“Model Minority” is a term that identifies the better evaluation of the people living in the foreign countries and succeeding quite faster than the native population. In accordance with the United States this idea shapes the emergence of Asian ethnical groups (mainly from the South East Asia). The question is that these ethnical groups have leading positions in three main directions, namely: education, income, family stability (Li and Wang 336). In fact, moving to America, Asian people had a little or nothing, but they grew into the most successful community across the United States.
What is more, the paper communicates the myth on racial and other prejudices in stating the abnormality of this or that ethnical unity as contrasted to the White majority in the US. It is proved by virtue of various arguments. The main directions in which the discussion comes out to be are: non-violence; good parenting style; educational aptness. All these points are counter observed through the reflection of some experts and their grounding pertaining to the main idea of predominance of stereotypes as for Asian Americans on the part of Whites.
First of all, it is vital to admit the peculiarity of Asian Americans living in the United States. They are mostly from China, Japan, South Korea, and India. Their human values are grounded on rich and century-long traditions having roots in different philosophical flows. In this respect Asian Americans are behaved to honor human beings and their place under the sun. To be comprehensive, it is necessary to remark that non-violent behavior of Asian Americans is seen on multiple examples.
These people are apt at contradicting the innermost temptation to negatively react on different biases based on ethnical or racial inequality. This characteristic feature is well-respected among Chinese and Japanese people, in particular. Their perseverance and industriousness developed a set of virtues in this kind of minorities. Hence, any provocation pursuant to the limitations in racial belonging and other differences has become no longer possible.
Instead of the familiar racist denunciations and groundless accusations, which characterized the treatment of Asian immigrants in the media for more than one hundred years, the white media establishment, in an about face, commended Chinese and Japanese Americans…for their success in upgrading and assimilating themselves into the mainstream, white, middle-class America (Li and Wang 23).
Another case of Asian Americans’ non-violent behavior is demonstrated on the example during the World War II. Those Japanese who were in camps after the bombing attack in Perl Harbor were not really inclined to rebel. The idea that they had already been caught prevented them from doing something against the so-called oppressors. Hence, Asian Americans can be judged as the minority with low rates in juvenile delinquency, criminal activity, and divorce (Li and Wang 95). Thus, at this point they can be called “model minority.”
On the other hand, Asian Americans possess good parenting style. Their families incorporate old traditions which are indigenously unique. Their ability to direct children since the moment of birth up to the mature life is stunning. The main peculiarity in this case belongs to how Asian Americans counsel each other within the family. It is widely believed that Asian Americans use an authoritative type of parenting, and that it is it that makes children intentionally obey their parents (Li and Wang 235).
However, such a model of parenting does not fully correspond to the atmosphere largely represented in Asian American families. Their characterization gets through the volume of various assumptions. The first is that Asian families manifest the most respectful at all times position of parents as servants of God and “higher teaching,” so to speak. Traditions are firm as long as they are grounded on the ancient beliefs and commandments of predecessors in each among underlined Asian countries.
There is also a contradicting idea on the way Asians bring their children up. This idea goes across deeper investigation of the traits which are the paramount in effective parenting. One among the sociologists insists on the following idea: “Asian parenting is better described as training that is composed of organizational control (e.g., self-discipline, hard work, family honor, and obedience) and parental investment” (Li and Wang 236).
Hence, not just warmth directed to European-like affective expressions, but the highest role of honor to parents learnt at mother’s knees estimate the successful parenting style among Asians. In addition, a positive influence of authoritarian style among Asian parents presupposes a set of warnings encompassing the whole lifespan of a child. In turn it is an efficient preventive method for keeping a child away from negative inflictions of the American society.
Finally, the education rates of Asian Americans in most points drive the American science today. It is no wonder for anyone that Asians are largely associated with aptness at sciences and inventions. It is especially suitable for Japanese. Such a hypothesis surpasses the whole minority of Asian Americans. The main peculiarity in this case should be supposed with the ability of Asians to convert educational achievements into social capital (Li and Wang 105). Nevertheless, this feature of Asian ability to learn and educate serves as one of the state-of-the-art models for making the US one of the leading countries in this field. Of course, there are other nationalities and communities of people contributing into the knowledge base of the US. However, the mite that Asian Americans bring in is hard to underestimate.
As has been aforementioned, the family traditions in Asian families are very strong. So, children view as the most valued capacity their ability to listen to their parents and make rational inferences. In this respect it is vital to admit that “it is well documented that Chinese parents tend to have much higher expectations of their children’s education that parents from other ethnic groups” (Li and Wang 144). Hence, everything is interrelated and interconnected in terms of Asian Americans. Their background and everything that represents their unique culture is also materialized in the prior role of education.
To infer, the model minority myth seems to be trite in terms of the American reality. Blames and prejudices to the ethnical communities originating from Asia take no place when looking at the statistics and reports on more successful perfromance of Asian Americans in contrast to whites. Moving to America, Asian people had a little or nothing at all, but they grew into the most successful community across the United States. This fact no longer gives rise to doubt. Moreover, a huge contribution of Asian Americans in predominantly non-violent, parentally and educationally strong attitudes makes America even more successful. This is the way it is.
Works cited
Li, Guofang and Lihshing Wang. Model minority myth revisited: an interdisciplinary approach to demystifying. New York, NY: IAP, 2008.