Asian People…from a Western Perspective

By: Dr Stephen Whitehead (view are author’s own)

Before we start, a word of warning: it is impossible to write this piece without engaging in generalisations. But hey, let’s do it anyway — I’ll just try and keep both the Asian and Western stereotypes fair if not accurate!

First off, what do we mean by ‘Asian people’?

For Westerners, the heart of Asia is probably Bangkok. In other words, the term ‘Asia’ conjures up a mental image not a geopolitical reality. And while we at it, what do we mean by ‘Westerners’? Well we don’t mean anyone born west of Myanmar.

Westerners are most definitely North American, Australasian and European.

The world is complex, diverse and changing fast, though when it comes to envisaging the ‘Other’ we tend to avoid all that cultural confusion and head for the safety of a single image. And in Western imagination, no country exemplifies Asia more than Thailand.

Human beings are said to each have an aura: a distinctive light or colour which reflects their inner self. Thailand has an aura — bright orange.