Asian-Americans are often portrayed as geniuses -- hard-working, self-reliant, docile, successful and talented people who have reached higher socioeconomic statuses than other minorities due to these traits. As a result, Asian-Americans have been known as the “model minority,” a harmful positive stereotype which affects not only Asian-Americans, but fellow minority groups as well. According to research conducted by C.N. Le, Asian-Americans as a whole have a higher median family income than any other race. The direct parallel drawn from this data is the attitude which Asian-Americans have towards education, which contributes the most towards the idea of the model minority.
Tiger moms, nerdy dads, and STEM. Asian-Americans being pressured to do well at a young age results in their socioeconomic success. This is the stereotype of the model minority perceived by society. Because a minority group was able to find overall success socioeconomically in the United States, it undermines racism, inequalities, mental health, individual pressure, and overlooks the groups of Asian-Americans not finding socioeconomic success. The existence of this myth negatively impacts other minorities mainly from inherent socioeconomic inequalities being overlooked, and the idea that there is no excuse for a minority to not succeed in this country.
Racism towards Asian-Americans has been largely ignored and simply seen as a joke. Especially during the coronavirus pandemic, where hate crimes against Asian-Americans were at an all-time high, racism was still not taken seriously. Although justice has been served for a decent amount of hate crimes during the pandemic, many people still get away unscathed with more “minor” infractions of racism. For example, doing the slanted eyes gesture or saying “ching chong” is largely seen more as of a joke. The truth is, being able to stop or have solid consequences for even the most minor forms of racism will, as a result, force society to take Asian-American racism more seriously. A stereotype which helps constitute this racism is the idea that Asian-Americans are timid and docile, which people automatically assume there will be no consequence for their racist actions.
Typically, the assumption due to the model minority’s economic success is automatically that all Asian-Americans are in the middle class or higher. Although as a whole, Asian-Americans do have the highest socioeconomic success, certain demographic groups are in poverty, specifically the Hmong (37.8%), Cambodians (29.3%), and Laotians (18.5%), according to a 2015 study conducted by the Pew Research Center. So no, not all Asian-Americans are well off. The idea of the model minority suggests Asian-Americans do not suffer at all economically.
In school, Asian-Americans are seen as naturally smart, and especially gifted in mathematics. The positive stereotype which surrounds Asian-Americans does have negative consequences, particularly on mental health because not all Asian-Americans are gifted and talented in school. Asian-Americans who do not perform up to the expectation of the “model minority” often feel pressured by their peers and society to do so. Teachers who do not provide the same support to Asian-American students falling behind in school as they do to other students are frequent occurrences. Common phrases such as “You’re Asian, aren’t you supposed to be smart?” only contribute to the issue. The expectation of all Asian-Americans to perform exceptionally in school is completely unrealistic. Asian-American students are NOT perfect, nor are they educational robots.
The model minority may seem like an issue which only pertains to those categorized as the model minority because it is seen as a positive stereotype. Being known for a positive stereotype is better than being known for a negative stereotype, since there are supposedly no negative consequences, according to society at least. However, the idea of the model minority, where a minority group is able to succeed in the United States because they are docile and work hard undermines the difficulties of other minority groups. For example, African-Americans face a significant amount of racism in the process of being hired for a job, and are held down by institutional racism, which means that no matter how hard they work, their efforts may never come to fruition. The model minority suggests all minority groups are able to succeed solely through hard work because one did. Institutional racism does not solely apply to African-Americans either. Asian-Americans are seen as too timid to attain leadership roles in society, and general racism is often overlooked or played off as a joke.
Although a positive stereotype, the model minority impacts Asian-Americans and fellow minorities alike, due to its unrealistic expectations placed on Asian-Americans, and the undermining of racial struggles in the United States. Not all Asian-Americans are gifted in their studies, and even less, gifted in STEM. Not all Asian-Americans are docile and incapable of leadership. Not all Asian-Americans are well off economically. Not all Asian-Americans can naturally succeed in life. Not all Asian-Americans have tiger moms and nerdy dads. Not all Asian-Americans succeed as a result of parental pressure placed on them. Not all minorities are able to succeed because Asian-Americans can. The model minority stereotype should not continue to be upheld.
Sources:
Chen, Sammi. “Racial Wealth Snapshot: Asian Americans.” Racial Wealth Snapshot: Asian Americans | Prosperity Now, 10 May 2018, prosperitynow.org/blog/racial-wealth-snapshot-asian-americans.
“Socioeconomic Statistics & Demographics : Asian-Nation :: Asian American History, Demographics, & Issues.” Asian, www.asian-nation.org/demographics.shtml.
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