October 1st, 2020 | Written By - Kendall Braaten '23
Historically, America has been known as the “land of opportunity.” But whether or not it deserves this title has been under heavy debate in recent years. A close examination of the wealth distribution in America will reveal staggering racial disparities; the net worth of a typical white family is nearly 10 times that of a black family. This gap reflects America’s history of discrimination against Black Americans and shows it to be a society that does not provide equal opportunity for all of its citizens.
Since the 1950s, the image of the hard-working, successful Asian-American has become a convenient way to invalidate the hardships faced by Black Americans. This notion not only largely generalizes the Asian American community, but it also implies that years of systematic oppression and enslavement can be overcome by hard work and strong family values. White people have taken this idea and used it as a racial wedge between BIPOC communities. The effect? A collective disregard for the role racism plays in the lives of other people of color, especially Black Americans.
The idea of a “model minority” started to gain popularity after World War Two. Many depicted Japanese Americans as having “risen from the ashes” after being held in internment camps and becoming model American citizens. This was “immediately a reflection on black people” according to Claire Jean Kim, a professor at the University of California, Irvine. Why weren’t Black Americans making it, but Japanese Americans were? The media and other publications further solidified the stereotype of Japanese Americans as good-natured, law abiding citizens in contrast to Black Americans who were continuing to struggle with the effects of slavery and Jim Crow laws. An example is the 1966 New York Times story, titled, "Success Story, Japanese-American Style,” by William Petersen. This myth became very useful to white politicians who utilized it when the civil rights movement was galvanized. Japanese Americans weren’t protesting, they weren’t taking action, but they appeared to be doing just fine. As a result, they became a model for political cooperation; they were non-threatening, complacent, and conveniently non-black. “The work of the African American freedom movements had made white liberals and white conservatives very uncomfortable,” according to Ellen Wu, the author of The Color of Success, and they looked to Asian Americans as an example of a solution. “Look how they ended up! They’re doing just fine. And they did it all without political protests,” Wu remarked.
These stereotypes may appear to be beneficial to the Asian community, but in reality they are extremely harmful. Sarah-Soonling Blackburn, the author of “What is the Model Minority Myth,” recounts her own experiences with this term. “My failure to reach an expected level of achievement in math was attributed to some kind of deficiency or lack of effort on my part,” she explains in her article. She goes on to detail how this impacted her self-image; she felt as if she could never live up to the model minority. This experience is not unique to Sarah -- on average, Asian American students attempt suicide at much higher rates than any other racial group. This myth, while seemingly positive, imposes high pressure and expectations on the Asian community. As Blackburn states, “If you don’t fit the myth, it is hard to find your place at all.” As a result, many Asian-Americans are subject to a life of alienation within their own community and culture; this is beyond detrimental.
White people created the model minority myth and it actively pits people of color against each other. By putting these communities in competition with one another, it harms the fight for true racial equality. Dispelling the myth and other stereotypes within these communities will create unity and make the fight a whole lot easier.
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