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Jazmine Ibarra

Dr. Sarah Thaller

Fire Cohort

14 March 2021

Why is it expected that all Asian people are smart just because they are Asian?

One thing that I learned about my topic, discrimination against Asian Americans, is about

the model minority myth. The model minority myth, described by the University of Southern

California, is “​damaging for Asian Americans and other students of color. The model minority

myth pits students of color against each other and ignores the reality of systemic racism that

Asian Americans continue to encounter​” (USC Pacific Asia Museum & APASA, n.d.). The term

originates from an article written by William Petersen in 1966. This article was called “Success

story: Japanese American style.” Petersen, along with many other articles that I read, explained

that hard work and strong family values are the reasons why Asian Americans are and were able

to become successful and overcome discrimination.

However, Petersen overlooked the US immigration law, The 1965 Immigration Act,

which “reversed years of restrictive immigration policies that virtually banned all immigration

from Asia, allowing for a greater number of immigrants to enter the United States from

non-Western countries, including countries in Asia and Latin America. Although this act lifted

previous geographic restrictions,...only those with certain [backgrounds could] enter the United

States. After immediate family members of those already in the United States, the second priority

was recruiting professionals and scientists. As a result, a large influx of highly-educated

professionals (such as doctors and engineers) and scientists from Asia left their home countries

after 1965 and immigrated to the United States. It is this group of Asian Americans, and their
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children, that make up a significant portion of the Asian American community today. A radical

change in US immigration policy can thus explain some of the individual success stories profiled

in popular press articles describing Asian American success” (Kasinitz et al., 2008). The phrase

or term, “model minority myth” is termed as is “because many scholars have argued that the

assumptions that Asian Americans are doing well is overgeneralized and inaccurate” (Kasinitz et

al., 2008). While it is true that some Asian Americans are more well off than others, that is not

the case for all Asian American ethnic groups.

I’m aware of the Asian American stereotype because I faced it all throughout my life.

Sometimes I thought it was a positive thing to be called and expected to be smart, high

achieving, shy, hard working, but over the years, I’ve seen the downsides of it. My mental health

and friendships have suffered because of this, and my experience is similar to that of other Asian

American narratives I read about (USC Pacific Asia Museum & APASA). I had assumed the

history behind the stereotype was due to race because of my own experiences. It’s not nice to be

assumed smart because I’m Asian or expected to do the work for other people and have them

take the credit for my time and efforts. It’s not nice to feel like I have to do everything on my

own. I had also assumed that it had to do with circumstances such as hardships and I wasn’t too

far off, but my assumption was too broad and not specific enough. I wasn’t surprised by the truth

when I read about it, but I was still disappointed.

Many articles have pointed out that Asian Americans earn more money and have a higher

education than other ethnic groups, namely Whites, due to their hard work and family values, but

that generalization is incredibly damaging. Yes, ​some​ Asian Americans earn more money and

have a higher education than other ethnic groups, but one should not make that assumption about

all​ Asian Americans. Being human, unique, and different in our own special ways is what makes
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us similar. Making mistakes, breaking down, getting up, and asking for help shouldn’t make

anyone, especially Asian Americans feel like they are stupid, not good enough, or weak.

Discrimination, specifically racial discrimination, is not something that is behind us. So many

sacrifices were made by the grandparents, parents, and relatives of Asian Americans to get to

whatever point in their life they are now. I was angered reading an article about my background

written by a White male, who agreed that the model minority myth is a positive stereotype that

has led to the success of Asian Americans in schools due to the “hard work, strong families and

passion for education” (Kristof, 2015). Some Asian Americans live in poverty, suffer from

mental illnesses, are not interested in the sciences, medical field, mathematics, playing an

instrument, are not shy, studious, smart, or come from a two-parent household. What is true for

one Asian American family, or any other family of a different ethnic background, cannot be held

to be true for all families. The model minority myth masks Asian American’s struggles and does

not let others see otherwise.

As I mentioned in my previous response, there were inconsistencies in the information

between sources. Apart from the fact that most of the articles I skimmed through were not

written by those who were Asian American, there was also the fact that the immigration act was

not talked about very much. It was left out of the article, and instead went on to say that Asian

American success and overcoming discrimination comes from their hard work, strong family

values, and a two-parent household. I mean, is it wrong for some Asian Americans to want to

follow in their parents’ footsteps? I don’t see any other race being discriminated against or

bullied because they want to become a doctor, scientist, pharmacist, or nurse like their parents.

Another thing that was missing was the fact that the model minority myth was created to pit

Asian Americans against Black Americans. Petersen claimed that, “Every attempt to hamper
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their progress resulted only in enhancing their determination to succeed” (Petersen, 1966), while

Kristof claims that Asian Americans have the advantage of being highly educated and “These

immigrants are disproportionately doctors, research scientists, and other highly educated

professionals” (Kristof, 2015). It’s not as if White people don’t have access to education. Any

person who wants a higher education can get one at a community college, a four-year university,

and online. The reason that Whites and others may include these inconsistencies in their articles

about Asian Americans is probably because they are not Asian American. They have no idea

what it is like to be in the shoes of someone who is immigrated for their race, be forced into

concentration camps such as the Japanese Americans, and also suffer silently against this

harmful stereotype.

I believe that this model minority stereotype/myth still exists today because it has not

been addressed enough. There is not much in the media that talks about the hate, violence, and

discrimination that Asian Americans face. Most times, and I speak from experience, Asian

Americans do not voice out their problems. Is it because some people think we are such hard

workers that they should take us down a notch? Is it because we believe that we are not allowed

to make mistakes? Do our eyes and accents disturb others that much? I don’t want to put the

blame on some Whites, but there is plenty of history of their racism, greed, hate, and violence

towards other races than their own. Maybe this still happens because some Asian Americans are

not speaking up and other people are also not advocating for them.

I don’t feel happy about the model minority stereotype/myth along with all the hate,

violence, and discrimination that Asian Americans face. Recently, I’ve started reading more

articles and such pertaining to Asian Americans and it is so terrible. It makes me feel sad and

scared. What the cops did to Angelo Quinto, an Asian American, was similar to that of George
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Floyd, a Black man. There are so many cases popping up now about Asian Americans being

attacked, robbed from, injured, and overall discriminated against, just because of our race. What

is so wrong about being a race other than White? It doesn’t make us any less valuable or more

valuable than other people in this world.

Furthermore, I do believe that people should know the origin of the “all Asians are smart”

stereotype. I know that it would do some harm to those who believe they follow the stereotype of

the model minority myth, but all Asian Americans deserve to know about the things that are

happening to our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. We are capable of

supporting one another. I know it must be scary to point it out on our own, but there is strength in

numbers. I think it would do some good to those who are supportive of those in the AAPI

community, so they can also spread the word about this and the harm that it can bring to their

friends, family members, or people that they know that identify as Asian American. It can also

bring awareness to those who are not informed or sensitive to the model minority myth.

Lastly, I’d like to know what makes people think that it’s a positive thing to conclude that

just because we are Asian, it automatically means that we are smart, hard working, good at math,

science, or anything pertaining to education. I’d like to know what makes people think that it’s

okay to make fun of Asian American’s accents, their eyes, or customs. I don’t see anyone

making fun of White people for celebrating the Fourth of July, having a barbecue, eating a

cheeseburger, fries, being blonde, or having blue eyes. I’d like to know where the hate for Asian

Americans comes from. Is it resentment? Jealousy? I’d like to know why there hasn’t been a

movement supporting AAPI people because our community is clearing suffering in more ways

than one.
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Work Cited

1. https://pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/debunking-the-model-m

inority-myth/

2. https://depts.washington.edu/sibl/Publications/Model%20Minority%20Section%20(2011)

.pdf

3. http://inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter14/modelminority.pdf

4. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/the-asian-advantage.html?auth=lin

k-dismiss-google1tap

5. https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/02/please-dont-kill-me-angelo-quinto-p

leaded-the-cops-kneeled-on-his-neck-for-four-minutes/

6. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-a

gain-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks

7. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/behind-model-minority-myth-why-studio

us-asian-stereotype-hurts-n792926

8. https://cmhc.utexas.edu/modelminority.html