Ibarra 1

Jazmine Ibarra

Dr. Sarah Thaller

Fire Cohort

13 May 2021

Final Portfolio

Research Question: The History- Why are Asian people stereotyped as smart?

An Analysis of the Smart Asian Stereotype

The straight-A Asian student stereotype implies that there is no more to Asian Americans

than being good at school and becoming successful which does more harm than good. For

example, 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). 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, explain that hard work and

strong family values are the reasons why Asian Americans are able to become successful and

overcome racial discrimination. Asian American discrimination should be addressed because

Asian Americans have been suffering from the model minority myth, the after-effects of the

1965 Immigration Act, and harmful stereotypes which can be changed by educating people about

these issues to improve how Asian Americans are treated.

By learning about past racially-motivated mistakes in history, such as the model minority

myth, people can form their own opinions based on facts, not repeat disrespectful and harmful

behaviors or words, and discontinue systemic racism towards people of color. An example of the
 Ibarra 2

model minority myth at work is the treatment of Asian American students by teachers. This

could make it seem like the Asian American student is a teacher’s pet because they are getting

good grades or their work is used as an example for other students. The model minority myth

makes it seem like Asian American students’ “failure to reach an expected level of achievement

in math [or any subject] was attributed to some kind of deficiency or lack of effort” and

sometimes this can be true, other times it is false (Blackburn). Another study by Thompson et al.

showed that “Students appeared able to easily identify the MMS [model minority stereotype] as a

stable set of attributes often imposed upon them by others. Likewise, Thompson and Kiang

(2010) found that these experiences are nearly universal, with 99.4% of sampled Asian American

youth having at least some encounter with the MMS” (Thompson et al. 2). Asian American

experiences are put into one singular package, making it seem as if all Asian Americans have

experienced the same things, but that assumption is incorrect. Different families and cultures

have different beliefs in terms of religion. Learning For Justice explains that “The model

minority myth ignores the diversity of Asian American cultures” (Blackburn). The model

minority myth also puts Asian Americans into one box and further explains that “Popular

television and films exoticize Asian culture and peoples. If you’re a man, you’re a kung fu

master. If you’re a woman, you’re a submissive sex object” and insists that “Asian Americans

are all the same—and all different from other Americans” (Blackburn). Lastly, the model

minority myth “suggests that the U.S. has always been a welcoming place for people of Asian

descent, in spite of the mass lynchings of Asian Americans in the 19th century and the murder of

Vincent Chin in 1982” which is not true because “1 in 7 Asian immigrants in America today is

undocumented and facing potential deportation, a fact that is repeatedly overlooked in our

national conversation about immigration” (Blackburn).

 Ibarra 3

The 1965 Immigration Act “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”

(Kasinitz et al. 173-174). Moreover, Kasinitz et al. explains:

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 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. 173-174)

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. 173-174). The model minority myth suggests that all Asian American

students and/or families have lived the same experiences, lived the same lives, and more, which

is not right. The 1965 Immigration Act proves that Asian Americans have faced horrors similar

to that of other people of color through deportations, lynchings, mass murders, systematic

discrimination, and most recently, hate crimes. Asian Americans face racial discrimination,

violence, and more at the hands of others which should no longer be ignored by some Asian

Americans who are doing well now.

 Ibarra 4

While it may be true that some Asian Americans are more well off than others, that is not

the case for all Asian American ethnic groups, and this assumption that all Asian American

students and/or families are smart and successful can be incredibly harmful. Similar to the model

minority myth, in the way that it “pits students of color against each other” (USC Pacific Asia

Museum & APASA), the stereotype that all Asians are smart, good at math, science, or any

subject in school is harmful to Asian Americans. It is not a positive thing to be called smart, but

also expected to be smart, high-achieving, and hard-working. The assumption that all Asian

people are smart due to their hard work, time, efforts, and overall success, contributes to the

reinforcement of the model minority stereotype and the exclusion of Asian Americans

(Thompson et al. 1). These assumptions can make some Asian Americans feel like they have to

do everything on their own, not asking for help even if they need it, which results in both

academic and mental-emotional struggles. This pressure of wanting to do well and being pushed

to do well by parents to become doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, to get all A’s in school,

learn how to play an instrument, and more, lead to the stress, anxiety, depression, and more that

Asian American students face. Further information from Plan A Magazine confirms this theory:

“Asian American college students are 1.6 times more likely than all others to make a

serious suicide attempt. They are 3 times less likely to seek out professional therapy or

counseling. Across all students, about 24% are estimated to experience suicidal ideation

at some point in their time at school...The dominant model we’ve come up with is that

Asian kids collapse in a pressure cooker of parental expectations and cultural stigma”.

(Qiao)
 Ibarra 5

This shows that this stereotype, all the expectations that come along with it, as well as the

struggle of Asian American students not being recognized or talked about is doing so much more

harm than good.

The lack of recognition and action taken against Asian American discrimination has

resulted in their silent suffering for centuries due to the model minority myth, the after-effects of

the 1965 Immigration Act, and harmful stereotypes which can be prevented by educating others

to change the way they treat Asian Americans. Discrimination, specifically racial discrimination

against Asian Americans, is something that is far from behind us. What is true for one Asian

American student or family, or any other student or family of a different ethnic background,

cannot be held to be true for everyone of the same or different race. The model minority myth

masks Asian American’s struggles and does not let others see beyond their report cards. More

than that, having higher grades than others or doing well in school does not mean that Asian

Americans are perfect. Asian Americans are not robots, artificial intelligence, or aliens. Asian

Americans are not programmed, built, or hardwired to do well in school. No one is perfect, so

others should not expect that of Asian American students, or any student of color for that matter.

It is such a big burden to carry the expectations of being the perfect student and also to do well in

all other aspects of life. It makes them feel excluded from everyone else. People should no longer

choose to ignore the fact that Asian Americans suffer and go through hardships like any other

person goes through in life. Asian Americans and anyone of any background are worthy of

kindness and respect. Asian Americans are worthy of not being mocked for their accents, not

feeling embarrassed or ashamed of their home cooked meals that are made with love, not being

teased about their grades that don’t follow the stereotype or myth that Asian Americans succeed

in school just because of their race. Hate, violence, and discrimination have been successful in
 Ibarra 6

keeping people of different races divided for so long. People need to be a part of the change that

includes rather than excludes Asian Americans.

 Ibarra 7

Works Cited

Blackburn, Sarah-Soonling. “What Is the Model Minority Myth?” Learning for Justice, Learning

for Justice, 21 Mar. 2019,

www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/what-is-the-model-minority-myth.

Chow, Kat. “'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And

Blacks.” NPR, NPR, 19 Apr. 2017,

www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-again-us

ed-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks.

Cyrus, Ramenda. “‘Please Don't Kill Me," Angelo Quinto Pleaded to the Cops before They

Kneeled on His Neck.” Mother Jones, Mother Jones, 25 Feb. 2021,

www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2021/02/please-dont-kill-me-angelo-quinto-pleaded

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

“Debunking the Model Minority Myth.” USC Pacific Asia Museum, USC Pacific Asia Museum,

pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/debunking-the-model-minority

-myth/.

Fuchs, Chris. “Behind the 'Model Minority' Myth: Why the 'Studious Asian' Stereotype Hurts.”

NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 22 Aug. 2017,

www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/behind-model-minority-myth-why-studious-asia

n-stereotype-hurts-n792926.

Kasinitz, Philip, et al. “Model Minority.” 2011, depts.washington.edu/sibl/Publications/Model

Minority Section (2011).pdf.

 Ibarra 8

Kristof, Nicholas. “The Asian Advantage.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Oct.

2015,

www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/the-asian-advantage.html?auth=link-dismi

ss-google1tap.

“Model Minority Stereotype for Asian Americans.” Model Minority Stereotype, The University

of Texas at Austin, cmhc.utexas.edu/modelminority.html.

Petersen, William. “Success Story, Japanese-American Style.” New York Times, 9 Jan. 1966,

inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter14/modelminority.pdf.

Thompson, T. L., Kiang, L., & Witkow, M. R. (2016). “You’re Asian; You’re supposed to be

smart”: Adolescents’ experiences with the Model Minority Stereotype and longitudinal

links with identity. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 7(2), 108–119.

https://doi.org/10.1037/aap0000038

Qiao, George. “Why Are Asian American Kids Killing Themselves?” Plan A Mag, Plan A Mag,

16 Jan. 2020, planamag.com/why-are-asian-american-kids-killing-themselves/.

 Ibarra 9

Dear Dr. Sarah,

I am writing to you as a student who has grown in my academic writing due to your teachings

and to provide proof of my growth in your class.

Having this class the full year of my last year of high school has resulted in my growth as a

writer. I came into English 4 already knowing that my first draft of writing is never going to be

perfect, that I will need to reread, revise, peer review, provide feedback, and struggle in order to

become a better writer. More than that, I know I need to be challenged in order to grow because I

am full of curiosity and will become bored if I’m not stimulated by what I am learning. This

class definitely challenged and interested me in more ways than one. I was challenged with the

workload at some point in the middle, time management in terms of submitting assignments on

time, as well as submitting work that I was or was not proud of.

I have gotten better at accepting the fact that work will never be perfect, as it can always be

improved, but I have also learned that my work is still something worth being proud of. Within

the two final draft assignments, I noticed that my writing was incredibly biased but did not know

how to address it. I wondered how I could be informative yet compassionate and write formally

instead of overgeneralizing an issue that has been around for so long. The research process was a

lot of work, as it always is, but it was extremely gratifying and rewarding to feel like, “Yeah, this

is good. Yes, it can be further improved, but after going through it so many times, receiving

feedback from people, and addressing it, this piece is in a much better place than it was before.”
 Ibarra 10

As a writer and academic thinker, I pick up tiny details that others wouldn’t think is important

and explain why it is important. However, sometimes I get sidetracked by these small details and

my writing distracts from the main idea. Due to this class, I have been challenged to hone in the

main points of many articles through reading replies, discussions with classmates via Canvas

posts, and writing the history behind a topic of my choosing. I have learned that some people in

this world deliberately trick others to persuade them to believe their point of view through media

bias, as well as the use of pathos, ethos, and logos. These are methods coined by journalists,

people who make ads, commercials, and those who broadcast the news.

I have learned that I have to search for the truth in order to formulate my own educated opinions.

As a writer and academic thinker, I have also learned that I am biased, as everyone is, but in

order to avoid being biased in both writing and verbal speech, I must provide substantial

evidence to prove their point. This results in the formulation of much stronger arguments,

effective use of methods to persuade the audience, and overall, a writing piece that is in a much

better state than it was before, so thank you for giving me outlets and opportunities to improve as

a writer.

Yours truly,

Jazmine Ibarra
Ibarra 11