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Model Minority Myth Analysis

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Model Minority Myth The model minority myth is as follows: many non-Asian Americans believe that Asian Americans are a homogenous group who face the same struggles and circumstances. The history of this idea starts after the American Civil War. Plantation owners imported large amounts of Chinese laborers to compete with the newly freed black slaves. Later, Chinese were brought in to work on the transcontinental railroad, and some worked in northeastern factories (Curry). The term “model minority” was first used by sociologist William Petersen in a 1966 The New York Times article titled “Success story: Japanese American style”. The article focused on how Japanese culture allowed the immigrants to overcome discrimination and succeed in American …show more content…

This greatly limits their access to opportunities and general knowledge of the education system. Southeast Asian parents who are not able to fully communicate in English may miss important information that would be beneficial for their students’ success. These parents are unable to successfully navigate the American school systems, and they often feel unwelcome in the school setting due to cultural boundaries. This and their limited English abilities often restrict their communication with teachers and other school officials that would otherwise help their children succeed. Some parents may also have no higher education, or have had any formal education at all. Other parents are able to help their children with homework, but without the foundation of knowledge or English proficiency, many Southeast Asian parents are not able to lend a helping hand. The students then must become independent from a young age and work harder than their peers to reach the same levels …show more content…

In 1837, the idea of the common curriculum among different schools was implemented after being inspired by Prussia. The culture that this common curriculum was based on was that of white citizens, who were the ones attending these schools at the time (Watters). However, America is now home to many different students from many different backgrounds. Schools especially do not create curriculums that would benefit Southeast Asian students. There is a lack of representation of Southeast Asian culture and history in curriculums. If teachers and peers were exposed to this knowledge, then they would be understanding and have a positive mindset towards the students due to their new contextual knowledge. It would also make the students feel more connected to what they are learning. It gives them a purpose to become more educated not only for themselves, but also for their greater community. There is also a lack of Southeast Asian educators for students to look up to as role models. A 2007 study showed that Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders made up 4% of all K-12 school students in public schools, while they only make up 1% of all educators. Knowing many parents and children have limited English proficiency, they still do not have bilingual counselors and school staff to help families learn and utilize school resources. Students are not

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The model minority hypothesis is where Asians were supposed to be economic and academically successful, respectful to authority, high moral values, adhere to strict gender roles, enjoyed strong and stable nuclear families and other Asian triats they are deemed to possess. The model minority term began after the confession program where Chinese immigrants can confess their illegal document status to become status, but must turn in any other Chinese who is using undocumented paperwork. Model minority was used frequently as young white kids become rebellious This notion of a model minority according to historian Helen Wu is that there were “two dominant American values during the cold war”. These values were the valorization of nuclear families

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Si Ting Chen Asia America and Empire April 5th, 2024 The Societal Impact of the Model Minority Myth The model minority myth that is attached to the Asian American image is something that would have been thought of as impossible in the early age of Asian immigration to America. However, as this model myth persists among generations of Asian Americans and the society that surrounds them, it creates a tremendous societal impact and pressure on them that shapes the way that individuals live as a part of the Asian American whole. The original intent of the model minority myth may have been created out of necessity and had been used to survive for that original generation. However, the world has moved on, and so has the myth's place since the Instead of being used to help Asian Americans, the myth

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The Model Minority term is used for a minority group who is shown to be the example of how other minority groups should aim for or to be since they are either the brightest or the exemplified group of indivuals one could think of at certain times. Examples would be in education or goal settings or even how one behaves with others or in their own community might set up the mere expecation of a model minoirty. A group that fully protrays these expectations would be the Asian community. Reasons for this community being model minority is the constant achievments they recive at school or at work. A piece of evidence comes from the book, " Asian Americans compare favorably with society-wide standards for educational achievements, and they are above

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Harmful Consequences of the Model Minority Myth The model minority myth has many harmful consequences for Asian Americans. One of the most significant consequences is the erasure of the challenges and struggles that many Asian Americans face. The myth suggests that Asians are successful solely based on their hard work and intelligence and that they do not face the same struggles as other racial minority groups. This erases the experiences of Asian Americans who face racism and discrimination and can make it harder for them to speak out against these issues.

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Importance: Learning about the model minority and how it affects Asian Americans has opened my eyes to the stereotypes that I did not even realize they had to face. Now I can see that even coming from a racially diverse school with a decent Asian population, that the model minority has become so deeply ingrained into society and holds true even in the most diverse environments. I believe that it is important for people to become educated on the subject to stop the stereotypes.

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