According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Asians have earned the highest median house income compared to all ethnic groups in America since 1988. Considering that Asians are commonly seen as relentless and perfection-seeking individuals, who does this surprise?
Western films like Crazy Rich Asians confirm expectations that many have concerning the lifestyle of the highest-income ethnic group. Featuring fancy sports cars, giant mansions, and elite practices, the film industry conveys the implicit idea that Asian Americans live aristocratic ways of life. Combine this with stereotypes of having “hard work in their blood” and strict methods of discipline, Asians have become notorious for being the “Model Minority.”
In simple terms, the “Model Minority” stereotype suggests that all Asian Americans attain widespread academic and occupational prosperity and should thus be admired by other ethnicities. However, this generalization is far from the truth.
Upon a close inspection of studies and statistics, one finds that the “Model Minority” cliché is a myth. While Asians are overall less likely to live in poverty, affluence is not universal within the community. In fact, Asian Americans currently experience the greatest wealth inequality of any racial group in the United States: a 2017 Pew analysis found that eight of the nineteen Asian ethnic groups, including Burmese, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese had poverty rates higher than the U.S. average.
Not only is this disparity on the economic level, but also on an academic level. Though Asian Americans, on the whole, have the highest levels of scholastic success, education attainment varies by subgroups: while Korean Americans boast a 73.2% enrollment rate in college, Filipino Americans experience a comparatively meager 44.3%. Evidently, the “Model Minority” concept is founded on the most prosperous in the community, neglecting the less successful.
The idea of a “Model Minority” might be an innocent misconception for many Americans, but it has unspoken effects on the Asian American community. By labeling all Asians as successful, society expects an unreasonable amount of perfection from them. Consequently, when Asians do not meet the standard, they are viewed as incompetent disappointments, ultimately placing mental strain and angst on the younger generations.
Additionally, the myth of a uniformly successful group serves to discount the struggles of Asian minority groups and masks the serious inequities and challenges they face. For example, recent data from The U.S. Department of Education shows that amid unequal financial aid policies, low-income Asian American students have had an average unmet need (the amount to be paid after financial aid) of $8,507, higher than the total average of $6,903 in the bottom income quartile.
To this day, the idea of a “Model Minority” continues to manifest itself in popular narratives. Nevertheless, those who have fallen for the “Model Minority” stereotype should not be shunned. Instead, one should strive to educate themself about the myths of the “Model Minority” term and correct those already entrenched in the falsehood. In essence, one should view believers of the myth as peers who can be informed rather than enemies who should be ostracized.
Additionally, efforts should be made to erase the notion that Asians are a “Model Minority.” This includes acknowledging that Asians face their own adversities and bringing light to the harmful effects that have been inflicted by the myth. By finally raising awareness of the inequalities in the Asian American community we will not only be able to address internal hardships but also challenge the damaging “Model Minority” image.
