Obama’s rise to fame and eventual presidential election win brings up a multi-faceted concept of “representation”. Representation for an ethnic or multi-ethnic group can be a double-edged sword. In the case of Barak Obama, multi-ethnic individuals, especially those in Hawai’i have felt represented. Additionally, Asian-Americans also have felt represented in government during Obama’s time as president. On one hand, it can be empowering for Asian-Americans and multi-ethnic people to see someone “like them” in a position of power. But on the other hand, it can signal a less favorable idea to other groups. Barak Obama as president seemed to strengthen the model minority myth, even though he was the first (mixed) Asian American president in history. Personally, I had first heard of Barak Obama described as “the first black president”, later modified to be “the first mixed president”. Further, I learned he hailed from Hawai’i, a place that has always held a special place in my heart. A majority of my father’s side of the family live there and growing up, I spent a lot of my summers there. Additionally, as a self-identified hapa haole (mixed person of Asian or Pacific Island descent), I too felt having “one of my own” in government opened up prospects for my own personal success, and the possibility of me moving up the pecking order in any way I could possibly dream. As for the model minority myth, I understand how it is a sensitive spot for many Asian-Americans, myself included. However, currently I fully and completely understand that it is a myth constructed to keep people in power and therefore find it hard to indulge in that type of belief anymore.
Reference:
Okamura, J. Y. (2011). Barack Obama as the post-racial candidate for a post-racial America:
Perspectives from Asian America and Hawai‘i. Patterns of Prejudice.
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