...Midterm Paper: Model Minority For years now, Asians from countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines, have been immigrating into the United States. Arriving with not anything in their pockets and nothing but hope, without a doubt they truly believe that the United States is the land of opportunity. Although many of them have successfully amalgamated into American culture through hard work and diehard persistence, the idea of this “model minority” trails behind them unceasingly. This stereotype of the model minority characterizes Asians as having everything “figured out”. They are willing and ready to assimilate completely into American culture; they stay of trouble and are submissive, and they dominate in both education and in the work place. Even though this stereotype seemingly praises Asians; in truth, it has a counteractive effect on both the Asian community and other ethnic groups as well. Despite the existence of this model minority stereotype, Asians are not followers of the myth and altogether demonstrate it counterfactual. In Asian American Dreams, Helen Zia introduces the model minority myth through an article titled “Success Story of One Minority Group in the United States” where it explains it as a reasonably form of praise claiming “at a time when Americans are awash in worry over the plight of racial minorities, one such minority, the nation’s 300,000 Chinese Americans, is winning wealth and respect by dint of its own hard work…” (Zia...
Words: 1707 - Pages: 7
...answers in your paragraphs; don't make a list of your questions and answers.) What are you going to write about? Why did you choose this topic? Based on your topic, what are the main issues you will explore? What is the thesis (or the tentative thesis) of your final paper? Who are you interviewing for your paper? Why? What are your other sources? (Remember that there should be at least two sources in addition to your interview.) What do you intend to prove with this paper? What, in your view, is the relevance of your topic? I am going to write about being Asian and more specifically being Chinese in a particular part of the United States in the 21st century. I will explore the perception that some non-Chinese people have of Chinese people in the US and also explore the pros and cons, in terms of public perception, of being Chinese. I chose this topic because this would be a good study of stereotypes, as well as a venue to express the truth about my identity. The ttentative thesis of my final paper is to find the truth about my identity, it includes three parts, the first part is the perception that some non-Chinese people have of Chinese people in the...
Words: 2287 - Pages: 10
...research topic was to focus on the mainstream media representation of model minority myth within the Asian American Community, but the broad scope and definition creates a challenge of conveying a personalize message through digital photography. The revised topic illustrates the mental stress and problems created from the model minority myth and cultural tensions. “[The Model Minority Myth] theory offered a promise of equality that could be achieved, not through political organization and community empowerment, but only through individual effort, cultural assimilation, and political accommodation.” (Robert Lee 268) The stereotypes characteristics of a hardworking immigrants, obedient members of society,...
Words: 1344 - Pages: 6
...On May 15, 2015, a coalition of 64 Asian American organizations filed a complaint against Harvard University for discriminatory admission practices that set a higher bar for admissions for Asian American students than for any other race group (WSJ). Discrimination in college admissions is just one of the many ways that racism still affects Asian Americans today. This contradicts the belief shared by most White Americans that the civil rights movement eradicated racism in America and created equality between Whites and people of color (Sue 2007). Asian Americans are especially believed to experience little to no racism. This is due to the popular belief in the model minority myth: the belief that Asian Americans have succeeded in American society,...
Words: 1643 - Pages: 7
...For over a hundred years, stereotypes of Asian Americans have dramatically changed from being viewed as uneducated poor laborers to being characterized as successful educated minority. It has changed from negativity to positivity. According to the article “Outwhiting the whites”: An examination of the persistence of Asian Americans model minority discourse, Asian Americans were stereotyped as the “Yellow Peril” before. It was a fear that Asian Americans were going to take power in America. Japanese Americans had lost a lot during World War II. They were imprisoned in internment camps, lost their homes, land, and property. After the World War II, people started to change their views on Asian Americans. The Japanese Americans were able to recover quickly. The media noticed how quickly they were able to recover and began publishing positive stories of how Asian Americans culture were able to succeed. From there on, the media continued to publish positive stories on how Asian Americans were succeeding which created the model minority stereotype. There were two articles that I analyzed, Asian-Americans: Are they making the grade by U.S. News & World Report, and The new whiz kids by Brand, D. I believed the two articles ended up combating the model minority model. Asian Americans have been stereotyped as the model minority. They are the smart, wealthy, hard-working, successful, and obedient minority. Some people believe in that, others don’t. It is not that simple...
Words: 1112 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1541 - Pages: 7
...Affects The Asian Community Just last month ABC premiered their new show Fresh Off The Boat, which happens to be one of the few shows ever to be centered around an Asian-American family on American television. Growing up in America with first generation immigrant parents has not been easy, and growing up in a culture where you can’t even see yourself in everyday media makes it even harder to adjust. I remember watching T.V. as a kid and rarely did I see any Asian Americans on the screen; and if I did, the characters were portrayed in a way I was not familiar with. Finally getting a show like Fresh Off The Boat makes it seem like Asian Americans are breaking through barriers and making their way into mainstream media. As an Asian American myself, I happen to see this as a huge deal; finally, there is something I can relate to on T.V. Even though the Asian-American community has been excited and supportive of the series, it apparently does not appeal to the majority, and there have already been rumors of the show’s cancellation. But why is a show as innovative as Fresh Off the Boat being cancelled? The show has so many fans and is considered ground braking in the Asian-American community, but that is not enough to keep the show on air apparently. -As a minority in America, Asian Americans deserve to have their culture portrayed accurately in mainstream media. However, whenever there are Asian characters on television or films, the roles do not reflect the Asian culture, but...
Words: 1946 - Pages: 8
...not guilty, even though they were caught on video beating Rodney King, an African-American driver. This verdict set off six days of rioting. A big part of these riots was the targeting of Korean American-owned businesses, which suffered heavy losses and damage. This happened because there had been long-standing resentment towards Korean store owners due to perceived economic and social inequalities. The riots brought this anger to the surface, showing how vulnerable the Korean American community was, feeling abandoned by the government with no protection during the chaos. The importance of the Los Angeles riots...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...Panjab, the Indian government took power, oppressed minorities, and continue to do so. With the constant persecution and threat to live in Panjab, my family immigrated to Detroit, Michigan in 2001. The choice to move to the United States of America was because of safety and hopes to reap the benefits of the American Dream. An article called “Are Asian Americans Becoming White?”, by Min Zhou explains that “Like most immigrants to the United States, Asian immigrants tend to believe in the American Dream and measure their achievements materially” (Andersen and Collins, 2016; pg.92). My family was the same and...
Words: 1879 - Pages: 8
...In the essay, “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, Cofer describes what it is like to grow up in America being a Puerto Rican girl. She explains how the people at her school who judge her and other Puerto Rican girls by the way she dressed. Students would notice that they would dress mature and cover themselves with jewellery for even simply events. Men would flirt with her because of her “exotic” background. She and other Hispanics are portrayed negatively by society, however if people would learn to understand their culture it will better our relationship. In the essay, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, Mukherjee compares her American experience to her twin sister. She explains how she became involved with the United States and accepted the culture; while her sister, Mira, refused to give up her Indian citizenship. Even though Mira spent many years as an educator at the United States and made...
Words: 909 - Pages: 4
...people regardless of economic class or whatever else is seemingly more important. It is quite impossible to go throughout life without forming an idea of who you are or where you have come whether you care to make it a part of your daily life, have no choice or acknowledge it when it is convenient; without that knowledge I find it difficult to fully make the most of life. Through the readings from the semester and class discussions I have come to the conclusion that White ethnics choose to either assert their ethnicities thickly or thinly, or they chose to incorporate it into their lives symbolically. Blacks on the other side of the spectrum lack choice in their racial identity because their race is visible and so it is assigned to them. Asians have both the ability to choose to assert their specific ethnicities but they are racially assigned. The issue with racial and ethnic construction is that it is born of social construction-what others believe of your race to be true. This can make the identity construction process much more difficult depending upon your racial or ethnic background. Regardless, I find this to be an important part of the identity construction journey. How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. These words were spoken by the infamous French fashion designer, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. In America today, these words could not ring truer in the subject of identity. “Who am I?”, “Where do I come from?” All questions of...
Words: 5152 - Pages: 21
...“What kind of Asian are you?” We are the forgotten. We are called the lucky ones; shunned by our fellow people of color. We sometimes do not even realize we are one of them. While the likelihood of an Asian boy being shot down by the police is far less than that of other boys of color – though violence against South Asians is very much an issue –, Asian Americans suffer through the institutionalized, and normalized racism just as black, or latinx do. It is a different kind of discrimination and oppression, but no less harmful. We are not, and have never been, white. The racism Asians experience is subtler, and less likely to be called out on. Asian slurs are common vernacular, while the mocking of our accents make you the highlight of a party....
Words: 497 - Pages: 2
...needs. Discuss how class shapes life chances using segments from the film, People Like US: Social Class in America below: The working class vs. the middle class In the work, the working-class people more easy to injury at work than the middle class t. And, the working class people are least possibly have the extra money to buy essential, moreover luxurious things and holiday. The social class in US, the middle class family has the better survival qualifications, therefore they have the social activity, and their child can have a better education compared to the working class people. “Bourgeoisie Blues” – the black middle class The video explained that since the 1960 s the black middle class is growing by leaps and bounds, African Americans have chance entered white-collar jobs and have better education than before. They are no longer isolated by color identification in white middle-class community or in some areas; they developed their own black middle class community. But they still don’t have the same...
Words: 4264 - Pages: 18
...of Subordinate-Group Status The Consequences of Subordinate-Group Status Resistance and Change WHAT WILL YOU LEARN? How Does Society Rank Different Groups? What Are the Four Types of Groups? Does Race Still Matter? How is Biracial and Multiracial Identity Defined? How Is Sociology Applied to the Study of Race and Ethnicity? What Leads to the Creation of Subordinate-Group Status? What Are the Consequences of Subordinate-Group Status? How Does Change Occur in Race Relations? ISBN 1-256-48952-2 2 Racial and Ethnic Groups, Thirteenth edition, by Richard T. Schaefer. Published by Merrill Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. Exploring Race and Ethnicity Minority groups are subordinated in terms of power and privilege to the majority, or dominant group. A minority is defined not by being outnumbered but by five characteristics: unequal treatment, distinguishing physical or cultural traits, involuntary membership, awareness of subordination, and ingroup marriage. Subordinate groups are classified in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. The social importance of race is derived from a process of racial formation; any biological significance is relatively unimportant to society. The theoretical perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory, and labeling offer insights into the sociology of intergroup relations. Immigration, annexation, and colonialism are processes that may create subordinate groups. Other processes such as extermination...
Words: 17357 - Pages: 70
...According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, affirmative action is defined as “an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women” (Miriam). Many people feel that affirmative action is necessary to either counteract injustices or ensure the advancement of certain minorities. There are four justifications generally pointed out by affirmative action exponents. These are racism, poverty, diversity, and the problem of underrepresentation. Supporters point out that many blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans live in substandard housing, go to substandard schools, and live in crime ridden neighborhoods. They also claim that they are targets of daily racism, hindering their chances for advancement. Proponents point to small numbers of these minorities in certain desirable jobs (i.e. CEOs of corporations and high elected office) as evidence of underrepresentation of minorities and a need for diversity both in the workplace and in higher education. There are a number of different levels of affirmative action, including quotas, preferences, and outreach, in lessening order of severity. Quotas, also called “set asides”, deal with having a definite amount of jobs or college spots reserved for a particular group. For example, if a university admits 1000 students every year and sets aside 150 seats that are open to blacks only, this is considered a quota. A perfect illustration of a quota would be the 1977 Supreme Court case...
Words: 6948 - Pages: 28
