Jean Yonemura Wing wrote an article titled Beyond Black and White: The Model Minority Myth and the invisibility of Asian Americans in 2007. It criticizes the Model Minority Myth and discusses its negative implications on Asian American students.
Identification of Main Arguments
Wing (2017) criticizes the assumptions being presented in the Model Minority Myth. This model makes various generalizations about Asian American students by arguing that they are high achievers who outperform white students, they naturally excel in mathematics, their families and cultures value education and they are not subjected to racial discrimination. Wing conducts a case study among Asian American students at Berkley High in California to determine the validity of these claims. The results indicate that the assumptions made by the Minority Model Myth are false. This model is a mask that hides the reality of what is happening to Asian American students and their families. In fact, this population faces the same problems that other students in the United States experience such as financial difficulties and lack of language competence.
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Wing traces the origin of the Model Minority Myth to the ‘success literature’ which was prevalent in print media during the 1960s. Since then, this misconception has been passed on and perceived as a reflection of reality. However, she argues that the Model Minority Myth makes the Asian American students’ invisible such that their academic and social problems are not addressed. She offers other alternatives that try to explain the reasons behind the success of Asian Americans in the United States such as voluntary versus involuntary minority status and collective support for achievement among Asian students. These alternatives analyze the culture, practices and the history of the Asian Americans to come up with factors that facilitates their high level of academic achievement. Wing recommends that the Model Minority Myth needs to be challenged in order to address the problems that have resulted from its existence such as putting the Asian American population in a vulnerable position and ignoring their problems which include financial difficulties.
Personal Reaction
It is evident from the article that the Model Minority Myth hardly reflects any truth about the academic success of Asian Americans. In as much as this ethnic group is outperforming the rest of American population, the assumptions provided by the Model Minority Myth are incorrect. It is unfortunate that a notion that seems like a compliment can be a tool of perpetuating inequality. This model sets the bar for the Asian Americans students too high while masking the unique challenges that they are facing such as lack of competence in English. At the same time, the model is posing extra threats to this population by making them a vulnerable in the society. There is no ethnic group that deserves to be subjected to such unfairness. If the Asian Americas are achieving more in academics, they should be given credit for it. It is much better to look into their cultural practices, and history to determine the origin of their success as Wing suggested by providing alternatives to the Model Minority Myth.
Generally, Wing presents persuasive arguments throughout the article. It is recommendable how she contrasts the assumptions from each myth with actual responses’ from the participants to show the reader that they are false. Her illustrations using actual quotes from the interviewees also reinforce her arguments and make them more relevant.
Questions
Which strategies would you recommend to ensure that the problems posed by the Model Minority Myth are addressed?
Do you know of other assumptions or theories that are victimizing one ethnic group in the society?
Reference
Wing, J.(2007). Beyond Black and White: The Model Minority Myth and the invisibility of Asian Americans. The Urban Review, 39 (4), 455-487.
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