I NEED to find a source for this - but I remember watching a YouTube video (by an Asian-American) who explained that in his opinion, the reason Asian folks can seem so 'extreme' in these cases is because mainstream American society (not just whites) generally excludes them to such a degree, that a lot of Asians completely focus their time on just one hobby, occupation, or schooling curriculum etc.

It's a way to establish one's self in a society that was not set up for you, and also a way to cope with and ignore the fact that American society can still be so bigoted.

Now -- I don't personally believe that this applies in every situation (especially as you've just explained how prevalent this behavior is in actual Asian countries), but the more I do my own research as a fellow minority, I see that anti-asian bias and hate is just as ingrained into American society as any other.

In fact, residential segregation laws were based on laws that were originally founded to exclude Chinese railroad and laundry workers from white populations.

This was a FASCINATING and well-researched read, thank you Ryan!!!