The reason its racist, not just stereotyped is that I'm pretty certain people never see this cultural phenomenon in a positive light
It depends on the context and situation, I suppose. I understand some people feel there is a negative stereotype attached to it, and that may be true, but if you approach everyone the same way as if they mean something bad by it, then you miss an opportunity to educate, and end up feeding into the idea that there is something negative about it-- which there isn't at all. Sometimes people do ask things which come across as naive, but are genuinely just curious. Of course, if they say it with an attitude and don't really care about the answer, then by all means tell them to bugger off.
no subject
It depends on the context and situation, I suppose. I understand some people feel there is a negative stereotype attached to it, and that may be true, but if you approach everyone the same way as if they mean something bad by it, then you miss an opportunity to educate, and end up feeding into the idea that there is something negative about it-- which there isn't at all. Sometimes people do ask things which come across as naive, but are genuinely just curious. Of course, if they say it with an attitude and don't really care about the answer, then by all means tell them to bugger off.