Why Labeling Asian Americans as the Model Minority Is an Insult to Blacks
Explaining how the myth came to be and how it shouldn’t be used as a benchmark for other minorities.
“You’re Asian. You must be good at math.”
“Many Asians become doctors. They’re smart.”
“America is full of opportunity. Just look at Asians and how successful they are.”
These are some of the most common things I’ve heard as an Asian American for years. At face value, they’re complimentary of Asian Americans. But beneath the flattery reveals how disenfranchising these comments can be to all people of color, especially Black Americans.
The Model Minority.
Due to their ability to attain wealth and education levels on par with White Americans on average, Asian Americans have been dubbed the “model minority.” Asian Americans are perceived as the minority that assimilated and integrated into American society successfully. Their success is used as a benchmark for other minorities.
As a child, I used to think being called the “model minority” was a compliment. I relished in the fact that we were stereotyped as smart, likely to succeed and having a prowess for martial arts. Naively, I didn’t know the…
