In the essay “Chyna And Me”, Joyin C. Shih describes her experience growing up as an Asian American. She talks about her inner fight for being different from her ethic group because she did not want to be label as a model minority. Since she was in third grade, she started feeling frustrated and discriminated. It was hard for her to understand why people in her community had to be so competitive and always strive for perfection, while being quiet and polite. At the same time, she admired a black girl named Chyna, who was tough and outspoken. For her, the black culture represented strength and the ability to protest was more attractive than the polite assimilation of the Asian American community. However, during her college years, she was exposed to different group of cultures and she recognized that each one of them have their particular struggles. At the end, she accepted her culture with the good and the bad that it represents.
The concept that the Asia American community had successfully incorporated into the American society to the point that they are equaled or even exceeded the standard set for white American is known as the model
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And on a daily basis, they still face the same types of racism and social inequality that other minority groups face. Under the assumption that all Asian are smart, many struggle because they cannot follow this unrealistic expectation; and in fact, they have the highest school dropout rates in the country. Another fact is that a typical Asian American has to study more years in order to make the same amount of money that a typical White make with less education. Likewise, they are underrepresented when it comes to polity and leadership positions, which make it hard for them to get the social programs that are needed to help their
A reading that stood out in Current Issues and Enduring Questions was “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority” by Ronald Takaki. Throughout his essay Takaki expresses how although it seems the Asian minority in the United States has superiority over other minorities, this assumption is false. He touches on many ideas why Asian Americans seem superior. These ideas include: acceptance into universities, high household incomes, and praise for their entrepreneurial effectiveness (Takaki,1990,p.123).
In my second week of Asian American Studies, I got to learn about how the reality of Asian Americans being in poverty level are often overlooked by popular myths about how Asian Americans are best educated, high income, and very successful. The common theme through all the readings in class is that Asians are commonly discriminated as one monolithic group and are often judged by their race and culture. In fact, I used to face such discrimination during my childhood from other kids assuming I am Chinese and have small eyes as well as any other common Asian stereotypes. Asian Americans do not resemble just the high end of the spectrum to being very successful and intelligent, but they also resemble the lower end of the spectrum to those living in poverty and do not have a good chance of a good future.
Asian Americans are, as is the widely held belief, the “model minority” for their perceived
Have you ever heard the statement that all Asian Americans are good at math and science and they excel educationally? This paper defines the model minority myth, provides historical context in perspective of the Chinese Americans and explains how these Chinese American’s experiences do not fit the model minority myth. The model minority stereotype has various negative assumptions towards Asian Americans and one of them is that it assumes all Asian Americans are a homogenous ethnic group. There are several ways how Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans do not fit the model minority myth. Specifically, the historical context of these Chinese Americans contradicts the model minority stereotype.
For 20 years, Asian Americans have been portrayed by the press and the media as a successful minority. Asian Americans are believed to benefit from astounding achievements in education, rising occupational statuses, increasing income, and are problem-fee in mental health and crime. The idea of Asian Americans as a model minority has become the central theme in media portrayal of Asian Americans since the middle 1960s. The term model minority is given to a minority group that exhibits middle class characteristics, and attains some measure of success on its own without special programs or welfare. Asian Americans are seen as a model minority because even though they have faced prejudice and
Asian Americans has been perceived as the coined phrase model minority because, although they have experienced prejudice and discrimination, they seem to have succeeded economically, socially, and educationally without resorting to political or violent confrontations with Whites. (Schaefer, 2014). Asian American value hard work, traditions and education. They tend to focus on themselves rather than what another race is doing and because of that I believe this is one of the many reasons they are so successful. The have the highest income in the U.S. Asians also have a high expectation for success.
Although Asian Americans comprise only about 5% of the U.S. population, this group is the fastest growing segment of American society. Despite such rapid expansion, Asian Americans are widely underrepresented throughout media, whether in television, cinema, or literature. Moreover, there are different stereotypes associated with Asian Americans. One of the most pervasive stereotypes details how Asian Americans are a “model minority”. In essence, this myth describes how anyone who is Asian American will become a successful individual able to achieve the “American dream”.
Asian Americans are a diverse group of people who are among the fastest growing minority groups in the United States. Despite their minority status, they often surpass Whites in America and do so while holding on to their cultural values regarding family, education, and success.
Supporters of affirmative action argue that discrimination and racism have held down minorities in the U.S., and that affirmative action is needed to correct it. In response, critics ask: "If blacks and Mexicans are being held down by discrimination, then why do Asians come to this country and do so well for themselves?" According to this myth, Asians immigrate to America with little or nothing, often as boat people fleeing communism, and through hard study and work become even more successful than European-Americans. Their success would suggest that the U.S. does not really discriminate against minorities.
Asian Americans may also face the realities of racism and discrimination in the United States. Institutional racism, like initiatives to speak English only, as well as individual racism that includes “differential treatment, verbal insults, and racial slurs” are a reality that some Asian
All Asian Americans are good at math, or at least that’s what I heard. They are also good at anything involving technology, science, and medicine. They study all the time, work really hard and live a version of the American dream I never thought to dream of. Afterall they’re Asian, their parents wouldn’t allow for anything less. In his article “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority” the ethnic studies expert Ronald Takaki writes about the idea that Asian Americans are more successful than other American minority groups. Takaki refutes this idea using reason and statistics to show that Asian Americans still face some of the same hardships and barriers as every other racially defined group in America.
Asians have migrated to and have lived in the Americas since the days of our founding fathers. The first to come from the Eastern Hemisphere were a small group of Filipinos in the early 18th century that settled in present day Louisiana. The first major influx of Asian Americans was Chinese Americans who came in the 1800’s to find financial opportunity during the California gold rush. They settled in the Golden State and eventually spread out all over the United States, creating the now-famous Chinatowns that millions of Americans visit every year. There is a continual migration of well educated South Asians and East Asians for job and education opportunities and their success has formed the basis for the “myth of the model minority” (MMM). This is the idea that all people who are Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are successful both socioeconomically and educationally. This does have a logical basis rooted in statistics—AAPI students are reported to have higher grade point averages, math scores, and overall standardized tests scores on tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing Exam (ACT). Other studies often use a racialized rhetoric comparing Asian Americans to white Americans in terms of education and socioeconomic status while contrasting them to the so-called “lazy” and “incapable” Hispanic and African Americans.
The second layer: education. According to the data from Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, test scores of Black and Latino students continue to lag behind. Though, Asians perform pretty well in both reading and math. 78% of the Asians meet reading standards and 94% of Asians meet math standards. (Citizens’ Committee for Children, 2010)
There is a model minority group called “Combating the stereotype,” which is based on ethnicity, race, or religion whose members are to achieve a higher degree on socioeconomic success than the population average. There is a myth that other races should not counted for and the Asian Americans are successful in life. Asian Americans are usually denied assistance if they need help in some ways. When Asian Americans are discriminated their society and their achievements are undstandable and ignored. Asian Americans are percepted of high income level and
The stereotype that Asian Americans just naturally have a step up above the rest that paves the path for the jealousy other ethnicities is really the result of ridiculous amounts of dedication and this group of people should be praised for their work ethic.