Protests and marches aren't an uncommon sight in Athens. This past Saturday, Broad Street was filled with people holding signs saying "no place for hate" or "hate is not a virus," and who chanted slogans like "Stop Asian hate, love Asian people."
But long-held beliefs such as the model minority myth can make it difficult for Asian American activists to be heard. The USC Pacific Asia Museum describes the model minority myth as the stereotype of Asian Americans as “studious, successful [and] smart -- a model minority who excel(s) in education and accomplish(es) the “American Dream.” From childhood to adulthood, from school to business, the myth of the model minority surrounds those in the AAPI (Asian American/Pacific Islanders) community, and can sometimes mask the reality of Asian American issues.
Dr. Mi-Ryong Shim is a Korean American and Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies at the University of Georgia. She describes the Model Minority Myth as “false flattery, is how I've heard some people put it because it says like, oh, you're doing so great, but when…your issues are framed, that way, it diminishes the very, very real issues that you might be facing. Now, you're already doing so well, anyways, what do you have to complain about right?”
Jessie Hoang, the president of U.G.A’s Vietnamese Student Association, sees the model minority myth as the result of the “survival mentality” some immigrant parents adopt in a new country. “When our parents first came here, they were in survival mode. They were like ‘Yeah we’re just going to come here and survive and live and live for our children, for our life.’ So they never pushed anything, and that kind of created that model minority standard.”
But the idealization of Asian Americans and the Model Minority Myth are just that - myths. And, that myth can be a barrier for Asian American advocacy. Jessie Hoang again: “We were always taught to keep the peace...so we grew up with that mentality. I think that mentality is still hitting people. Some people aren’t talking or speaking about it because they feel like “oh, now is not the right time or the right thing to say. I think that’s holding back a lot of people.”
The Model Minority Myth goes beyond just affecting perceptions of Asian Americans. It draws invisible lines around groups, increases divisions and promotes insularity, says Matthew Kee, a Malaysian American and president of the Asian American Student Association. “We don’t typically face the conventional forms of discrimination as other minorities, just because we have the stigma of being the model minority and with that, its hard to find allyship with other minorities when they feel like your discrimination isn’t as severe.”
And these divisions can make identifying with other causes more difficult as well. According to Dr. Shim, “Because the model minority myth basically segregates you from other kind of minorities, that's what it's built for. Right. But if you are somebody who has internalized that, then it would make it difficult for you to kind of see yourself sharing, I guess, concerns with other minorities.”
But Michelle Dudley, a third-year law student, and Chinese American, also sees it as a wedge within the AAPI community. “Yes, I think the MMM is so harmful, especially within our own communities. There’s a class difference, right? I have a group of friends who are professionals...grad degrees, with good-paying jobs. And when I asked them if they wanted to come to this rally with me, this march against Asian Hate, they were kind of hesitant to go. I feel like the reason they didn’t want to go even though it's an issue that affects all of us is because we are Asian, but they just didn’t feel connected to specifically what happened in Atlanta. Because the six women, Asian women that were murdered, were massage workers and they could never see themselves or their families in that type of position. So, in a way, they were like, this would never happen to me. It’s unfortunate it happened to them but I would never be in that position, so it's not really my problem kind of thing.”
But for Hoang, it’s the experiences of the younger generation as both Americans and the children of immigrants that drive them to work for change. Says Hoang, “I think as Asian Americans. Especially Asian American that part American. We were born here. We were raised here. We know what it’s like. And so I think this is the time to really take that sentiment and really change and take action.
