
- With the TV show, What Would You Do?
They're actors.
(gasps)
- No!
- You wanted to educate her.
- Well, I also wanted to support the young man
because I understand how he felt.
And again, sometimes it's a cultural disconnect,
and sometimes it's flat-out racism.
- How do we fix it?
- Educating our children.
Move forward, I mean,
the general stereotypes are not acceptable.
- [John] For many people like Jamad and Dewey,
the stigma of positive stereotypes
very often deprives them of their own individuality.
- When I was younger more so--
- People presumed certain things?
- People presumed, because I'm fit or, you know,
work out a little bit.
Now I'm just like, this is who I am.
Take me as I am.
- What's the solution to not presuming certain things?
- Get to know me as a person.
And it kind of gives you just
a different kind of perspective.