Why Being the Model Minority Sucks

         
         Chao          Angela Nachampassak
         07          November 2019

Why Being the Model Minority Sucks

         The Model Minority is a minority group who statistically have a higher socioeconomic status than the population average. Typically, the term Model Minority is used to describe Asians, and by that I mean all Asians. People associate Asians with performing exceedingly well in academics and ending up in successful professions, particularly in STEM fields. This idea does not accurately describe all Asians, but rather East Asians, and even then are exceptions. Asia is much larger than people think. It's also much more than K-Pop and anime. Asia not only includes East Asia (Japan, Korea, and China), but Southeast Asia (Brunei, Burma [Myanmar], Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), South Asia (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives), and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). Being called an Asian is like being called a fish. Fish seem to be all the same because they swim in water, but there are many different types of fish, as there are many types of Asians, and some "fish" are not even fish but mammals. Not all Asians have pale skin, monolids, and straight, black hair. Many Asians have dark skin, double eyelids, and frizzy hair. As a person who identifies herself as a Southeast Asian-American, I find myself struggling to see if I fit what it means to be Asian-American.
         My parents were born and raised in Laos and migrated to the United States together in the 1990s. Like most immigrants to the US, my parents came to seek better opportunities for themselves as well as their future children. They did not own any kind of Asian restaurant or nail salon, but worked in multiple part-time jobs to start with. Once I started school, I admit that I did feel the perks that came with being an Asian-American student. My teachers would always expect me to be a good, well-behaved student just by taking a glance at me. Once, I accidentally pushed a kid out of line and didn't confess to my teacher when he told on me because I didn't want to get in trouble, but the teacher believed me instead of him. Even though I had done something wrong, because of the way I look, I wasn't punished. It seemed out of the ordinary for me back then; however, looking back, I realize she only saw me as a fish. She didn't know what type of fish I was.
         In reality, I, an individual, was a stereotype of a stereotype, my culture. When I go out to eat, the waiter hands me chopsticks instead of a fork. Little does he know that in Lao culture we mainly eat sticky rice using our hands. Eating with hands is a similar conception occurs with Indians, who also eat mainly with their hands even though they are still considered Asian. People automatically assume what Asian culture is based on East Asian culture when there are many varying subcultures within Asian culture.
         When I started the college application process, my negative inhibitions about my Asian-American identity deepened. When it comes to accepting students in prestigious universities, Affirmative Action plays a part in selecting students. Affirmative Action is the policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously and thus benefits those who have less representation in the college itself. Typically, Latino-Americans, Native Americans, and Black-Americans benefit from Affirmative Action whereas White-Americans and Asian-Americans are at a disadvantage. When you look at the statistics of what specific race most Asian-Americans who attend these prestigious universities identify themselves as, you will see mostly Chinese, Japanese, and Korean - the three East Asian countries. As Asians, we may all look similar and have similar values such as having a high standard for education and the idea of how one's actions reflect on one's family, but that shouldn't combine us into one stereotype. Fish all may look similar with their gills and swimming capabilities, but not all fish are the same. For example, a puffer fish has rough to spiky skin while a trout has scales. Dolphins and whales have the same swimming capabilities as fish, but they are considered mammals.
          I remember a discussion on the subject of Affirmative Action with one of my Vietnamese friends. She was complaining to me how she didn't even attempt to apply to the Ivy Leagues because of her race. I don't believe colleges understand that within Asian culture, there are stereotypes of each region of Asia. East Asian-Americans are known for being well-rounded high-achievers and typically live in the nicer side of town while Southeast Asian-Americans are known for not excelling in education and typically live in the more run-down areas of town. Southeast Asian-American students are thus at a disadvantage getting accepted into their dream school simply because they are often being compared to their East Asian counterparts when their situations are completely different from one another despite their both being considered Asian.
         Being in the Model Minority is not at all what it is cracked up to be for all Asians. People may consider being part of the Model Minority to be a compliment, but with that compliment, so come misconceptions of the culture entirely. As a Laotian-American, I find myself constantly questioning whether I am Asian-American at all because people seem to be assuming things about me that are not true for my situation. This statement applies to many other different Asian-Americans who feel they don't fit the stereotypical mold by not excelling in education and then later on becoming a yappie or young Asian professional. A yappie is an Asian-American who did everything to make his/her parents happy by getting the best grades in school, being accepted to the best university, and thus working at a successful company and financially supporting themselves and their family. Not all Asian-Americans can live up to this expectation, but we feel we need to because we are labelled the Model Minority.