A recent New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof titled “The Asian Advantage” comes to similar conclusions: Asian-Americans are uniquely situated to succeed in America, but other groups face tougher odds. Kristof attributes the supposedly universal success of Asian-Americans to a variety of factors, such as a “Confucian emphasis on education” and a belief in the value of hard work. He further argues that “positive stereotyping” is a net good that helps Asian-American students succeed in the classroom in part because teachers expect them to excel at math.
Kristof is correct that the average income and education level of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders is relatively high, but he doesn’t note, for instance, that the percentage of Asian-Americans living below poverty is slightly greater than the national average. Poverty and dropout rates among Southeast Asians are staggeringly elevated, with poverty rates among some ethnic Asian groups over three times the national average, and high-school dropout rates ranging from 35 to 40 percent for Cambodians, Laotians, and Hmongs. Asian America is thus no less monolithic than white America.
The positive stereotyping Kristof applauds can be especially alienating to members of these groups. Asian-Americans who don’t live up to academic expectations face greater social stigma and are less likely to get the help they need. The model minority myth fails to view Asian-Americans with this much-needed granularity, and prevents us from addressing the unique challenges facing the community today. After all, as Kristof himself notes, “because one group can access the American dream does not mean that all groups can.”
gamechangershow
ellievsbear
areudirty
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
discoholicmusic
titsay
