If racial minorities are sincerely disadvantaged by their racial backgrounds, then why is it many Asian-Americans seem to have exceptional occupational and educational outcomes? Some people claim the disparities in outcomes are on account of Asian-Americans being hard workers, insinuating non-Asian minorities are lazy. Others claim culture is the root of Asian-American success. Even more startling, some — as the “Asians are smart” stereotype implies — cite disparities in measures of “intelligence,” echoing the age of eugenics and scientific racism. These explanations have come to comprise what is now known as “the model minority myth.” This myth demonstrates historical ignorance and has been weaponized to push colorblind ideology at the expense of racial minorities (including Asian-Americans).
In 1965, Congress passed the Hart-Celler Act. This immigration act gave preference to immigrants with college degrees and professional skills as well as those with family already residing in the United States. This marked a change in U.S. immigration policy. The flow of U.S. immigrants would shift from overwhelmingly European to primarily Hispanic and Asian. While most Hispanics entering the United States were not college-educated, many Asian immigrants certainly were. Interestingly, the percentage of college-educated Asian immigrants is often greater than the percentage of college-educated Asians within their own nations. In Korea, for example, though only 27 percent of its population (aged 25-64) have a college degree, while 70 percent of Korean immigrants to the United States have graduated from college. Clearly, if our current immigration system gives preference to college-educated Asians with professional skills, the disparity between them and other minority groups is much less surprising.
If "Asian culture" were indeed the root of Asian American success, then we would not see underprivileged Asian households, including among the typically more advantaged Asian groups. Consequently, the Asian model minority myth ignores the plight of Asian-Americans who do not fit that stereotypical mold. Laotian-, Cambodian- and Hmong-Americans, for example, represent three of the most underprivileged groups within the Asian-American community. In fact, in some aspects, these three groups are statistically similar to the Hispanic/Latino community, which is often a recipient of shaming by proponents of the model minority myth. While some of the more populous Asian groups have high rates of college education, Laotian-, Cambodian- and Hmong-Americans have rates lower than 15 percent. Similarly, though only 14 percent of Asian-Americans do not have a high school degree, the rates for Laotian-, Cambodian- and Hmong-Americans are more than twice as high.
Another use of the model minority myth is to invalidate claims of racism or other forms of bias that impede the success of racial minorities. This use can imply two things. Firstly, it can suggest that Asian-Americans do not face racism. Secondly, it can also imply Asians have overcome all racial barriers. Either way, the suggestion is that Asian-Americans have reached their full potential. This claim is also misleading. If society were indeed meritocratic and free of bias, then Asian-Americans should not experience disadvantage in the job market. For example, research shows that Asian-Americans often need to complete more years of education than their white counterparts to receive the same level of income. This disadvantage is known as the "bamboo ceiling." This term refers to how Asian-American success is impeded by stereotypes of unassertiveness, submissiveness and pleasantness, which preclude some Asian-Americans from receiving promotions and positions of higher leadership.
On top of ignoring the hardships faced by Asian-Americans, the model minority myth also ignores the plight of other groups. Racism against Asian-Americans does not manifest in the same way as racism against Native Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, black Americans and other racial minorities. Unfortunately, since I am limited by space, I cannot comprehensively expand on the issues particular to each of racial minority group. However, one thing Hispanic/Latino Americans and black Americans share is being negatively impacted by residential segregation. Both groups live in neighborhoods with markedly higher levels of poverty than their white and Asian counterparts. This concentration of poverty often results in poor access to well-resourced and well-performing schools and job opportunities, which are key to social mobility. When we consider the impact of residential segregation, the gap between black Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans and Asian-Americans is much more understandable.
To be clear, I am not saying Asian-Americans are not hardworking or undeserving of their achievements, or that Asian cultures do not encourage assiduousness. Rather, I am saying to attribute culture, natural ability or hard work as the primary explanations for the gaps between Asian-Americans and other minority groups is to be remiss of policy changes and historical trends. In fact, as I demonstrated above, the stereotype is harmful to the Asian-American community and others. Despite the consistent evidence that demonstrates the importance of race, proponents of the model minority myth push the notion that race is no longer a factor in our society. As a result, it redirects people’s attention away from issues that may indeed be harming minority communities. Rather than seek out justifications to blame underserved communities, we should bring these matters to light. We are better off helping each other than pretending each other’s issues do not exist.
Alexander Adames is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.adames@cavalierdaily.com.
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