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Megan Brown

The "Model Minority" Stereotype




Constant expectations placed on Asian-Americans have always existed in the United States, being a fairly unforgiving institution to minorities while marketing themselves as “diverse.” While being a diverse country is true, this is only possible from the diverse collection of civilians who participate in their ecosystem. The United State’s institutions have continuously neglected the needs and demands of Asian-Americans and I will tell you how this has lent a hand in the social expectations placed upon them by western society. These expectations are more commonly recognized as the “Model MInority” stereotype.


What do I mean when I say “Model Minority?” Well, systems have often painted an unrealistic expectation for Asian-Americans to live up to. You may be aware of some of these stereotypes; extreme academic excellence, self-reliant, hard-working, submissive, obedient, wealthy, etc. It is unfair to hold them to such stringent standards.


These unrealistic stereotypes have forced unique experiences upon Asian-Americans. The University of Texas at Austin’s Mental Health and Counseling Center outlines just a few experiences, like needing less assistance in your career or schooling (therefore limiting resources), familial pressure to reach standards set forth by western society, feelings of inadequacy, and so much more. This explains an extreme unmet need for mental healthcare that Asian-Americans often forego. These symptoms of American society place an overwhelming amount of pressure upon them, without healthcare being readily available. The University of Maryland’s 2007 Study elaborates on this idea, “...most young Asian-Americans tend to seek out support from personal networks…rather than seek professional help for their mental health concerns.” While this lack of reaching out for help can be due to familial stigma, the underlying cause is always related to the “model minority” stereotype and the pressure placed upon them directly by the white majority, or the pressure placed upon them indirectly through the white majority.


Where did this bigoted idea originate? The racism and hatred thrown at Japanese-Americans after World War 2 placed extreme barriers on Asians in America, sociologist William Peterson remarked in his 1966 article. Despite his recognition of the barriers placed upon them, Peterson named them “able to overcome” unlike “problem minorities” (as he described them). It is believed that this article sparked the creation of the “model minority”, and the idea that they are all “socially and economically successful,” says dictionary.com. Statistics of economically and socially disadvantaged Asian-Americans have been shielded from recognition, however they are as ever present as those who are advantaged.


How are Asian-Americans assuring that they get the recognition they deserve? As with all things in the 21st century, it’s the media. Teresa Mock with civil eats denounces this idea of a model minority zooming into food insecurity in Asian-American communities, “And the invisibility of Asian Americans from the discourse around food insecurity often mirrors the invisibility of Asian Americans within the lens of race in U.S. society.” It is no doubt that Asian-Americans are placed on this pedestal “in spite of race” in the west, but this pedestal has excluded them from seeking aid for years. Asian-Americans are now speaking out on this battle with food insecurity and financial instability within the community and in a larger sense, speaking out about the “model minority” mindset. Teresa Mock isn’t the only one recognizing this, as the Asian-American community has been aware of their struggles, it is time the white majority ends this constant pressure and allows Asian-Americans to embrace their culture, not the one placed on them by American society.


Resources

Image: Brainbridge, H. (n.d.). Expectations. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://phase-hitchin.org/blog/expectations

Model minority stereotype for Asian Americans. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://cmhc.utexas.edu/modelminority.html

Kylie. (2021, June 11). Model minority. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.dictionary.com/e/historical-current-events/model-minority/

Mok, T. (2021, April 07). Op-ed: 'model minority' stereotype obscures the food insecurity Asian Americans face. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://civileats.com/2021/04/08/op-ed-model-minority-stereotype-obscures-the-food-insecurity-asian-americans-face/



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