Article- Thrupkaew

Media type: Article and Video

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/behind-model-minority-myth-why-studious-asian-stereotype-hurts-n792926

Concept source: Thrupkaew

The article link I’ve shared also contains a video, which I will not reference here, but it is great for background information and for a first person report of living the Asian stereotype of the model minority myth. This example incorporates race and class. Shannen Kim came from a household where her parents were immigrants. They pushed her incredibly hard in school. She recalls that a 98 wasn’t good enough, it had to be a 100. The plan was to work hard, get into a good school, get a good career, and then you’ll be happy.

As brought up in the Thrupkaew article, the idea behind the model minority myth is that a certain ethnic group is already set to achieve higher socioeconomic standards than others in the population. Kim felt this pressure not only from her family, but by her peers and community as well. Everyone expected her to excel.

She went to Harvard, and received a D on her first midterm. She experienced a mental break down. Her entire self worth was based off of her grades, and a D was unacceptable. The myth that Asians are somehow culturally smarter puts an immense amount of pressure onto those who identify that way. This ends up taking an emotional toll on Asian students, and because of the stereotype they are afraid to ask for help (Fuchs). The stereotype expects that through hard work, a child from immigrant parents will move up in class after getting a good, well paying career.

Fuchs, Chris. "Behind the 'Model Minority' Myth: Why the 'Studious Asian' Stereotype Hurts." NBC

   News, National Broadcasting Company, 22 Aug. 2017, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/

   behind-model-minority-myth-why-studious-asian-stereotype-hurts-n792926. Accessed 16 Nov. 2018.

Thrupkaew, Noy. "The Myth of the Model Minority." Race, Class, and Gender in the United States,

   compiled by Paula S. Rothenberg, 10th ed., Worth Publishing, 2016, pp. 230-36.