For our last reading and discussion topic this semester, it is significant that we were planning to discuss stereotypes of Asian Americans during our last week, even prior to the increased racism perpetuated on Asian Americans following misperceptions of COVID-19. As with earlier posts, please read through the material from all the links (including the one in the previous sentence) and view the included videos to contribute in an informed, respectful conversation below or on the Scholar discussion forum.
We begin with a screening of this clip sharing some of the history in which the myth of Asian Americans as the "model minority" emerged.
An article from the Urban Institute illuminates some of the economic realities that debunk the myth. Research published by the National Association of Independents Schools provides tools to intervene in the myth from an education context.
Highlights from Ch. 39: “Are Asian Americans Becoming ‘White’”? by Min Zhou:
We begin with a screening of this clip sharing some of the history in which the myth of Asian Americans as the "model minority" emerged.
An article from the Urban Institute illuminates some of the economic realities that debunk the myth. Research published by the National Association of Independents Schools provides tools to intervene in the myth from an education context.
Highlights from Ch. 39: “Are Asian Americans Becoming ‘White’”? by Min Zhou:
Zhou discusses the way that, officially and unofficially, Asian Americans are more and more
often being combined with Whites as having similar experiences. Unofficially they are
considered the “model minority”, with some achieving successes consistent with the American
Dream, and officially the fact that the two groups are combined when it comes to equal
opportunity programs. Zhou first criticizes this for the fact that Asian American is a designation
that includes people from a multitude of different countries of origin, each having different
experiences both in the past and during their time in the United States. The “model minority”
label is seen as being problematic for reinforcing the stereotype that racism no longer exists: that any other racial or ethnic group should be able to achieve the same. It also ignores the fact that
different Asian American groups have achieved different levels of assimilation and social class
standing, and are not a heterogeneous group that can be described with a singular label.
Zhou describes that most Asian Americans are not seeing to become “White,” but see that as the
standard norm for American society, and their own identity is more nationalistic (American) than
racial. However, the perspective that Asian Americans would be able to achieve “Whiteness”
would also minimize and ignore the impact of anti-Asian discrimination and racism that is still
present in American society.
What thoughts/questions arise for you regarding the material you viewed and read here? Specifically, how does the "model minority" myth of Asian Americans contradict the racism their community faces in the United States when it serves those in power (i.e. calling COVID-19 the "Chinese Virus")?
Please post a comment (here or on the Forum) by 11:59 pm Tuesday, April 21.
I ask that you please read through your classmates' comments here and on the forums and maybe even reply to a comment or two (on either format, up to you!) in the interest of keeping it interactive.
What thoughts/questions arise for you regarding the material you viewed and read here? Specifically, how does the "model minority" myth of Asian Americans contradict the racism their community faces in the United States when it serves those in power (i.e. calling COVID-19 the "Chinese Virus")?
Please post a comment (here or on the Forum) by 11:59 pm Tuesday, April 21.
I ask that you please read through your classmates' comments here and on the forums and maybe even reply to a comment or two (on either format, up to you!) in the interest of keeping it interactive.
The model minority myth takes away from Asian Americans and who they really are. A person should not be categorized as being good at something based on their race. A person is good at something because they are great at it and work hard at something, not because society says that they are, since some of society believes that race is a factor of how good you are at everyday tasks. This model minority stereotype is not a compliment but instead is a racial stereotype and can harm minority individuals who are victims of this stereotyping. In regard to the covid-19 virus, it should have been addressed a different way in which Americans would not have any reason to threaten or try to do harm to Americans who are of the Asian decent, because the virus did not come from them or anyone in our country. The virus came from elsewhere and Asian Americans should not faced with the blame for this virus coming here, since they live here in America.
ReplyDeleteThe model minority myth of Asian Americans diminishes their ethnicity in a way by comparing them to other ethnicities. I feel as if it is extremely wrong to say something along the lines of “this race is the closest race that models the American Dream.” Because the American Dream should encompass all minorities equally and not belittle others to compliment one. Comparing them to White people is in fact, a form of racial stereotyping and it does not cause harm to other minorities not specified, but also to Asian Americans as well. Since, like Zhou said in chapter 39, that Asian Americans are not one person, but a bunch of different people and they cannot be described with a singular label. In addition to the model minority myth, Donald Trump calling COVID-19 the Chinese Virus was in my opinion straight ignorance. Yes the virus originated in China, but how does that make it a “Chinese” virus? This correlates to the model minority because the American president stereotyped an entire country by labeling a virus by an ethnicity. In the same aspect, the swine flu originated in Mexico, so would that be the “Mexican Virus?” No.
ReplyDeleteThe model minority myth (at first glance) appears to be a compliment towards Asian Americans however, it is quite the opposite. Stripping Asian Americans of their individuality and attributing their talent and success to their race is very insulting. Asian American's face the stereotype of being academically successful and great at mathematics. It's nice to be very smart and intelligent at mathematics but, when individuals are faced with the societal pressure that expects them to excel in certain topics and fall short, it becomes a very discomforting and uneasy feeling. "Your Asian, shouldn't you be good at this" is a phrase this is often thrown around toward Asian Americans who don't quite meet the racial stereotype imposed on them. Instead of contributing academic success towards a persons race look at them as an individual with an intersectional lens. All individuals should hold themselves to higher academic standards and not attribute success toward the race of individuals who achieve academic success.
ReplyDeleteI like how you phrase your first sentence stating at first glance. If someone were to just discuss on the surface level of Asians being the "model minority," it sounds fine. The "model minority" sounds as if it is an achievement, but as we can see it really is not. Asians face stereotypes and discrimination as we have seen in the readings and the video just like other minorities.
DeleteI would like to relate to the second part of your comment of Asians always are supposed to be considered smart and intelligent in especially mathematics. As an African American woman this challenge is the complete opposite. We are not expected to be very smart and intelligent but rather dumb by most people. When most people see an intelligent African American, they are almost stunned. It is sad the racism and stereotypes minorities still face today. I agree with just what you said we should see an person for being an individual not who they are stereotyped to be according to their race.
I think that the model minority myth and the racism that the Asian American community is facing as a result of COVID-19 are connected by the idea of "forever foreigner syndrome". While the model minority myth combines Asian Americans with whites in situations such as equal opportunity programs, it reinforces the idea that because they are not white, there expectations placed on them. Therefore, even if Asian Americans through the model minority myth are experiencing white privileges they are still being held back by society's idea that they will always be foreigners. This forever foreigner syndrome then translates into the xenophobic treatment of Asian Americans today as they are being treated like outsiders who don't belong even though they live here. I have even heard that people have stopped supporting Chinese restaurants out of racist fear they will catch the virus, unfairly treating people purely because of their race.
ReplyDeleteThe model minority myth devalues Asian Americans and compares them to others. It is similar to controlling images where it is deeply rooted in pervasive stereotypes. I never understood there was a period of “civil disobedience” for Asian American rights but our history skims right over it because it does not fit with the stereotypical passive and submissive stereotype. We are fashioned to see a certain group of people a certain way and downgrades other minorities. Asians are seen almost as the trophy children in regards to ethnicity in America, because people believe if they can do it, other minorities can as well. The model minority myth is so harmful however and can diminish how Asian Americans see themselves and be destructive.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that this has been referred to as the Chines virus is so heartbreaking. They are lumping an entire ethnicity together and devaluing individual people who are just as likely to contract the virus as me and you. Even if the virus originated from China, a highly contagious virus cannot be blamed on an entire ethnicity. I am not trying to make light of the virus in the slightest, but viruses happen and there is death in the world, but people are far too quick to blame and point fingers. With the model minority myth, it makes Asians and Asian Americans an easy target and people want to blame someone for the altered way of living now, no matter how racist the words or terms they use.
The model minority myth diminishes the being and actuality of who Asian Americans are as people. In the video "Why Do We Call Asian Americans the Model Minority" it talked about how many people overlook the stereotypes such as "Asians are so good at math", or "Asians are super smart". The downside to these is while they may look like compliments or something to be proud of, they are actually backhanded compliments. These backhanded stereotypical compliments are saying that these people are only smart or only good at math because of their race. White Americans are threatened that Asian Americans and even immigrants can come in and surpass them. They believe that the success of Asians is not earned, but taken from white Americans. The media plays a huge role in the perception and representation or lack thereof of Asian Americans. Movie directors are casting white people for Asian roles simply because they is the norm. The unfortunate part about the model minority myth is the way it is used for propaganda as a way of saying if Asians can do it then there is no discrimination.
ReplyDeleteThe most disturbing part about this article for me is the reference of the Coronavirus as the "Chinese Virus". The use of the term chinese virus is facing Asian Americans with verbal and even some documented physical hatefulness. Asian Americans were already struggling to find a place in a country that refuses to accept them. But by the President and members of congress calling it the chinese virus as well gives white Americans free reign to follow his lead. It is creating an alarming rate in hate crimes and distancing Asians even further away from the rest of the country.
Ethnicity should not be a determiner for ones capability. People are where they are in life based on the choices they make and they should be recognized for it. This is not saying that certain systems aren't in place that makes this difficult for some more than others, but the idea of the model minority takes away from the individual. The media doesn't help. The fact that most Asian roles are being white washed or overly stereotyped for the American audience needs to change. That is why I was happy when Crazy Rich Asians came out (It was the black panther of the Asian community).
ReplyDeleteAlthough Covid-19 originated in china does not mean that we need to over react to every Asian person we see. Decease doesn't discriminate where it comes from. A disease could have been started in America. I understand people want to blame someone but it doesn't help or do anything to change the situation. It just shows how much work we need to do. Just because we are a 1st world country doesn't mean we don't still have a lot more work to do.
The model minority myth acts as a backhanded compliment that diminishes an individuals success to being a product of their race while also imposing an extremely restrictive stereotype on Asian Americans. Something that surprised me in going through the articles and videos was the use of this myth to essentially give other minorities something to "aspire" to. I feel as if this comes back to our earlier discussion this semester on the three tiered hierarchy of race, where "Honorary White" are used as a buffer between "dominant" white Americans and "subordinate" Black Americans. This is a blatant overgeneralization of Asian Americans as it takes a diverse group of ethnicities and boils down to one singular demographic, which is touched on within the videos. This myth also puts undue stress and pressure on those who do not fit within the box this stereotype creates. Two examples discussed within the readings were pressures surrounding mental health and activism as they fall outside of this idea of the model minority. In regards to the representation of Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can see overt racism seeping out of even the highest ranking offices in the country. When the president referred to COVID-19 as the "Chinese Virus”, he created an extremely dangerous and volatile environment within the United States. I have personally heard stories of recent racial profiling from a close friend, who is of Korean heritage, and the affects that it has had both mentally and physically on her and her family. Rhetoric used for inspiring fear, especially when targeted towards marginalized groups, will act to reinforce the current dominant ideologies within our society that we so badly need to be challenging.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of the "Model Minority" creates a false generalization of all Asian Americans, and helps to promote systematic racism by lifting up a minority as a model to suggest that other minorities are lacking in integrity to get over the same hurdlers as the Asian community. Further, it fails to show that Asia is a massive continent home to many diverse ethnicity and many of them unfortunately do not live up to the great access to resources that the the Model Minority myth suggests.
ReplyDeleteLastly, it is troubling to the increase in anti-asian rhetoric coming from so many elected officials and Americans alike. The strength of our nation is our diversity of thought and upbringing and to see such disparaging comments against Asian Americans is appalling!
Mike Ryan, the executive director of WHO’s Emergencies Program, shared that “viruses know no borders and they don’t care about your ethnicity, the color of your skin or how much money you have in the bank” (thehill.com). Calling COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus” has severe implications, causing people to shift blame towards members of the community in an effort to have someone or something blamed for the cause of this global health crisis. Calling it the “Chinese Virus” places a single narrative on a culture that, after some research, you begin to see it’s far representative of what the culture truly is like. It will be interesting to see COVID-19’s impact on the myth of “model minority.” I think this situation has the opportunity to stimulate important conversations on epidemiology and culture studies.
ReplyDeleteThe model minority myth is a very interesting topic to be ending off the semester with especially during the circumstances we are experiencing. We have always seen Asians be seen as the honorary whites as we have read in other chapters. However, now as the our president of the United States continues to refer to the COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus" this notion has changed. As we can see we have no evidence of calling COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" as it has effected people of all races. It is unfortunate that the blame is being placed on Asians, and they are getting made fun of in the media with several memes every day on social media.
ReplyDeleteI think this change shows an important dynamic of power. Asians have always been seen as "honorary whites" until the they effected the people in power. I think this is important to look at because it shows racism will forever be an issue in our society. Asians may be considered "honorary whites," but they will forever be under Whites. This situation is a prime example.
The model minority myth shows Asian-Americans that many of their experiences do not have value. I feel like many people within the United States believe the stereotype that all Asians are hard working and successful. The model minority myth throws kind of a blanket of collective success over all Asian-Americans and groups them together. This then makes racism seem like it is no longer such a big issue and should not effect the struggles and experiences of other minority groups. This stereotype also is extremely disrespectful. The underlying message is that the success and intelligence of Asian-Americans is sole attributed to their race. COVID-19 has really brought to light the deeply rooted racism within the United States. Although many may refer to Asian-Americans as “model minorities”, look at how they are being treated now as a result of this disease. It is sickening to hear the virus be referred to as the “Chinese virus”, because it devalues an entire race due to something that really could’ve happened anywhere. If the first outbreak originated in the United States, I’m sure that the narrative would have been completely different. Asian-Americans go through many of the struggles that other minority groups do trying to fit into American society, and hearing politicians continue to say ignorant things is only making way for these racist trends to continue.
ReplyDeleteYour comment contributions bring everything full circle from our first week together. I am grateful for the connections you made--here and all semester. I am confident you will continue to think about and act on communication through an intersectional lens. I look forward to your final portfolios next week!
ReplyDeleteI understand I am late to posting and not writing this for any expected credit as for that is probably too late. Although, I just wanted to share my thoughts with everyone.
ReplyDeleteAfter reflecting on these readings I found it really disturbing of the increase of hate crime towards asian-americans due to COVID-19. In the first article linked, there was a website linked that allowed for asians to report hate crimes. While visiting this website I was able to find specific reports on these hate crimes. The read of the reports was disturbing because people were going as far as coughing or spitting on asians. Not only that but the angry slurs said to them were downright hateful. I find it really disturbing how often we see these acts of hate towards other minority groups in a country that is supposed to be open to freedom and change.
The model minority myth is the stereotype that all Asian Americans are smart, hard working, and destined to be a doctor. A stereotype like this effects Asian Americas from the moment they hear that they have to live up to the myth. It takes away from them as individuals by labeling all of them as smart just because of their race. It is not okay and is blatant rascism to label an entire ethnicity smart. Being smart is an individual thing. Being a hard worker has to do with personal drive and character and the model minority myth takes away from the individual personality traits one holds. After reading into the increase in hate crimes toward Asian Americans, it is no question that these hate crimes are being done by people who blame China for Covid-19 spread in America. The first hand reports of victims of these crimes are truly horrifying.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the last thing I would do during a pandemic is go to an asian persons house and commit crimes solely based on the fact theyre Asian. It shows just how alive and well racism is in America and racists are using the pandemic to harm innocent people based on the fact they are asian. The racism doesnt stop with citizens but it is alive and well in the white house. White house officials and the president refer to Covid-19 as the "chinese virus" or "kung-flu." The calling of the virus very likely influenced the hate crime offenders to believe what theyre doing is right. When racism flows in the white house, it flows harder in the streets and its genuinely is getting out of hand with these hate crimes against asians.