The Model Minority Myth Only Benefits White America
BY EMMA XIANG '23
In 2011, Amy Chua published Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, documenting her strict method of “Chinese” parenting. Chua dubbed herself a “tiger mom”: a mother focused on preparing her children for success through extensive math practice, rigorous piano sessions, and a no-tolerance policy. The novel concept of tiger parenting buzzed among American parents while reinforcing the model minority myth, which labels certain groups’ achievements as a contradiction of their minority status. Currently, Asian immigrants and their Asian American children fit this role. They are praised for everything: from their seemingly high socioeconomic status to their success in STEM. They pulled themselves up from obscurity and hardship, fulfilling the American Dream. However, the model minority myth merely disguises itself as praise; in reality, it grounds itself in superficial stereotypes, conceals a history of oppression, and enables white America to divide minority groups.
By the 1970s, Asian Americans had successfully closed the wage gap between themselves and white Americans. As they climbed up the socioeconomic ladder, the general public shifted their perception of Asian Americans: the media praised their hard work, low crime rates, and complacent nature. Asian Americans, in an effort to assimilate to American culture, molded themselves into the perfect citizens. They proved that with perseverance and incentive, one could overcome the boundaries of being a minority in America. In doing so, they established themselves as the centerpiece of the model minority myth.
However, the entire Asian American community consists of more than just upper-middle class math-whizzes and violin prodigies. Despite having the highest income disparity between the rich and the poor, America still groups Asian Americans under the classic high-achieving and hard-working stereotype. Asian Americans strive to uphold this myth, subjected to the pressure of a repeated message: fit in, or be criticized for defying the “norm.” Those who do not match this stereotype are mocked by both Asian and white peers as outliers; they are rejected for failing to meet these suffocating expectations outlined for them because for Asian Americans, success is the expectation. These outliers blame themselves rather than the inherent faults of the model minority myth, succumbing to silence and complicity.
Asian American silence can also be attributed to the fallacious belief that minorities can achieve the same level of success as a white American. According to the model minority myth, they simply need to obey the law, respect the government’s decisions, and work hard to overcome challenges. Through this hasty generalization, the American public congratulates Asian Americans for their hard-earned achievements while overshadowing an ugly history of racial oppression, ranging from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to Japanese internment camps during World War II. Meanwhile, Asian Americans remain silent, hoping to earn acceptance through obedient behavior. Unfortunately, when Asian Americans experience xenophobia, they are simply met with dismissal. Ultimately, their refusal to protest racist policies and actions erode movements for other minorities.
While the model minority myth harms Asian Americans, it also oppresses Black Americans. Last summer, Asian American communities were silent on the Black Lives Matter movement. Politicians, government officials, and journalists downplayed the perpetual racism against Black Americans with the model minority myth. Brandishing Asian American success as proof, they argued that a combination of grounded beliefs and perseverance was sufficient to thrive in America. New York Magazine’s Andrew Sullivan claimed that racism against Black Americans did not hinder their success; rather, it was their lack of two-parent households that harmed young Black individuals. However, Sullivan failed to address key differences between Asian American oppression and Black oppression. Slavery lasted for decades, and its effects still persist today. Black communities consistently face police brutality, racial profiling, harsh prison sentences, healthcare inequities, and more. The effects of Asian American oppression exist, too, but in a different way. Oppression across all racial groups should be recognized but not equated to each other.
In America, we are told that equal opportunity exists for all races. When this so-called equality is questioned, people automatically point to the model minority myth. This allows America to bury its injustices below the apparent success of one racial group. In actuality, the American Dream cannot exist with institutionalized systems that cater to white people. Instead, the model minority myth encourages minorities to accept their places in the American race hierarchy and promises that if they stay silent, they can reach the status of the white American. Without first eradicating racial discrimination, no minority group will ever obtain an equal status in America. Rather than make excuses, we must confront our nation’s race-embroiled problems—the very issues that minorities have struggled with for centuries—if we are to create a country that is truly “the land of the free.”
By the 1970s, Asian Americans had successfully closed the wage gap between themselves and white Americans. As they climbed up the socioeconomic ladder, the general public shifted their perception of Asian Americans: the media praised their hard work, low crime rates, and complacent nature. Asian Americans, in an effort to assimilate to American culture, molded themselves into the perfect citizens. They proved that with perseverance and incentive, one could overcome the boundaries of being a minority in America. In doing so, they established themselves as the centerpiece of the model minority myth.
However, the entire Asian American community consists of more than just upper-middle class math-whizzes and violin prodigies. Despite having the highest income disparity between the rich and the poor, America still groups Asian Americans under the classic high-achieving and hard-working stereotype. Asian Americans strive to uphold this myth, subjected to the pressure of a repeated message: fit in, or be criticized for defying the “norm.” Those who do not match this stereotype are mocked by both Asian and white peers as outliers; they are rejected for failing to meet these suffocating expectations outlined for them because for Asian Americans, success is the expectation. These outliers blame themselves rather than the inherent faults of the model minority myth, succumbing to silence and complicity.
Asian American silence can also be attributed to the fallacious belief that minorities can achieve the same level of success as a white American. According to the model minority myth, they simply need to obey the law, respect the government’s decisions, and work hard to overcome challenges. Through this hasty generalization, the American public congratulates Asian Americans for their hard-earned achievements while overshadowing an ugly history of racial oppression, ranging from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to Japanese internment camps during World War II. Meanwhile, Asian Americans remain silent, hoping to earn acceptance through obedient behavior. Unfortunately, when Asian Americans experience xenophobia, they are simply met with dismissal. Ultimately, their refusal to protest racist policies and actions erode movements for other minorities.
While the model minority myth harms Asian Americans, it also oppresses Black Americans. Last summer, Asian American communities were silent on the Black Lives Matter movement. Politicians, government officials, and journalists downplayed the perpetual racism against Black Americans with the model minority myth. Brandishing Asian American success as proof, they argued that a combination of grounded beliefs and perseverance was sufficient to thrive in America. New York Magazine’s Andrew Sullivan claimed that racism against Black Americans did not hinder their success; rather, it was their lack of two-parent households that harmed young Black individuals. However, Sullivan failed to address key differences between Asian American oppression and Black oppression. Slavery lasted for decades, and its effects still persist today. Black communities consistently face police brutality, racial profiling, harsh prison sentences, healthcare inequities, and more. The effects of Asian American oppression exist, too, but in a different way. Oppression across all racial groups should be recognized but not equated to each other.
In America, we are told that equal opportunity exists for all races. When this so-called equality is questioned, people automatically point to the model minority myth. This allows America to bury its injustices below the apparent success of one racial group. In actuality, the American Dream cannot exist with institutionalized systems that cater to white people. Instead, the model minority myth encourages minorities to accept their places in the American race hierarchy and promises that if they stay silent, they can reach the status of the white American. Without first eradicating racial discrimination, no minority group will ever obtain an equal status in America. Rather than make excuses, we must confront our nation’s race-embroiled problems—the very issues that minorities have struggled with for centuries—if we are to create a country that is truly “the land of the free.”
