Larisa Mellon to me
52 minutes agoDetails
For more than 100 years, Asian Americans were viewed as foreign, unsophisticated, and unwanted. Asians were referred to as the “yellow peril” and were considered to be a threat to American society. Because of their image as a threat, Asian Americans were the victims of consistent racist attacks and discriminatory policies. However, beginning with 1960s, this negative image took a radical shift to one of admiration as Asian Americans’ success started becoming more and more publicized throughout Western society. Once believed as unassimilable and perpetual foreigners, Asians took a new position in the Western society. Since then, it is thought that Asian Americans are the “model minority” and present …show more content…
Thus, it is obvious that Asians were also used as a tool against the uprisings of the enraged racial minorities, especially African Americans, and to demonstrate that the American system is not guilty for the failures of non-whites (Wu 49). So, to those who claimed that racial minorities were struggling due to America’s racist policies and behavior, the government had an alternative by presenting Asian Americans that could achieve it all, without complaining or seeking government aid. The primary goal was to imply that racial groups that have not done the same as Asian Americans are responsible for their own faulty position in the society.
Unfortunately, the concept of “model minority” remains so deeply entrenched in our society that even Asian Americans believe it to be true. Mass media and public opinion continue to perpetuate this stereotype through various Asian success articles. Despite the increasing resistance from academics to simply label all Asian Americans as a model minority, the myth implies that due to their perseverance to work, become educated and exceed on all levels, Asian Americans “have overcome racial discrimination against them”, and represent the most successful racial minority to have adjusted to American life (Hartlep …show more content…
First of all, I find it very problematic because it suggests that the U.S. government doesn’t have to adopt any measures to tackle discrimination against racial minorities. As Wu points out the “model minority” is a myth and should be rejected by all, including Asian Americans, because it “is a gross oversimplification” of millions of Asian Americans, it discriminates and disapproves African Americans by giving an unfair comparison, it denies the historical experiences of racism against Asian Americans as well as turning them into a threat for whites (49). The model minority myth ultimately sustains a system of unfairness by setting people of color and various minority groups against each other. Consequently, teachers, employers, etc., have unrealistic expectations from Asian Americans and are unwilling to provide them with necessary support and opportunities. Many Asian Americans have to face bullying, racism and that brings a great deal of psychological and emotional distress. The reality of Asian success is mostly due to the social and cultural factors, like the U.S. selective immigration policies and Asian parenting
52 minutes agoDetails
For more than 100 years, Asian Americans were viewed as foreign, unsophisticated, and unwanted. Asians were referred to as the “yellow peril” and were considered to be a threat to American society. Because of their image as a threat, Asian Americans were the victims of consistent racist attacks and discriminatory policies. However, beginning with 1960s, this negative image took a radical shift to one of admiration as Asian Americans’ success started becoming more and more publicized throughout Western society. Once believed as unassimilable and perpetual foreigners, Asians took a new position in the Western society. Since then, it is thought that Asian Americans are the “model minority” and present …show more content…
Thus, it is obvious that Asians were also used as a tool against the uprisings of the enraged racial minorities, especially African Americans, and to demonstrate that the American system is not guilty for the failures of non-whites (Wu 49). So, to those who claimed that racial minorities were struggling due to America’s racist policies and behavior, the government had an alternative by presenting Asian Americans that could achieve it all, without complaining or seeking government aid. The primary goal was to imply that racial groups that have not done the same as Asian Americans are responsible for their own faulty position in the society.
Unfortunately, the concept of “model minority” remains so deeply entrenched in our society that even Asian Americans believe it to be true. Mass media and public opinion continue to perpetuate this stereotype through various Asian success articles. Despite the increasing resistance from academics to simply label all Asian Americans as a model minority, the myth implies that due to their perseverance to work, become educated and exceed on all levels, Asian Americans “have overcome racial discrimination against them”, and represent the most successful racial minority to have adjusted to American life (Hartlep …show more content…
First of all, I find it very problematic because it suggests that the U.S. government doesn’t have to adopt any measures to tackle discrimination against racial minorities. As Wu points out the “model minority” is a myth and should be rejected by all, including Asian Americans, because it “is a gross oversimplification” of millions of Asian Americans, it discriminates and disapproves African Americans by giving an unfair comparison, it denies the historical experiences of racism against Asian Americans as well as turning them into a threat for whites (49). The model minority myth ultimately sustains a system of unfairness by setting people of color and various minority groups against each other. Consequently, teachers, employers, etc., have unrealistic expectations from Asian Americans and are unwilling to provide them with necessary support and opportunities. Many Asian Americans have to face bullying, racism and that brings a great deal of psychological and emotional distress. The reality of Asian success is mostly due to the social and cultural factors, like the U.S. selective immigration policies and Asian parenting