The Myth of the “Model Minority” and Its Effects on Minority Racial Groups
When we talk about race it is almost exclusively in black and white with occasional mentions of Latinos. The struggles of the races in-between are often left out of the conversation and arguably none more so than that of Asian Americans. People often see Asians are the exception to racism, the successful marginalized group that highlights the American dream. This mindset has been captured in the idea of the “model minority”, referring to Asians and their perceived successes in the United States. The myth of Asians as the “model minority” is an idea constructed to protect white privilege and prosperity by creating a culture of racial minorities competing against each …show more content…
By giving Asian Americans an “honorary white” status white people expect Asians to be grateful and quiet, ignoring racism and siding with white oppression in exchange for their status. The “model minority” is a conditional acceptance of Asians as long as they stay in their place. “What seems to infuriate some people…is the thought of Asians siding with other people of color, presumably against whites. They want to hold onto their notion of Asian Americans as docile honorary white people whose very existence…proves that racism does not exist in U.S. society,” states Kim. The appeals made by the Asian American community in the 20th century were only accepted as a tool for white politicians to discredit other more dangerous minorities and their complaints. Since then it has been used as a tool to bait racial minorities against each other, each striving to attain or keep the "honorary white status", distracting us from the real issues of inequality spread throughout the Asian, Hispanic, and black American communities alike. The “model minority” stereotype creates a decisive divide between Asian …show more content…
Since the times of the Cold War, Asian Americans seem to have become an anomaly in modern day civil rights movements for minority equality in America, they are absent, ostensibly because they have already achieved the “American Dream”. The creation of this myth served as a divider between Asian Americans and other racial minorities, raising one minority above another, an idea too many Asians are buying into. To see evidence of the disconnect between Asian Americans and other racial minorities look no further than “Black Lives Matter”, the most influential equality movement in our current climate. In the outrage of the shooting of Akai Gurley by an Asian police officer, Peter Liang, the response from the Asian American community was “not to demand justice for Gurley in solidarity with weary, enraged African-Americans who had seen this happen hundreds of times, but to plea for leniency for Liang, his killer” reports Jeff Yang. The reason for this lack of solidarity is a strong belief in working hard to overcome adversity from many in the Asian American community. When talking about their black coworkers, friends, or loved ones, the Asian Americans Yang