Reading
the article “Asian Americans and Affirmative
Action: From Yellow Peril to Model Minority and Back Again” was especially
interesting to me, because as an Asian American student, I have often personally
dealt with and thought about the topics discussed. As someone who grew up in a
predominantly Asian, upper middle class area (Bay Area, CA), it was not until I
started my college journey that I realized what a bubble I lived in. When I was
applying for college, my parents told me frankly that because I was Asian,
colleges had significantly higher standards for my admission, than they would
for students of other races. I found this patently unfair and confusing, as I had
been told my whole life that my grades and test scores were the most important
thing, and these things would ensure I got into a good school. It seemed to me
that other students, who had not worked as hard as me, would get into better
schools due to something I could not control (race). This is a prime example of
the harmful effects of the “model minority” myth, that is largely prevalent in the
world today. As mentioned in the article, not only is this thinking false, it
serves only to turn minorities against each other. I can see how a situation
like mine might foster resentment towards other minorities. We must make sure
that we do not believe such ideas, and maintain focus on the real issues
affecting minority groups. At the end of the day, the struggles that minorities
still face to this day in America, are struggles that all minorities must face.
Such concepts as “model minority” serve only to divide minority groups, and
distract them from the real sources of discrimination and prejudice affecting
their communities. Now more than ever, we must be united among all ethnic and
cultural groups, if we really want to foster equality for all.
Question: What can be done to combat the widespread belief
of the “model minority”?
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