The Danger of the "Model Minority" Myth
By Beverly Cruel, Staff Writer

“Look at the Asians.” This is a phrase many people, Asian and non-Asian alike, have no doubt heard since the great wave of Asian immigration began in the 1960’s. It is a sort of reprimand directed at non-Asian minorities, often repeated by individuals appalled with the state of affairs which they perceive are plaguing those minority communities. Educators, unsure of what to do with “low-achieving” black and Latino students, have uttered those words in exasperation in public conferences and in the privacy of break rooms. Political commentators have used those four words as evidence to back up their arguments opposing affirmative action and social welfare programs. Ordinary people say it in passing when the conversation turns towards some news tidbit about inner city crime or some protest held by dissatisfied minority groups. These people point to the Asian community as if we were some kind of modern-day Horatio Alger story. We come here speaking very little English, and emerge in a few years as middle-class entrepreneurs, professionals, and scholars. And the majority indicates us to the other minorities, in what they see as well meaning, friendly rebuke, as if to say, “Why can’t you be like them?”

It seems like a compliment at first glance. It seems as if we have gained what no other minority group has up to this point: the equality and admiration of white America. Asians can move into upper-class suburban neighborhoods and whites will not fear them, will not move out in droves. We can attend prestigious colleges, and most people will take for granted that we were admitted upon our own merits, and not aided by a “minority quota.” Most of the time, we can even date their sons and daughters with little opposition. But upon closer examination, the idea of the “model minority” is a condescending, divisive, and furthermore insidious myth. It is a manifestation of Orientalism and closet racism towards all minorities, Asians included, and though it affects Asians subtly, it hurts them just as much, if not more, than the minorities as a whole.

To begin with, the implications of the model minority myth are patronizing and insulting towards immigrant communities, the effects of which are rather divisive to the immigrant community as a whole. When someone urges other minority groups to “look at the Asians,” one must wonder what, exactly, about the Asian community they are urging those groups to emulate. This reprimand toward non-Asian minority communities relies on one assumption: that unlike the diligent, conscientious Asians, other minorities somehow lack the discipline and industry so closely associated and often credited with the success of the Asian community. 62.7 percent of Hispanics and 64.9 percent of blacks are employed; not a far deviation from 61.8 percent of Asians and 62.7 percent of whites.

Why then, does the majority population assume that indolence is so rampant in those communities? Perhaps it is because many minority communities, Asian included, live in poverty, remain poor for many years, continue working menial jobs, and never seem to gain any semblance of social mobility. Still, because many Americans are raised with the belief (some might say “myth”) that hard work alone is sufficient to guarantee a financially secure lot in life, they also assume that anyone who has not prospered in life has not worked hard enough. They then conclude that the poverty among minorities results from their own inactivity, rather than considering other factors: for example, the average education level and social standing of an Asian immigrant before he or she enters the country, which, for the most part, differs drastically from most Hispanic immigrants’ or even black native-born Americans. It would be unfair to think that an Asian computer programmer with a bachelor’s degree, albeit from a foreign university, and a Mexican laborer from a rural part of his country with only a sixth grade education could have the same financial and professional opportunities upon entering this country. It would be doubly unfair and also insulting to them to imply that their work is somehow less worthy of recognition than that of the Asian community, simply because of the poverty that persists among those particular immigrant communities. Such an insulting attitude toward minority groups is highly divisive, one that creates hostility among minorities as a whole. Like the parent one child to another while completely disregarding the virtues of that child, it is a situation, perhaps not deliberately designed to breed contempt among the races, but one that will almost certainly result in such a manner. Non-Asian minorities may look upon Asians resentfully, knowing they work as diligently as they do but are treated nowhere as equally; Asians may look upon other communities with scorn because they believe the majority population’s perception of those communities, and fear them just as they do. However, we cannot afford to be politically divided from other minority groups. After all, while the term “model minority” implies that we are model citizens, the corollary to that philosophy states that we are also, of course, a minority. No matter how highly the majority population may think of us, they nonetheless think of us as “minorities,” as outsiders, as somehow not part of the general population. We are still an “other.” Many “native-born” Americans, it seems, is all too happy to leave their “model minority” by the wayside when someone gets the delusion that “American jobs” are being “stolen.” We then cease to be the “model minority,” but become instead an alien threat from a foreign shore, snatching jobs from the ones who supposedly truly deserve them, as if we were somehow less worthy of them simply because of the fact that we were not born here. When put in such a situation, we cannot afford to be politically isolated from other minorities. But because the idea of the model minority is so disruptive to political unity, it sadly results in such a fashion the majority of the time.

An additional implication of the statement “look at the Asians” is one that strongly suggests Orientalist views that still exist in this country today: the idea that Asians simply work hard and “quietly keep to themselves,” rather than participating in the country’s political processes. The insidious nature of this philosophy is twofold. First, it masks a sort of unprofessed racism on the part of the majority population. Many of these people, when they admonish minority groups to “look at the Asians,” they paint how supposedly the Asian community supposedly remains quiet and assuming as a virtue. They are thus reproaching other minorities to be, what, in their minds, amounts to being the same as the Asians - uncomplaining, humble, and politically inactive. They don’t want minorities getting too “uppity” - fighting for their rights and complaining about the status quo would pose a problem for the powers that be. It is a dangerous, however subtle and unconscious attempt, to disenfranchise minority voters by sending them the message that in order to be considered one of the “good” minorities, they cannot give voice to the injustices occurring in their community, and furthermore, cannot take their qualms to the ballot box.

This attitude furthermore implies that if Asians want are to the “model minority,” they themselves must thus remain politically docile and not participate in the democratic process, which can only hurt the Asian community. The assumption that Asians are not a viable political entity ensures that politicians will never attempt to assure that the Asian community has its needs met. Asians are indeed a strong political force - we are a community that has established legal defense funds, civil rights organizations, and labor unions who demand representation of the needs of their communities. A statistic shows that Asian Americans contribute more money per person to political parties and candidates than any other racial or religious group. Still, during political campaigns, one will hear of politicians who try to cater to the “Latino vote,” in California, the “black vote” in the South, the “Catholic vote” and the “womens’ vote” nationwide. Even in such fairly well-established Asian communities such as the ones in California, New York, and New Jersey, a politician does not concern him or herself too much with capturing the “Asian vote,” despite the fact that it very well may help secure one’s seat in office - 54% of Asians voted for Gore in the 2000 election, who did win the popular vote during said election, however marginally. The website Newsaic.com states that “Asian-Americans have only recently become a group even worth factoring into exit-polls,” indicative of the scorn with which the majority population treats the Asian community’s political mobilization. As long as politicians and political scientists continue to dismiss us as a political force, and continue thinking of us as an isolated, foreign community of drones who do nothing but concern themselves with work, we stand in danger of having our political needs unmet.

The model minority myth, while it may seem flattering when taken at face value, is also an attitude that not only conceals latent racism in the among the majority population, but is additionally very detrimental toward Asians and non-Asian minorities alike. First, it insults and disregards the hard work and toil put in by other immigrant and minority groups. Yes, it is true that Asians are diligent, and have made good lives for themselves in America, but one would be completely remiss to say that other ethnic groups have not done so as well. Such a way of thinking belittles Asians as well, as it implies that they are politically inactive and docile - and that such behavior is commendable. What is more, it fosters an atmosphere of divisiveness between ethnic communities, ensuring that they are not only socially divided, but politically divided as well - very much a danger, especially when many recently arrived Asians are in a position where they need all the political help available to them. Additionally, it ensures that even while Asian Americans are a great political force, the majority population will not see them as such, and thus not attempt to meet their needs. While it would be counter-productive to the well-being of the Asian community to disregard the stereotypes we are known for - industry, perseverance and academic and financial success - simply to combat the stereotype of the “model minority,” we must nonetheless resist the discordant effect it has both between us and other minorities, and within our community itself.