Model Minority: Not a Myth

Its Creation and Its Effects

Mehak Vohra
ETHN 40: Asian American Studies
12 November 2021
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Introduction

Throughout history, entrance and acceptance into American society have been shaping

factors for the Asian American experience. For decades, various legislative policies were

introduced and passed to restrict the entry of Asian Americans into America. Some of these

immigration policies included the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 forbidding the new entry of

any skilled or unskilled Chinese laborers; the Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907 ending the

distribution of passports for skilled and unskilled Japanese laborers (and their picture brides);

and the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 rescinding the national status of Filipinos, rendering

them unable to migrate to the United States. Finally with the Immigration Act of 1965, the

concept of “national origins was removed from immigration preferences, allowing for Asians to

migrate to the United States (under the new policy’s regulations). It detailed seven unique

preferences under which immigrants from the Eastern hemisphere could enter, namely 1)

professionals, scientists, and artists with exceptional abilities; 2) siblings of US citizens, which

allowed for family chain migration; and 3) refugees.

For those Asian American immigrants who were eventually able to enter America,

naturalization was another hurdle to overcome. And when Asian Americans were finally able to

naturalize, navigating the racism, prejudice, and often times violence of everyday life was no

easier. Once Asian Americans entered American society, the Yellow Peril began. This described

the fear that the expansion of power and influence of eastern Asian peoples was a danger to

Western civilization as a whole. Originating in the 19th century, traces of it can still be seen in

society today.

Primarily shaped through media, the Model Minority is a phenomenon that emerged in

the 1960s but still affects the Asian American community today. The Model Minority, often
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described as a “myth” or a “stereotype” is a significant obstacle in the lives of individual Asian

Americans and also the community as a whole.

The Model Minority is an image that portrays Asian Americans as “one of the most

prosperous, well-educated, and successful ethnic groups in America” (Chow). It’s a pervasive

phenomenon that characterizes Asian Americans as a polite, upstanding group of citizens who

have been able to achieve a higher level of success than a large portion of the general population

(and, by extension, other minority groups). It is largely argued that this imagery and belief is

harmful to not only the Asian American community, but also other minority groups in America

for various reasons.

This paper argues that the “Model Minority” is not a myth, but rather an intentional tool

created and utilized by the institution of Whiteness to combat the growing diversification of the

United States. This phenomenon effectively creates divides between minority communities and

causes internalized racism within the Asian American community.

Background: The Institution of Whiteness

To begin, it is crucial to define the idea of Whiteness: Whiteness is an institution of

power which functions uniquely in America to maintain a hold over society. The key question

that emerges when observing American history is how Whites seek to maintain their cultural

hegemony in the midst of increasing diversity. The answer is more complex than one single

strategy or process. Whiteness is a strategic, shapeshifting force that adapts its ways to fit the

current conditions and goals it is attempting to achieve. It is important to note that Whiteness is a

body of power that has been so engrained into our society that it now exists even independent of

white people being present.

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Model Minority as a Tool

In the case of Asian Americans, Whiteness took two paths to maintain its power in the

face of growing diversity in the United States. One was the legal path (immigration policies,

naturalization clauses, segregation, etc as described above) and one was a more invisible

approach via the construction and maintenance of a status quo. The creation of the Model

Minority was exactly that.

The Model Minority was a phenomenon circulated to display Asian Americans as a racial

minority that managed a successful ethnic assimilation into American society. This phenomenon

developed during the Cold War, immediately after the Yellow Peril. The timing of the

emergence of the Model Minority so promptly after the Yellow Peril begs the question: if Asian

American entrance into American society was so feared, why did they suddenly become the

prime example of success?

The answer to this question can be attributed to Whiteness’s project for power. As Lee

details in his article “The Cold War Construction of the Model Minority Myth,” “the successful

transformation of the Oriental from the exotic to the acceptable was a narrative of

Americanization” (Lee 470). The construction of the Model Minority hinged on the perceived

passive nature and political obedience of Asian America. By exhibiting its willingness to accept

and integrate Asian Americans into the fold of America, Whiteness signaled to other minorities

that what it needed from them was compliance. Through the Model Minority, Whiteness was

able to maintain the status quo and preserve its exclusive access to social, political, and

economic power.
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Another nuance to the creation of the Model Minority is that the Asian population’s

supposed “higher levels of achievement” is a direct reflection of its higher proportions of

privilege parents and individuals who were permitted to migrate to America due to the United

States government’s grossly skewed immigration policies. By outlining with the Immigration

Act of 1965 that only Asians of skilled professions or siblings of preexisting US citizens could

arrive in America, the government was able to filter through the entering Asians for privilege.

Therefore, circulating the idea that all Asians were talented, successful, and high-achieving, as

per the Model Minority, was more convincing for the general population.

The Model Minority is a prime example of the conscious way that Whiteness has

historically weaponized race for its own gain. The first step in this process is the racialization of

the group Whiteness wishes to utilize: it is argued that the group consciousness of Asian

Americans only began when they started to face discrimination and racism in America. As

various groups of ethnically-different Asian Americans began to recognize their separation from

the White America, the “Asian American” identity began to take shape. In this case, “the

representation of the Asian American as the paragon of ethnic virtue who should be emulated by

‘Negroes and other minorities’ reflected not so much Asian success as it did the triumph of an

emergent discourse of race in which culture difference replaced biological difference as the new

determinant of social outcomes” (Lee 469). Once this idea of racial difference has been

constructed, Whiteness begins to leverage its power.

The Model Minority only came to fruition at a time when it was convenient for

Whiteness. The new representation of Asian Americans as the model for “successful

assimilation” was created at a time when the American government was facing a growing crisis

of racial policy. There were growing demands for legislation addressing racial justice during the
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1960s, and Whiteness was scrambling for a reason to avoid it. When the Model Minority was

first introduced, the US News explicitly stated, “’At a time when it is being proposed that

hundreds of billions be spent on uplifting Negroes and other minorities, the nation’s 300,000

Chinese Americans are moving ahead on their own with no help from anyone else’” (Lee 473).

The Model Minority effectively justified America’s refusal to enact racial justice policies to

assist marginalized groups. It signaled that if Asians could succeed under the present

sociopolitical circumstances, other minority groups should be able to, as well—in spite of their

marginalization.

Divide Between Minority Communities

Due to Whiteness’s weaponization of the Model Minority, a wedge has been driven

between Asian America and other minority groups within the United States. In idolizing the

Asian American community’s ability to succeed any challenge through some kind of inherent

talent or grit (in conjunction with other stereotypes such as intense family-orientation and

submissive tendencies), other minority groups—namely African Americans—were “othered”

even further. The Model Minority made a “flawed comparison between Asian Americans and

other groups…to argue that racism, including more than two centuries of black enslavement, can

be overcome by hard work and strong family values” (Chow). Indeed, it is not surprising that

regardless of the Asian American community’s lack of control over the weaponization of the

Model Minority, other minority groups resent Asian Americans for their perceived “successes.”

As the phenomenon of the Model Minority intensified in American society, it aggravated

issues of interracial conflict overtime, particularly between Asian Americans and African

Americans. With both communities struggling for survival, their independent attempts to expand
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political power, gain social access, and achieve economic advancement seem to clash with one

another. In the African American community, there is a growing resentment towards Asian

Americans because—whether or not it is actually true—they are portrayed as more successful,

resilient, and worthy of the “American Dream.”

When this fostered resentment inevitably shifts towards anger, violence can erupt among

these groups, as seen in the 1992 Los Angeles riots in South Central LA. Provoked by the

Rodney King verdict and the murder of Latasha Harlins, pre-existing interracial tensions

between African Americans and Korean Americans undoubtedly contributed to the violence. In

detailing the Latasha Harlins incident in her article “Blacks and Koreans in Los Angeles,” Karen

Umemoto describes that “the belief that immigrants take housing and jobs away from native

workers, as well as the ‘model minority’ stereotypes of Asian Americans, has created social

distance among some African Americans and others toward Asian Americans” (Umemoto 98). It

is true that this divide between minority communities works in favor of Whiteness, as it becomes

more difficult to challenge those at the top of the status quo when there is such a social distance

between those in the lower ranks.

Internalized Racism within the Asian American Community

As argued, the Model Minority is not (as it often described) a “myth” or a “stereotype,”

but rather a forced reality that Asian Americans of all generations inescapably must navigate in

American society. Erin Ninh describes the Model Minority in terms of success frames; these are

not just a set of aspirations and goals imposed upon an Asian American by society, but they

furthermore become a “framework for personhood, such that to be socially viable as an Asian
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American…is to live by its terms” (Ninh 5). Whether or not one feels that they identify with the

description of the Model Minority, they must grapple with its effects.

Ninh describes that “by definition, then, to be model minority is to have this very fixed

sense of success and failure in common, like it or not” (Ninh 6-7). For Asian Americans, success

frames are an inherent way to view the world because American society now expects it. The

Model Minority is a strange case of racism in that it is disguised as a positive thing. How can

Asians complain about being perceived as better than others? However, the reality is that this is

a harmful image-turned-reality has devastating effects for marginalized communities (as

discussed before) and the Asian American community itself.

Firstly, the Model Minority and success frames has a significant impact on the mental

health of the children of Asian America. Studies and research have shown a prominent pattern of

Asian American children collapsing under the pressures of parental expectations and cultural

stigma. Stress levels rise to dangerous highs, as children try to meet exorbitant expectations and

achieve those success frames. Asian kids are stretched so thin, and they refuse to quit, often

times suppressing and ignoring mental health issues. Intergenerational static with their parents

and elders escalates conditions even further. George Qiao explains that “model minority

stereotypes and racist rhetoric around families of color lead Asian children to associate strong

families with Asian-ness [and] link Asian-ness to badness. Asian American children are

therefore brought up believing that their families are bad” (Qiao). The Model Minority combined

with the general sentiment around Asian American culture effectively problematizes Asian

identity. It creates the sense that to be Asian is to be unworthy of happiness or success or

satisfaction with what one is capable of. At the very least, this results in a true hindrance for

Asian American’s formation of a sense of self. At the most extreme, this also results in Asian
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American college students becoming 1.6 times more likely to make a serious suicide attempt

(Qiao).

Furthermore, Asian American immigrant parents are also harmed by the Model Minority

and success frames in some of the same ways. As a narrative develops of Asian-ness being

harmful and deterrent to one’s happiness, immigrants’ sense of belonging in this country takes a

toll, widening the false separation between being happy and being Asian.

In his article “Why Are Asian American Kids Killing Themselves?” George Qiao warns,

“If we refuse to examine the way that this country’s prejudices condition us to be in conflict with

our own parents, we will never be able to heal and thrive as a community” (Qiao). This

perspective sheds a light on exactly why the Model Minority is, in fact, not a positive thing. It

causes internalized racism within the Asian American community and results in various forms of

internal turmoil within Asian American individuals, children and adults. This internalized racism

again works in conjunction with Whiteness’s project for power, in that it encumbers the Asian

American formation of sense of self and hurts solidarity within the community. Therefore, it

becomes a community that must work even harder to break free of systemic injustices.

Conclusion

Throughout history and today, the Asian American community has endured a variety of

challenges in its journey to acceptance in American society. This paper argued that the Model

Minority is an intentional tool weaponized by the institution of Whiteness to maintain cultural

hegemony in the United States, and the creation of the Model Minority effectively creates

divides between minority communities and causes internalized racism within the Asian

American community.
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All this is not to say that the Asian American community is a victim or weak in any way.

Throughout history, Asian Americans have been seen resisting Whiteness as an oppressor on all

fronts, from community organizing, to taking public office. As always, the Asian American

community will continue to fight and thrive, overcoming the challenges that the Model Minority

has created.
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Works Cited

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

Blacks.” Codesw!tch: Race. in Your Face., NPR, 19 Apr. 2017,

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

again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks.

Lee, Robert G. “The Cold War Construction of the Model Minority Myth.” Asian American

Studies Now: A Critical Reader, Rutgers University Press, 2010, pp. 469–484.

Ninh, Erin Khue. “The Strange Case of the College Impostor.” Passing for Perfect: College

Impostors and Other Model Minorities, Temple University Press, 2021, pp. 1–18.

Qiao, George. “Why Are Asian American Kids Killing Themselves?” Plan A Magazine, 2017.

Umemoto, Karen. “Blacks and Koreans in Los Angeles: The Case of LaTasha Harlins and Soon

Ja Du.” Case Studies.