Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 1

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth: The Harmful Effects of the Positive Model Minority Stereotype

Amy Chi

Psychology of Prejudice Professor Cox-Boyd April 23, 2012

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 2

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth: The Harmful Effects of the Positive Model Minority Stereotype The term model minority refers to a minority group that has achieved a generally high level of economic and educational success in the United States. This label is often attributed to Asian Americans, who are collectively perceived as being hard-working and law-abiding. This expression not only implies that Asian Americans as a minority group have successfully overcome racism and have been fully accepted into American society, but also that their overall success serves as proof to other minority groups that the United States provides equal opportunity for those who pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and are willing to work hard to improve their lives. Although this ostensibly positive stereotype may appear benevolent at first, a critical analysis of the term and its application reveals that it is a myth, and more importantly, that it is a harmful myth that segregates minority groups, reinforces racist assumptions, and masks the real needs, issues and concerns faced by different group members. In this paper, I will examine the model minority stereotype and the consequences of propagating the myth, particularly looking into its effect on Asian Americans and other racial minority groups. Using this information, I will demonstrate that the myth of the model minority is

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 3 damaging to all minority groups because it perpetuates tired racial stereotypes, ignores and disregards real demands for justice and equity, and overlooks issues which may directly affect individuals within a racial group. One of the negative impacts of the model minority myth is that it pits Asian Americans against other minority groups, particularly African Americans, by portraying the groups as being fundamentally different and at odds with one another; this is done by assigning specific stereotypes for each group (i.e. depicting the former as hard-working and docile and the latter as lazy and contentious). In The Karma of Brown Folk, Vijay Prashad (2001) details how African Americans and Asian Americans are pitted against one another: [Asian Americans] are not simply a solution for black America but, most pointedly, a weapon deployed against it. The struggles of blacks are met with the derisive remark that Asians dont complain; they work hard as if to say that blacks dont work hard. The implication is that blacks complain and ask for handouts (p.7). Prashad points out that these presumed differences between racial minorities are frequently highlighted by political conservatives, who use such claims to justify their opposition to equality-enhancing social programs such as affirmative action and government welfare. This kind of divisive rhetoric not only has the effect of pitting Asian Americans against other minority groups, thus creating racial tension and preventing cooperation between them, but it also allows those who propagate the model minority myth to deny the continuing racism that pervades American society, to maintain the (racist) status quo, and to reinforce the subordinate position of minority groups in the U.S. (Model Minority, n.d., p.175).

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 4 Another dangerous consequence arising from pitting Asian Americans against African Americans is that it leads people to assume that racial groups are biologically predetermined to have certain characteristics. By making the assumption that all Asian Americans are intelligent and hard-working, and therefore, are more predisposed than other minority groups to be successful, we run the risk of thinking that the high averages have something to do with the immigrants genetics or culture rather than something to do with the process of selection adopted by the U.S. state (Prashad, 2001, p.6). The problem with this is that many people are simply unaware of the fact that following the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, a measure which reversed years of racist immigration policies that essentially banned all Asians from entering the states., the U.S. government selectively chose immigrants who had specific professional backgrounds. Due to increasing tensions fueled by the Cold War, the Untied States government began to open its doors to all Asians, but especially made it a priority to recruit highly-educated Asian professionals and scientists who could contribute to making the U.S. a stronger force than the Soviet Union (Model Minority, n.d., p. 173). Ignoring this historical fact thus leads mainstream society to pointlessly compare the entire African American community to a minority group within a minority groupthat is, those who are of Asian descent and have certain specific professional skills (Ying et al., 2001, p. 62). Another reason why the model minority myth is detrimental to minority groups is because it is often used against them to silence and dismiss their demands for equality and justice. Prashad (2001) argues that the mere fact that some people of color have achieved levels

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 5 of success for whatever reasons is used as evidence that discrimination based on race is a thing of the past and that racism no longer poses a barrier to success in contemporary American society (p. 8). The problem with this rationale is not only that it is entirely untrue, but more seriously, it invalidates and marginalizes the voices and experiences of those who are directly affected by institutional racism, individual discrimination and structural barriers which prevent them from attaining true racial parity. Moreover, the model minority image is too often used by white political conservatives who want to portray African Americans as being overly unreasonable and demanding about something the former perceives as no long being an obstacle to the latters quality of life. Conservatives tend to point to Asian Americans, saying that if African Americans simply worked harder and stopped complaining, then they, too, could achieve the American Dream. However, the implication is that if a group is labeled as being unreasonably difficult or excessive, then their experiences are deemed invalid because they are extreme, and those with demands that are extreme have no right to complain. Therefore, the implication frames people who accept continued inequality in society as normative, which then makes everyone else either too sensitive or mistaken in their judgments. Not only does the myth have the effect of silencing the African American communitys demands for equality, it also diverts attention away from any discrimination that Asian Americans continue to face. Due to the seemingly positive nature of the model minority stereotype, Asian Americans who mention discrimination may seem to be complaining about something that does not exist or is not serious (Model Minority, n.d., p.174). This has dire

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 6 consequences, as discrimination against Asian Americans is real and continues to manifest both overtly and subtly in contemporary American society. For example, following the events of September 11, the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC) reported of a sharp increase in hate crimes targeting certain members within the South Asian American communityparticularly Indian American Sikhswho often wear turbans due to their cultural and religious identity. Although Muslim and Arab Americans were by far the most targeted group for hate crimes after 9/11, many Asian Indian Americans were targeted as well, and as a result, the U.S. Department of Justices annual hate crime statistics increased by 350 percent from 200 to 2001 for the latter group (as cited in Wang, Siy, & Cheryan, 2011). Other forms of blatant racism take the shape of physical and verbal harassment, bullying, and exclusion by peers, which are particularly experienced by Asian American youth (as cited in Wang, Siy, & Cheryan, 2011). This kind of harassment includes being mocked for assumed poor English skills, as well as verbal taunts and racially insulting names such being called chink or being told to go back to China. Green et al. asserts that these blatant experiences of discrimination have been linked to poor psychological adjustment for Asian American youth (as cited in Wang, Siy, & Cheryan, 2011). Subtle racism also has far-reaching consequences for Asian Americans. For example, despite the fact that many Asian Americans have lived in the United States for generations and may identify themselves as being American first and foremost, they are perpetually perceived as foreigners, and are often asked questions such as Where are you really from? or are told You

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 7 speak really good English. A study done by Cheryan and Monin (2005) demonstrates that college students rate Asian faces as less American than White faces, and that Asian Americans themselves reported being misperceived as non-native English speakers or as from another country more often than White Americans and African Americans (as cited in Wang, Siy, & Cheryan, 2011). In addition, people who feed into the Asian American model minority myth can generate increased negative resentment from peers of other racial groups and emotions like resentment, envy, and hostility can be elicited by those who perceive Asian Americans as truly embodying the model minority stereotype. As a result, Asian Americans are not necessarily viewed with admiration or exclusive positivity, but rather with ambivalence and resentment for their perceived success (Wang, Siy, & Cheryan, 2011, p. 224). One of the most detrimental consequences of the model minority stereotype is the effect it has on the mental health of many Asian Americans. The myth can have negative psychological effects on minority groups because if individuals within the group do not fit into a certain mold, they subsequently may see themselves as having failed to rise up to the levels of the groups perceived values. According to Frances C. Wang (2008), the additional pressure to maintain and live up to the model minority image may contribute to negative psychological adjustment for Asian Americans (e.g., depression), especially given their awareness of their model minority status (p. 1213). For example, Asian Americans who may not have the talent tor motivation for a career in the sciences or mathematics may suffer from stress and feelings of inadequacy and failure (Wang, 2008, p. 1213). Furthermore, a qualitative study recently revealed that, due to

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 8 issues regarding cultural stigma and feelings of shame, Asians would see a counselor only as the last resort, with family and friends being first resources of help (as cited in Gupta, Szymanski, & Leong, 2011). As a result, Inman and Yeh argue that Asian Americans who internalize the model minority are more likely than other groups to keep quite about their problems and not seek services (as cited in Gupta, Szymanski, & Leong, 2011). The study also pointed out that despite the fact that mental health problems among Asians isnt much different from those of other groups, Asian Americans tend to utilize services at a rate that is far below that compared to whites and that the model minority myth has probably made Asians one of the most undeserved groups because it is assumed that the successful and healthy Asian does not need services (Gupta, Szymanski, & Leong, 2011, p. 105). As a result, the myth has contributed to the lack of attention the mental and physical health of Asian Americans and a lack of culturally sensitive services for this community. Finally, typecasting any minority group, even if it is done in an ostensibly benevolent manner, is extremely restricting as it labels groups in a limiting and narrowly-defined fashion. Another negative consequence is that the targets of benevolent racism may accept and buy into such stereotypes; due to their superficially benign nature, there is often little motivation to defy and challenge these stereotypes because the notion is that they are good stereotypes. In addition, much more needs to be done for Asian Americans and all minority groups to break the glass ceiling that prevents them from being represented in the political sphere, in top-level positions in businesses, in the media (portrayed in more diverse and non-stereotypical ways), and other fields that have been traditionally

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 9 dominated by white males. All in all, perpetuating the model minority stereotype can lead to indifference and inaction towards the very real experiences of discrimination faced by many Asian Americans in modern day society, as well as overlook issues that are negatively impact the community. Last but not least, the model minority myth assumes that minority groups are homogenous in nature, thus ignoring the vast diversity and disparities present within each group. The term Asian American is used to collectively refer to people who can trace their lineage to countries in South Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian and the Pacific Islands. With geographical differences come differences in ethnicity, culture, practices, immigration histories, and socioeconomic status, among other things. However, by making the assumption that all Asian Americans are hard-working, passive and successful, we run the risk of painting members of the diverse subgroups with broad brush and thus, overlook the differences and disparities that exist within said groups. For example, we fail to see the concerns and problems which directly affect many Asian Americans, issues such as prejudice and discrimination that continue to affect them to this day, as well as issues that low income Asian Americans struggle with. One of the major harmful consequences of the model minority myth is that it obscures the socioeconomic diversity within the Asian Americans and prevents Asian Americans who need assistance from getting it. According to Wang, Siy and Cheryan (2011), many Southeast Asians Americans (e.g., Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans) who tend to be in a lower socioeconomic class than Chinese, Korean, Indian, and Japanese Americans are often neglected by social programs

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 10 because the model-minority stereotype renders their struggles invisible (p. 225). This invisibility overlooks experiences of discrimination among Southeast Asian Americans and other Asian Americans groups of lower socioeconomic status. Wong, Lai, Nagasawa, and Lin (1998) further note that the model minority myth is detrimental because the widely publicized success of some Asian Americans overshadows the struggle of other, underprivileged Asian Americans, which then fosters the attitude among the general public and policy makers that affirmative action need not include Asian Pacific Islanders (p. 112). Although the image of the model minority may appear positive at first, a closer examination of the term and its use reveals the negative impact it has on minority groups and the underlying racism of those who propagate the myth. Not only does the myth pit Asian Americans against African Americans and other racial minority groups by perpetuating racist stereotypes, it also assumes that the members of each group are homogenous and identical in their experiences, felt needs and concerns. This causes the rest of mainstream society to overlook and undermine issues which directly affect individuals within the respective groups. This is precisely why it is now more important than ever to dismantle the notion of the model minority once and for all and to see it for what it truly isa pure myth.

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References Wong, P., Lai, C., & Lin, T. (1998). Asian Americans as a model minority: self-perceptions and perceptions by other racial groups. Sociological Perspectives, 41(1), 95-116. Gupta, A., Szymanski, D., & Leong, F. (2011). The model minority myth: internalized racialism of positive stereotypes as correlates of psychological distress, and attitudes toward help-seeking. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 2(2), 101-112. OBrien L., Garcia, D., Crandall, C. & Kordys, J. (2010). White Americans opposition to affirmative action: group interest and the harm to beneficiaries objection. The British Journal of Social Psychology 49(1), 895-103. Wang, F. (2008). Model minority myth. Encyclopedia of Counseling, 1211-1214. Ying, Y., Lee, P., Tsai, J., Hung, Y., Lin M., & Wan, C. (2001). Asian American College Students as Model Minorities. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 7(1),

Dismantling the Model Minority Myth 12 59-74. Prashad, V. (2000). The Karma of Brown Folk. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minneosta. Wang, J., Siy, J., & Cheryan, S. (2011) Asian American and Pacific Islander Children and Mental Health: Development. Library of Congress.