The Model Minority Myth

Term	Definition
Bamboo Ceiling	Communications that subtly exclude, negate, or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color. For instance, white people often ask Asian-Americans where they were born, conveying the message that they are perpetual foreigners in their own land.
Diverse	Having a variety of different forms, types, ideas, or people. It is often used to describe groups or communities that include people from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Forever Foreigner	Communications that subtly exclude, negate, or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color. For instance, white people often ask Asian-Americans where they were born, conveying the message that they are perpetual foreigners in their own land.
Microaggressions	Communications that subtly exclude, negate, or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color. For instance, white people often ask Asian-Americans where they were born, conveying the message that they are perpetual foreigners in their own land.
Microassaults	Communications that subtly exclude, negate, or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color. For instance, white people often ask Asian-Americans where they were born, conveying the message that they are perpetual foreigners in their own land.
Microinsults	Communications that subtly exclude, negate, or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color. For instance, white people often ask Asian-Americans where they were born, conveying the message that they are perpetual foreigners in their own land.
Microinvalidations	Communications that subtly exclude, negate, or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color. For instance, white people often ask Asian-Americans where they were born, conveying the message that they are perpetual foreigners in their own land.
Model Minority	The term used to describe minority groups, particularly Asian Americans, who have ostensibly achieved a high level of success in contemporary US society, relative to other immigrant groups. The term “model minority” can have pernicious effects, including obscuring anti-Asian American racism, rendering Asian Americans invisible to broader society, and implying that Asian Americans don’t need anti-racist programs.
Model Minority Myth	The belief that certain minority groups, particularly Asian Americans, have succeeded in the United States because of their cultural values and hard work. This myth suggests that other minority groups could achieve success if they just worked harder or adopted these same cultural values. The model minority myth also obscures the racism and discrimination faced by Asian Americans and other minority groups.
Racial Resentment	A moral feeling that certain racial or ethnic groups violate traditional American values such as individualism and self-reliance. This resentment is often directed towards Black Americans and used as a tool to absolve oneself from the complexities of racism.
Stereotype Promise	The idea that a particular group of people will possess certain characteristics or traits because of their race, ethnicity, or other social identity. It is a positive stereotype, but can still limit individuals and groups by perpetuating assumptions and expectations that may not be accurate or fair.

 

Model Minority Myth — Origin

The concept of the “model minority” originated in the 1960s, during a time when social movements were gaining momentum in the United States. Sociologist William Pettersen praised Japanese Americans for overcoming discrimination, arguing that their ability to do so compared favorably with Black/African Americans, who were treated as “problem minorities.” This idea of the “model minority” was then applied more broadly to other Asian Americans, who were seen as hardworking, law-abiding, and successful. The concept was initially used to promote Asian American assimilation and downplay the effects of racism against Asian Americans. However, over time, it became distorted into the Model Minority Myth (MMM), which perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Asian Americans.

 

The Model Minority Myth is a harmful and damaging stereotype that obscures the experiences and struggles of Asian Americans while also perpetuating the false idea that racism can be overcome through hard work and strong family values. People should care about this myth because it erases the real challenges that Asian Americans face and overlooks the role of institutional racism in shaping their experiences. For Asian Americans pressured by the “Model Minority”, they are often expected to perform well academically and professionally, which can create immense pressure and anxiety. This myth also promotes the false idea that Asian Americans do not need anti-racist programs, which can lead to a lack of support and resources for this community. While it may seem like a positive stereotype, the Model Minority Myth has negative impacts on the Asian American community, as well as other communities of color. Because it suggests that Asian Americans are successful, wealthy, and don’t experience discrimination, MMM has been often used to pit Asian Americans against other minority groups, suggesting that Asian Americans are more deserving of success than other minorities because of their supposed cultural values. It is also used to undermine the struggles and experiences of Asian Americans who do not fit the “model minority” stereotype. 

 

The Model Minority Myth — Impact

We know the Model Minority Myth is a myth not only because of the false concepts that created it, but also because of the monolithic and simplistic view that places all  Asian Americans into being uniformly successful and high-achieving. In particular, MMM is damaging to Asian Americans who do not fit into the model minority stereotype, such as those from Vietnamese, Filipino, Cambodian, and other Southeast Asian communities. For instance, Southeast Asian Americans have experienced a range of challenges such as poverty, language barriers, discrimination, and historical trauma from war and genocide in their home countries. Many Southeast Asian Americans were refugees who fled violence and persecution in their homelands, and their experiences have led to high rates of poverty, low educational attainment, and limited economic opportunities in the United States. However, because these experiences do not fit into the model minority narrative, they are often overlooked and ignored, and Southeast Asian Americans are often treated as a homogenous group rather than recognized for their distinct cultures and histories. 

 

This invisibility can have real-world consequences, such as limited access to resources, funding, and support. Moreover, the model minority myth also perpetuates a hierarchy of success and value within Asian American communities, where certain ethnicities are valued more highly than others based on their perceived success. For instance, East Asian Americans are often held up as the model minority, while Southeast Asian Americans are stigmatized as underachieving and disadvantaged. This not only erases the diverse experiences of Asian Americans, but it also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and divisions within the community.

 

The Model Minority Myth also harms other communities of color, especially Black people. It reinforces the idea of a racial hierarchy, where Asian Americans are positioned above Black people, who are portrayed as lacking the same work ethic and family values as Asian Americans. This stereotype is often used to justify anti-Blackness and racism, as it suggests that Black people’s lack of success is due to a lack of effort, rather than systemic barriers and discrimination. It is also used to divide communities of color and create tensions between different racial groups. By portraying Asian Americans as successful and hardworking, while portraying Black people as lacking in these qualities, the myth obscures the ways in which all communities of color face systemic racism and discrimination. This can lead to resentment and misunderstandings between different racial groups, and distract from the shared struggles and goals of all communities of color. Overall, it reinforces harmful stereotypes, creates pressure to conform to unrealistic expectations, obscures the experiences of discrimination and racism, and creates tensions between different racial groups. To combat the harmful impacts of the Model Minority Myth, it is important to recognize and challenge the stereotype, center the experiences of diverse Asian Americans, and work towards collective liberation for all communities of color.

 

The Model Minority Myth — Significance

This concept remains relevant as it continues to be used as a racial wedge to minimize the role that racism plays in the struggles of other minority groups, especially Black Americans. The myth is often used to suggest that Black Americans could overcome their challenges if they just worked harder, ignoring the systemic and institutional racism that has oppressed this group for centuries. This false comparison also obscures the unique experiences of racism and discrimination that different minority groups face, leading to a lack of understanding and solidarity between communities. Additionally, the Model Minority Myth ignores the history of discrimination and violence that Asian Americans have faced in the United States, including the Chinese Exclusion laws and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Without acknowledging this history, Asian Americans are left out of efforts to address discrimination and their experiences are marginalized. It is important to recognize the diversity and complexity of experiences within the Asian American community and to address the systemic racism that affects all minority groups in the United States.

 

Learn More

 

Books	Asian Americans and the Media edited by Kent A. Ono and Vincent Pham The Myth of the Model Minority: Asian Americans Facing Racism by Rosalind S. Chou and Joe R. Feagin Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White by Frank H. Wu The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee
Podcasts	Self Evident: Asian American Stories hosted by Cathy Erway Escaping the Model Minority Trap with Helen Zia (TED Talk) The Model Minority Myth: Why it Matters for All People of Color (Panel Discussion) hosted by Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Documentaries	Asian Americans (PBS) Who Killed Vincent Chin? (PBS) The Slanted Screen: Hollywood’s Representation of Asian Men in Film and Television
Articles	“The Harmful Model Minority Myth” by Janelle Wong, NBC News “The Model Minority is Losing Patience” by Kimmy Yam, NBC News “The Harmful History of the ‘Model Minority’ Stereotype” by Jack Linshi, Time “How the ‘Model Minority’ Myth Blinds Us to Asian-American Inequality” by Claire Jean Kim, The New York Times

 

References

Cheryan, S., and G. V. Bodenhausen. “Model Minority.” Routledge Companion to Race & Ethnicity. Washington University, 2011. https://depts.washington.edu/sibl/Publications/Model%20Minority%20Section%20(2011).pdf.

Chin, Margaret M., and Yung-Yi Diana Pan. “The ‘Model Minority’ Myth Hurts Asian Americans – and Even Leads to Violence.” Monkey Cage Analysis. The Washington Post, April 22, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/19/model-minority-myth-hurts-asian-americans-even-leads-violence/.

Chow, Kat. “’Model Minority’ Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks.” Code Switch. NPR , April 19, 2017. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks.

DeAngelis, Tori. “Unmasking ‘Racial Micro Aggressions’.” Monitor on Psychology. American Psychological Association, February 2009. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/02/microaggression.

Kawahara, Debra. “The Bamboo Ceiling: Asian Americans and the Myth of the Model Minority.” Blog. Alliant International University. https://www.alliant.edu/blog/bamboo-ceiling-asian-americans-and-myth-model-minority.