I have decided to delve deeper into the demographics of my neighborhood and local high school. In one of my last diary entries, I wrote about the lack of people of color in general and the systemic reasons behind that. Now, I want to focus on how the few people of color that do reside here are Asian or Asian-Americans. I want to go deeper into the myth that is the model minority and its apparency in my neighborhood and many other suburban areas like mine.
The model minority is the minority demographic that is perceived to achieve a higher level of socioeconomic status than that of other minority groups. This “model minority” is specific to Asians and Asian Americans and it is only based around stereotypes. Because of this myth, Asians and Asian Americans are forced upon this narrative that they must excel in all aspects of school and that they should be polite and docile. The model minority may seem like a positive thing but all it does is erase the unique differences among individuals and different Asian cultures. It also erases racism and the years of systemic discrimination that Asian Americans experienced since now, they generally have high socioeconomic statuses. It also pits different minority groups against one another which is extremely counterproductive to solving the real problem that lies within our systems. However, it is impossible for me to say that Asian and Asian Americans have not benefited from the model minority. It is essentially why the people of color that do reside in my neighborhood, my family included, are Asian or Asian American.
This diary entry relates very well with the concept of One and the Other. Asian Americans experience being both the One and the Other since the model minority enables this community to experience privilege not given to other minority groups to a certain extent. However, like Ko mentioned in her essay relating to herself and her family, it also calls for this group to be stuck in this middle ground where they do not belong to either group, which is a fault in itself.
Resources/Media:
tolerance.org/magazine/what-is-the-model-minority-myth