Episode 07: How The Model Minority Narrative Was Used As A Tool To Benefit the United States
‘Smart’ ‘Hardworking’ ‘Nice’. The adjectives that respondents offered up in a recent poll conducted by the nonprofit organization, LAAUNCH which stands for (Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change) when describing Asian Americans. ‘Smart’, ‘hardworking’ ’nice’. An all too familiar reminder that Asian Americans are still perceived as the model minority.
For those who doubt that racial resentment lingers in this nation, Asian Americans are a favorite talking point. The argument goes something like this: If “white privilege” is so oppressive — if the United States is so hostile toward its minorities — why do census figures show that Asian Americans out-earn everyone?
Since the end of World War II, this myth about Asian Americans and their perceived collective success has been used as a racial wedge to minimize the role racism plays in the struggles of other minority groups, such as Black Americans and Indigenous Americans. Before we dive into a bit of history, let’s discuss what exactly is a model minority.
What is a Model Minority:
The Model Minority is a minority demographic (whether based on ethnicity, race or religion) whose members are perceived as achieving a higher degree of socioeconomic success than the population average, thus serving as a reference group to outgroups. So, basically a model minority is viewed as doing everything ‘right’. This success is typically measured by educational attainment, representation in managerial and professional occupations, and household income, along with other socioeconomic indicators such as low criminality and high family/marital stability.
The concept of the ‘model minority’ is controversial, as it has historically been used to suggest there is no need for government intervention in socioeconomic disparities between certain racial groups. This argument has most often been applied in America to contrast Asian Americans and Jewish Americans against Black and Indigenous people, perpetuating a "model minority myth" that Asian and Jewish Americans are good law-abiding, productive citizens/immigrants, while promoting the stereotype that Indigenous people and African Americans are prone to crime and dependent on welfare.
Although the term was first coined to describe the socioeconomic success of Japanese Americans, "model minority" eventually evolved to become associated with American Jews and Asian Americans in general, more specifically with East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Americans)] and Indian Americans or South Asians. By the 1980s, almost all major U.S. magazines and newspapers printed success stories of Asian Americans.
The Model Minority narrative that we understand today was not imposed on Asians by white Americans. Research by Ellen Wu, is that (and I quote) Asians were complicit in the creation of the model minority myth. The Model Minority Myth was an unintended outcome of earlier attempts by Asian Americans to be accepted and recognized as human beings. They wanted to be seen as Americans who were worthy of respect and dignity. Asians went from being seen as promiscuous, dangerous and a threat to our economy to being seen as the model and the group who all racial groups to look to and emulate. It was more of an interplay between less racism and less prejudice that afforded Asian Americans more opportunity for advancement as a way of confirming the new and better stereotypes. Wu says that Asian Americans were very intentional about painting themselves in a positive light because they knew that would be crucial if they wanted any type of social acceptance which would lead to financial gains, career gains, and overall social power in the US. Throughout history, we have seen the desire of wanting acceptance within the US. When other European ethnic groups would enter America, before they were considered ‘white’ by white Americans, they began to recognize and understand racism and then partake in the degradation and racism against Black Americans as to be socially accepted by the white majority of America. And it worked. The Irish and Italians were accepted and were considered as being ‘white’ Americans whereas before, they were viewed as ethnic immigrants.
Racial minority groups, those with less social power, are able to make significant gains when it also converges with the interest of the majority group, which in America, is white people.
A bit of history. Black Americans, at the same time, were striving to do the same things, such as gain acceptance, social power and receive basic rights and respect. It was convenient for political leaders to hear the Asian voices. The model minority narrative may have started with Asian Americans, but it was quickly co-opted by white politicians who saw it as a tool to win allies in the Cold War. Discrimination was not a good look on the international stage, so embracing Asian Americans provided a powerful means for the US to proclaim itself a racial democracy and thereby credited as a leader of the Free World. During WWII, lawmakers thought that Chinese exclusion made for bad diplomacy, so congress decided to overturn Chinese exclusion as a good will gesture to China who was America’s Pacific ally. At the beginning of the Cold War, American policy makers were attentive to putting their best image out into the world. They were very interested in winning the hearts and minds in Asia. It was a strategic move to undue the negative images posed by Americans against Asians, particularly the Chinese, in order for America to be seen as the global leader and continue to stay well respected by their allies. Because America wouldn’t get those same gains from reversing their discrimination laws against Black people, they didn’t and therefore, Black Americans didn’t see those same gains. It was the bureaucracy of it pulling the strings. Asian Americans throughout history in America were being oppressed and ignored by politicians and It was only when it served the interest and created new opportunities for the people in power that Asians were allowed any kind of social mobility. So, Asian Americans were actually used as a pawn to repair the United States’ relationships with the world. So, the model minority myth was a sort of way of rewriting history and benefitting the interests and reputation of the United States.
Today, we can still recognize manipulative ways that are used to separate minority groups. America elevates one, the Asian American population and devalues another, Black Americans. I think we, as minorities, have to understand the history, recognize what is happening, and work to not fall for the manipulation.
Want to learn more? Click the link to listen to our latest episode, Episode 07: How the Model Minority Narrative Was Used As A Tool To Benefit the US