Ibarra 1

Jazmine Ibarra

Dr. Sarah Thaller

Fire Cohort

23 April 2021

An Analysis of the Smart Asian Stereotype

INTRODUCTION

OPENING SENTENCE: Unlike the straight-A Asian student stereotype implies, there

is more to Asian people than being smart, and this stereotype does more harm than good.

KEY INFORMATION: 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 and

were able to become successful and overcome discrimination.

THESIS STATEMENT: 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.

TRANSITION SENTENCE: Furthermore, by learning about past racially-motivated

mistakes in history, such as the model minority myth, people can form their own opinions based
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on facts, not repeat disrespectful and harmful behaviors or words, and discontinue systemic

racism towards people of color.

KEY EVIDENCE: Evidence in support of this hypothesis is provided by Blackburn

(2019). An example of the model minority myth at work is the treatment of 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 to 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, others time it is false (Blackburn). 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 Blackburn 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” (Learning For Justice). 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). The 1965 Immigration Act proves that Asian Americans have

faced horrors similar to that of other people of color through deportations, lynchings, mass
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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.

BODY SECTION 2

TRANSITION SENTENCE: Having established that assumptions about Asian

Americans being well off or always doing well ignores all the hardship that Asian Americans

have faced due to racial discrimination.

KEY EVIDENCE: 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

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
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right. 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.

BODY SECTION 3

TRANSITION SENTENCE: 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.

KEY EVIDENCE: One can think it is a positive thing to be not only called smart, but

also expected to be smart, high-achieving, and hard-working, but there are some downsides. My

mental health and friendships have suffered because of this, and my experience is similar to that

of other Asian American narratives from USC Pacific Asia Museum & APASA. It’s an

assumption that one is smart because they’re Asian, expected to do the work for other people,

and have them take the credit of the Asian American student’s time and efforts. It’s the

exhausting feeling of loneliness, not being able to ask for help, and feeling like they have to do

everything on their own. 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.

According to Plan A Magazine, “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” (Qiao). There are serious negative implications of
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the “The dominant model we’ve come up with is that Asian kids collapse in a pressure cooker of

parental expectations and cultural stigma” (Qiao). 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.

CONCLUSION

REPHRASED THESIS STATEMENT: 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.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: 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. Please do not ignore the

fact that Asian Americans also suffer and go through hardships like any other person goes

through in life. Treat Asian Americans and anyone of any background with kindness and respect.

Do not mock people’s accents, do not make fun of their home cooked meals that are made of
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love, do not tease them 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 keeping people of different races divided for so long. Don’t be a part of the

myth and stereotypes that keep Asian Americans apart from others.
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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.
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Kasinitz, Philip, et al. “Model Minority.” 2011, depts.washington.edu/sibl/Publications/Model

Minority Section (2011).pdf.

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.

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/.