Chinese Americans: The Model Minority

In the eyes of the American people, Asians Americans are usually seen as the “model minority.” The phrase “model minority” means a minority group that is seen and perceived as successful. In particular, some many say that the Chinese Americans are the model minority because they are stereotyped as being overly smart and obedient, which is also a part of being the model minority. Because of the fact that Chinese Americans are always seen as being smart and obedient, many people often overlook the fact that Chinese Americans can do harm. Additionally, like every racial stereotype there are quite a few people in the community or race, that do not fit in with the saying. In the case with Chinese Americans and them being the “model minority,” …show more content…
It all started with the first generation of Chinese immigrants that came to the United States, which lead to their children’s joining the path of destruction. One of the earliest record of Chinese crimes was in San Francisco Chinatown. It was the war between a community-based support group in Northern California during the time of the goal rush. The war later traveled all the way across the country in New York City, which lead to the two group becoming rivals. The war was between people in the Tong group, that was originally formed to help the Chinese with any legal and protective services because they were not able to use any of the “white” services (The Gangs). Since the Chinese were being discriminated against. There were four major Tong wars that happened during their 30 year battle. The first war broke out because of gambling, the second war was about the ownership of the company and the murder of a women, the third war was about opium being distributed, and the last was about the defection from one Tong to another (Ferranti). After the 30 years of rivalry, the war ended and the Tong organization is a legitimate social and political network for Chinese Americans and immigrants but it is believed that they are involved in some crime activities …show more content…
There was a movie that came out in 2014 that follows that case that happened during the time of the gang war. The Green Dragons gang was widely known for the murder of two people in 1989 in Brooklyn (The Rise). The Chinese Americans that were in the group were as young as the of 14 years old. John Chu, a former member of the group said that the Green Dragons wanted to take over Queens New York. Chu was recruited out of high school to joined the group. The age range for members of the Green Dragons gangs were 14-23. Chu stated that he felt important and independent when he joined the Green Dragons gang, “We would leave our parent’s house and live in the group’s apartments…for a 14 or 15-year-old, that’s a lot of money. When you’re that age and you have a car and money, you feel important” (The Rise). Many teens cannot wait to grow up, hence why they would take up any deal to move out of their parent’s house and do their own things. They like the feeling of being free and away from their parents. Therefore, many of them go down the path of joining gangs because it is a way out for