The model minority myth, a societal perception that Asian-Americans inherently have a higher societal standing than other minorities, represents a way to segregate different racial groups in America. Coupled with the perpetual foreigner syndrome, the practice of othering all Asian Americans based on generalizations of stereotypical facial features, provides an interesting comparison on how both affect society. While the model minority myth purportedly downturns racism by elevating Asian Americans, the perpetual foreigner syndrome blatantly upturns racism through extreme othering of all Asian Americans. Yet, if the two practices of othering Asian Americans in American society have seemingly contradictory practices of racism, then how do they …show more content…
When faced with racial discrimination, Asian Americans “do not whine about racial discrimination, they only try harder,” implicating that Asian Americans are quiet, submissive, and hardworking, aligning with traditional stereotypes of Asian Americans: successful, educated, and diligent in their work (Wu 44). Furthermore, to the perception of white America, Asian Americans “vindicate the American Dream,” representing how Asian Americans embody American values and expectations (Wu 44). Although Asian Americans are usually judged by economic successes in a Western workplace, they nevertheless have still achieved the highest spots in income, with many communities finding that Asian Americans, mainly from East Asian ethnic groups, attain higher household salaries than similar white Americans (Wu 49). Asian American successes in American society, mainly due to the elevating properties of the model minority myth, attempt to conceal the underlying racism of the model minority myth by spreading a society-wide image of Asian Americans as inherently more successful than other minorities and white Americans. In reality, the model minority myth perpetuates racism from both within Asian American ethnic groups and overall minorities in …show more content…
While the model minority myth elevates East Asian ethnic groups, it utterly fails to acknowledge South-East Asian Ethnic groups, such as the Hmong people, who are often viewed by white Americans in the same negative way they view African Americans (Guo 35). By placing Hmong people at the same level as African Americans, the model minority myth becomes wholly unstable as it undermines the definition of the model minority, purposefully forcing the Hmong people to work harder in America compared to their East Asian counterparts. The Hmong struggle to work harder in America is exemplified in Kao Kalia Yang’s The Song Poet, where Bee Yang and Xue, his eldest son, argue over grades at school in relation to the American dream. “‘I want you to have a life that is better than mine. A good life in America for you is only possible through school. Why aren’t you trying harder?’” (Yang 180). Disappointing grades held by Xue undermines the desired American lifestyle that the Yang family so desperately tries to achieve as Hmong refugees, implicating the harder work needed for those who do not fit into the model
In their pursuit of assimilating and calling the US home, they had forged a new identity of Hmong Americans. (Yang, 203) Being Hmong American meant striving to move up the economic ladder and determining one’s own future. They understood that for them to realize their American dream and their “possibilities”, it could only be done so through “school”. (Yang, 139) Yang realized her dream by attaining a Master’s of Fine Arts from Columbia University and publishing books about the Hmong story.
The article by Min Zhou titled "Are Asian Americans becoming "white"? was relatively interesting as it provides a look at a different perspective of Asian Americans regarding immigration. I found it particularly interesting to learn that Asian Americans are considered to be white in equal opportunity programs; however, the race is still seen as different from Americans of European ancestry. Furthermore, I was not shocked to read that Zhou described the Asian American race as the "model minority." When first looking at the reading, I was shocked by the title because I thought it was a little exaggerated. I believe the author could have chosen a more suitable phrase rather than "Asian Americans are becoming white"; however, it does provide significant
Tachiki, Amy; Wong, Eddie; Odo, Franklin, eds. (1971). Roots: An Asian American Reader. University of California, Los Angeles Press.
Written by Margaret K. Pai, the Dreams of Two Yi-min narrates the story of her Korean American family with the main focus on the life journeys of her father and mother, Do In Kwon and Hee Kyung Lee. Much like the majority of the pre-World War II immigrants, the author’s family is marked and characterized by the common perception of the “typical” Asian immigrant status in the early 20th century: low class, lack of English speaking ability, lack of transferable education and skills, and lack of knowledge on the host society’s mainstream networks and institutions (Zhou and Gatewood 120, Zhou 224). Despite living in a foreign land with countless barriers and lack of capital, Kwon lead his wife and children to assimilate culturally, economically, and structurally through his growing entrepreneurship. Lee, on the other hand, devoted herself not only to her husband’s business but also to the Korean American society. By investing her time in the Korean Methodist Church and the efforts of its associated societies, such as the Methodist Ladies Aid Society and the Youngnam Puin Hoe, Lee made a worthy contribution to the emergence and existence of Hawaii’s Korean American community.
In article “The Problem with Serial and the Model Minority Myth” writer, Julia Carrie Wong, claims that “In Episode 8, it becomes clear that Koenig is deploying another classic racial trope— that of the “model minority.” A sum up of this term “model minority” is when people fill up the stereotype image that is put on their race. Koenig has done a great job to represent each important person without (stereotyping.) In episode 8, Sarah Koenig gets in depth information on Jay; what kind of person he is, opinions on what other people think of him, etc. I disagree with Wong unanimously because it’s reaching to look for racism where there isn’t.
For 20 years, Asian Americans have been portrayed by the press and the media as a successful minority. Asian Americans are believed to benefit from astounding achievements in education, rising occupational statuses, increasing income, and are problem-fee in mental health and crime. The idea of Asian Americans as a model minority has become the central theme in media portrayal of Asian Americans since the middle 1960s. The term model minority is given to a minority group that exhibits middle class characteristics, and attains some measure of success on its own without special programs or welfare. Asian Americans are seen as a model minority because even though they have faced prejudice and discrimination by other racial groups, they have succeeded socially, economically, and educationally without resorting to political or violent disagreements with the majority race. The “success” of the minority is offered as proof that the American dream of equal opportunity is capable to those who conform and who are willing to work hard. Therefore, the term ...
Chua believes that Chinese parents force their children to be academically successful in order to reach “higher” goals in life. She emphasizes this when she states “…Chinese parents have … higher dreams for their children…” (Chua 8). Although Amy set higher s...
America has been thought of as a place represented by fairness, mixed culture, power and the dream of having a better life for everyone, whether a person is white, black, brown, and yellow. However, the truth is that racial groups have been segregated by the white-centric media or government of the American society, and that has widened the psychological and geographical distances between the two groups, Asian and black, and has encouraged ignorance and hatred. On the other hand, there are many conflicts between Asian and Black, due to their different cultures, experiences, and educational backgrounds. From the book Native Speaker, we can see how these different cultures, powers and identities deepen Asian-black mistrust, misunderstanding and ignorance, and sometimes these irreconcilable conflicts develop into hate-crimes.
Oftentimes the children of immigrants to the United States lose the sense of cultural background in which their parents had tried so desperately to instill within them. According to Walter Shear, “It is an unseen terror that runs through both the distinct social spectrum experienced by the mothers in China and the lack of such social definition in the daughters’ lives.” This “unseen terror” is portrayed in Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club as four Chinese women and their American-born daughters struggle to understand one another’s culture and values. The second-generation women in The Joy Luck Club prove to lose their sense of Chinese values, becoming Americanized.
In the beginning when Asians came to America, they had started out with nothing, no foundation, and no help. All they could do was work hard to create a better life with their own hands, someday, in hope that they will succeed. Back in the 1800’s, during the gold rush days, Americans were displeased with the amount of Asian immigrants who came and took their jobs. Since then, Asians were able to survive and to achieve a great amount of success in the US. In order to catch up along with the rest of the world, the government created an example for their own people, known as the model minority. The model minority is a stereotype suggests that Asian Americans are “more academically, economically, and socially successful than any other racial minority groups.” (Yoo) In today’s world, Asian Americans are known to be “culturally — even genetically — endowed with the characteristics that enable them to succeed in American society.” (Wu) Model minority refers to a racial minority that serves a good example to be followed and compared for all other race; therefore, Asian Americans are characterized to it as one. If an Asian American is successful and smart, then it must be true about the whole Asian race. It creates false assumptions that every Asian is the same, which can discriminate and stereotype all Asian Americans who doesn’t belong in the category. This creates an unfair and unjust disadvantage and treatment towards Asian Americans who are targeted as one, in other words, it’s a problem that their needs and aids are ignored by society.
I also researched instances of counter actions taken by Asian Americans to protest against these negative images. My research also has examples of Asians that have succeeded in breaking through the racial barriers in the media. The results show that even though racial stereotyping still exists in various forms of mass media, there are signs that show noticeable improvement in allowing a more balanced image of Asian Americans. Statement of the Problem There are close to 12 million Asian Americans living in the United States (U.S. Asian, 2000). Asian Americans are considered one of the fastest growing minorities (Pimentel, 2001).
In the end, it is up to Asian-Americans to discredit the positive and negative stereotypes. By assimilating with other race groups, Asian-Americans will gain more understanding from their non-Asian peers. In addition, when Asians are more forth-coming with their struggles, it will unmask the myth of perfection and allow others to see them as an individual.
In relation to workplace discrimination, wages rank among the issues that affect working Asian-Americans. According to ChangHwan Kim and Author Sakamoto, Asian Americans earn 8% lower wages compared to their White counterparts. Furthermore, they also found out that education did not significantly improve the wage earning situation for Asian Americans. Asian American males with college degrees still earn a lower wage compared to a White male with a similar level of education. Although the 8% difference may not seem to be much, it is a clear indication that racial discrimination for Asian Americans still exists through wage rates (Charles and Guryan 509).
These characteristics are particularly important topics for Asian and, specifically, Hmong Americans because they are wrongly racialized. Hmong Americans often fall victim to ignorance and are attributed the stereotypes of all Asians while still having some of their own. Ideas of a primitive cultures and large generational gaps are commonly introduced as a way of thinking about Hmong American’s race, sexuality, and gender. However, as it has been shown in the texts, There are not GLBT Hmong People, The Bride Price, and Becoming Asian and Deviant, all Hmong do not think alike. There is no “Hmong way” of thinking about race, sexuality, and gender.
For those Asian Americans who make known their discontent with the injustice and discrimination that they feel, in the white culture, this translates to attacking American superiority and initiating insecurities. For Mura, a writer who dared to question why an Asian American was not allowed to audition for an Asian American role, his punishment was “the ostracism and demonization that ensued. In essence, he was shunned” (Hongo 4) by the white people who could not believe that he would attack their superior American ways. According to writers such as Frank Chin and the rest of the “Aiiieeeee!” group, the Americans have dictated Asian culture and created a perception as “nice and quiet” (Chin 1972, 18), “mama’s boys and crybabies” without “a man in all [the] males.” (Chin 1972, 24). This has become the belief of the proceeding generations of Asian Americans and therefore manifested these stereotypes.