Model Minority Paper
Model Minority Paper
Model Minority Paper
Mehak Vohra
ETHN 40: Asian American Studies
12 November 2021
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Introduction
Throughout history, entrance and acceptance into American society have been shaping
factors for the Asian American experience. For decades, various legislative policies were
introduced and passed to restrict the entry of Asian Americans into America. Some of these
immigration policies included the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 forbidding the new entry of
any skilled or unskilled Chinese laborers; the Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907 ending the
distribution of passports for skilled and unskilled Japanese laborers (and their picture brides);
and the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 rescinding the national status of Filipinos, rendering
them unable to migrate to the United States. Finally with the Immigration Act of 1965, the
concept of “national origins was removed from immigration preferences, allowing for Asians to
migrate to the United States (under the new policy’s regulations). It detailed seven unique
preferences under which immigrants from the Eastern hemisphere could enter, namely 1)
professionals, scientists, and artists with exceptional abilities; 2) siblings of US citizens, which
For those Asian American immigrants who were eventually able to enter America,
naturalization was another hurdle to overcome. And when Asian Americans were finally able to
naturalize, navigating the racism, prejudice, and often times violence of everyday life was no
easier. Once Asian Americans entered American society, the Yellow Peril began. This described
the fear that the expansion of power and influence of eastern Asian peoples was a danger to
Western civilization as a whole. Originating in the 19th century, traces of it can still be seen in
society today.
Primarily shaped through media, the Model Minority is a phenomenon that emerged in
the 1960s but still affects the Asian American community today. The Model Minority, often
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The Model Minority is an image that portrays Asian Americans as “one of the most
prosperous, well-educated, and successful ethnic groups in America” (Chow). It’s a pervasive
phenomenon that characterizes Asian Americans as a polite, upstanding group of citizens who
have been able to achieve a higher level of success than a large portion of the general population
(and, by extension, other minority groups). It is largely argued that this imagery and belief is
harmful to not only the Asian American community, but also other minority groups in America
This paper argues that the “Model Minority” is not a myth, but rather an intentional tool
created and utilized by the institution of Whiteness to combat the growing diversification of the
United States. This phenomenon effectively creates divides between minority communities and
power which functions uniquely in America to maintain a hold over society. The key question
that emerges when observing American history is how Whites seek to maintain their cultural
hegemony in the midst of increasing diversity. The answer is more complex than one single
strategy or process. Whiteness is a strategic, shapeshifting force that adapts its ways to fit the
current conditions and goals it is attempting to achieve. It is important to note that Whiteness is a
body of power that has been so engrained into our society that it now exists even independent of
In the case of Asian Americans, Whiteness took two paths to maintain its power in the
face of growing diversity in the United States. One was the legal path (immigration policies,
naturalization clauses, segregation, etc as described above) and one was a more invisible
approach via the construction and maintenance of a status quo. The creation of the Model
The Model Minority was a phenomenon circulated to display Asian Americans as a racial
minority that managed a successful ethnic assimilation into American society. This phenomenon
developed during the Cold War, immediately after the Yellow Peril. The timing of the
emergence of the Model Minority so promptly after the Yellow Peril begs the question: if Asian
American entrance into American society was so feared, why did they suddenly become the
The answer to this question can be attributed to Whiteness’s project for power. As Lee
details in his article “The Cold War Construction of the Model Minority Myth,” “the successful
transformation of the Oriental from the exotic to the acceptable was a narrative of
Americanization” (Lee 470). The construction of the Model Minority hinged on the perceived
passive nature and political obedience of Asian America. By exhibiting its willingness to accept
and integrate Asian Americans into the fold of America, Whiteness signaled to other minorities
that what it needed from them was compliance. Through the Model Minority, Whiteness was
able to maintain the status quo and preserve its exclusive access to social, political, and
economic power.
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Another nuance to the creation of the Model Minority is that the Asian population’s
privilege parents and individuals who were permitted to migrate to America due to the United
States government’s grossly skewed immigration policies. By outlining with the Immigration
Act of 1965 that only Asians of skilled professions or siblings of preexisting US citizens could
arrive in America, the government was able to filter through the entering Asians for privilege.
Therefore, circulating the idea that all Asians were talented, successful, and high-achieving, as
per the Model Minority, was more convincing for the general population.
The Model Minority is a prime example of the conscious way that Whiteness has
historically weaponized race for its own gain. The first step in this process is the racialization of
the group Whiteness wishes to utilize: it is argued that the group consciousness of Asian
Americans only began when they started to face discrimination and racism in America. As
various groups of ethnically-different Asian Americans began to recognize their separation from
the White America, the “Asian American” identity began to take shape. In this case, “the
representation of the Asian American as the paragon of ethnic virtue who should be emulated by
‘Negroes and other minorities’ reflected not so much Asian success as it did the triumph of an
emergent discourse of race in which culture difference replaced biological difference as the new
determinant of social outcomes” (Lee 469). Once this idea of racial difference has been
The Model Minority only came to fruition at a time when it was convenient for
Whiteness. The new representation of Asian Americans as the model for “successful
assimilation” was created at a time when the American government was facing a growing crisis
of racial policy. There were growing demands for legislation addressing racial justice during the
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1960s, and Whiteness was scrambling for a reason to avoid it. When the Model Minority was
first introduced, the US News explicitly stated, “’At a time when it is being proposed that
hundreds of billions be spent on uplifting Negroes and other minorities, the nation’s 300,000
Chinese Americans are moving ahead on their own with no help from anyone else’” (Lee 473).
The Model Minority effectively justified America’s refusal to enact racial justice policies to
assist marginalized groups. It signaled that if Asians could succeed under the present
sociopolitical circumstances, other minority groups should be able to, as well—in spite of their
marginalization.
Due to Whiteness’s weaponization of the Model Minority, a wedge has been driven
between Asian America and other minority groups within the United States. In idolizing the
Asian American community’s ability to succeed any challenge through some kind of inherent
talent or grit (in conjunction with other stereotypes such as intense family-orientation and
even further. The Model Minority made a “flawed comparison between Asian Americans and
other groups…to argue that racism, including more than two centuries of black enslavement, can
be overcome by hard work and strong family values” (Chow). Indeed, it is not surprising that
regardless of the Asian American community’s lack of control over the weaponization of the
Model Minority, other minority groups resent Asian Americans for their perceived “successes.”
issues of interracial conflict overtime, particularly between Asian Americans and African
Americans. With both communities struggling for survival, their independent attempts to expand
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political power, gain social access, and achieve economic advancement seem to clash with one
another. In the African American community, there is a growing resentment towards Asian
When this fostered resentment inevitably shifts towards anger, violence can erupt among
these groups, as seen in the 1992 Los Angeles riots in South Central LA. Provoked by the
Rodney King verdict and the murder of Latasha Harlins, pre-existing interracial tensions
between African Americans and Korean Americans undoubtedly contributed to the violence. In
detailing the Latasha Harlins incident in her article “Blacks and Koreans in Los Angeles,” Karen
Umemoto describes that “the belief that immigrants take housing and jobs away from native
workers, as well as the ‘model minority’ stereotypes of Asian Americans, has created social
distance among some African Americans and others toward Asian Americans” (Umemoto 98). It
is true that this divide between minority communities works in favor of Whiteness, as it becomes
more difficult to challenge those at the top of the status quo when there is such a social distance
As argued, the Model Minority is not (as it often described) a “myth” or a “stereotype,”
but rather a forced reality that Asian Americans of all generations inescapably must navigate in
American society. Erin Ninh describes the Model Minority in terms of success frames; these are
not just a set of aspirations and goals imposed upon an Asian American by society, but they
furthermore become a “framework for personhood, such that to be socially viable as an Asian
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American…is to live by its terms” (Ninh 5). Whether or not one feels that they identify with the
description of the Model Minority, they must grapple with its effects.
Ninh describes that “by definition, then, to be model minority is to have this very fixed
sense of success and failure in common, like it or not” (Ninh 6-7). For Asian Americans, success
frames are an inherent way to view the world because American society now expects it. The
Model Minority is a strange case of racism in that it is disguised as a positive thing. How can
Asians complain about being perceived as better than others? However, the reality is that this is
Firstly, the Model Minority and success frames has a significant impact on the mental
health of the children of Asian America. Studies and research have shown a prominent pattern of
Asian American children collapsing under the pressures of parental expectations and cultural
stigma. Stress levels rise to dangerous highs, as children try to meet exorbitant expectations and
achieve those success frames. Asian kids are stretched so thin, and they refuse to quit, often
times suppressing and ignoring mental health issues. Intergenerational static with their parents
and elders escalates conditions even further. George Qiao explains that “model minority
stereotypes and racist rhetoric around families of color lead Asian children to associate strong
families with Asian-ness [and] link Asian-ness to badness. Asian American children are
therefore brought up believing that their families are bad” (Qiao). The Model Minority combined
with the general sentiment around Asian American culture effectively problematizes Asian
satisfaction with what one is capable of. At the very least, this results in a true hindrance for
Asian American’s formation of a sense of self. At the most extreme, this also results in Asian
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American college students becoming 1.6 times more likely to make a serious suicide attempt
(Qiao).
Furthermore, Asian American immigrant parents are also harmed by the Model Minority
and success frames in some of the same ways. As a narrative develops of Asian-ness being
harmful and deterrent to one’s happiness, immigrants’ sense of belonging in this country takes a
toll, widening the false separation between being happy and being Asian.
In his article “Why Are Asian American Kids Killing Themselves?” George Qiao warns,
“If we refuse to examine the way that this country’s prejudices condition us to be in conflict with
our own parents, we will never be able to heal and thrive as a community” (Qiao). This
perspective sheds a light on exactly why the Model Minority is, in fact, not a positive thing. It
causes internalized racism within the Asian American community and results in various forms of
internal turmoil within Asian American individuals, children and adults. This internalized racism
again works in conjunction with Whiteness’s project for power, in that it encumbers the Asian
American formation of sense of self and hurts solidarity within the community. Therefore, it
becomes a community that must work even harder to break free of systemic injustices.
Conclusion
Throughout history and today, the Asian American community has endured a variety of
challenges in its journey to acceptance in American society. This paper argued that the Model
hegemony in the United States, and the creation of the Model Minority effectively creates
divides between minority communities and causes internalized racism within the Asian
American community.
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All this is not to say that the Asian American community is a victim or weak in any way.
Throughout history, Asian Americans have been seen resisting Whiteness as an oppressor on all
fronts, from community organizing, to taking public office. As always, the Asian American
community will continue to fight and thrive, overcoming the challenges that the Model Minority
has created.
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Works Cited
Chow, Kat. “'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-
again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks.
Lee, Robert G. “The Cold War Construction of the Model Minority Myth.” Asian American
Studies Now: A Critical Reader, Rutgers University Press, 2010, pp. 469–484.
Ninh, Erin Khue. “The Strange Case of the College Impostor.” Passing for Perfect: College
Impostors and Other Model Minorities, Temple University Press, 2021, pp. 1–18.
Qiao, George. “Why Are Asian American Kids Killing Themselves?” Plan A Magazine, 2017.
Umemoto, Karen. “Blacks and Koreans in Los Angeles: The Case of LaTasha Harlins and Soon