Week 2
Jesse Huang
ASA002 - Section A01
“Asian Americans and Affirmative Action: From Yellow Peril to Model Minority and Back Again” by Nancy Chung Allred highlights the conflict surrounding affirmative action and Asian Americans. Chung explains that the Asian American community has historically provided mixed reactions to affirmative action debate. Some deem affirmative action to be a negative existence towards Asian Americans, while others see it as a beneficial program and seek to support it. As I read this article, I began to understood how the perception of the Chinese being a model minority was a double edged sword. As a Chinese American, I grew up being told to study hard so I would live comfortably in the future. This concept was constantly pounded into me, that I needed to do well in school so that doors to my future would open up. However, because I lived in a relatively well off community I never really experienced the effects of affirmative action. Yet, I was conscious of it as I passed through high school because we would learn about it in class. Chung’s article helped me uncover more of the obscurities behind affirmative action and how it affected Asian Americans. Asian Americans own a unique standing when it comes to affirmative action because on one hand they are seen as a model minority, but at the same time they don't get to utilize the full benefits of affirmative action. Asian Americans have their own internal conflicts as well because some Southeast Asian groups can't compete fairly with their counterpart East Asian groups such as the Chinese. Thus, because the Chinese are seen as the model minority of Asians, other Asian groups are unfairly affected by affirmative action. Yet should affirmative action be removed, other difficulties will surely arise as well. The realities of racism and discrimination are sadly existent in our society which affect the outcome of any racial decision made by the government.
Jesse Huang
ASA002 - Section A01
“Asian Americans and Affirmative Action: From Yellow Peril to Model Minority and Back Again” by Nancy Chung Allred highlights the conflict surrounding affirmative action and Asian Americans. Chung explains that the Asian American community has historically provided mixed reactions to affirmative action debate. Some deem affirmative action to be a negative existence towards Asian Americans, while others see it as a beneficial program and seek to support it. As I read this article, I began to understood how the perception of the Chinese being a model minority was a double edged sword. As a Chinese American, I grew up being told to study hard so I would live comfortably in the future. This concept was constantly pounded into me, that I needed to do well in school so that doors to my future would open up. However, because I lived in a relatively well off community I never really experienced the effects of affirmative action. Yet, I was conscious of it as I passed through high school because we would learn about it in class. Chung’s article helped me uncover more of the obscurities behind affirmative action and how it affected Asian Americans. Asian Americans own a unique standing when it comes to affirmative action because on one hand they are seen as a model minority, but at the same time they don't get to utilize the full benefits of affirmative action. Asian Americans have their own internal conflicts as well because some Southeast Asian groups can't compete fairly with their counterpart East Asian groups such as the Chinese. Thus, because the Chinese are seen as the model minority of Asians, other Asian groups are unfairly affected by affirmative action. Yet should affirmative action be removed, other difficulties will surely arise as well. The realities of racism and discrimination are sadly existent in our society which affect the outcome of any racial decision made by the government.
Is it possible for society to eliminate affirmative action, or is compromise necessary in order to avoid fueling new racial barriers and discrimination?
References:
Nancy Chung Allred,Asian Americans and Affirmative Action: From Yellow Peril to Model Minority and Back Again, 14 AsianAm. L.J. 57(2007).
Wong, A. (2017, August 03). The Thorny Relationship Between Asians and Affirmative Action. Retrieved October 01, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/asians-affirmative-action/535812/
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