Despite the official non-discriminatory policy in the US, the signs of discrimination among Asian Americans and Pacific island Americans are evident. The two aforementioned minority groups consistently report higher poverty rates, lower education opportunities, and an ongoing segregation. Close examination of government policies, model minority, and perpetual immigrant stereotypes explain the reasoning behind their racial experiences.
The twentieth century government policies allowed for legal discrimination of Asian Americans and Pacific island Americans, propagating economic disadvantage, political, and social violence. Though legally protected from violence, modern minority groups still face inequal treatment (Turner and Aguirre 265). Government policies in the field of education put quotas on Asian Americans and Pacific island Americans in college (Turner and Aguirre 266). Disproportionate numbers restrain minorities from holding governmental positions and get elected to political office.
The myth of model minority placed an unrealistic cultural expectation on Asian dreams, portraying them as perpetual foreigners who were expected to achieve success rapidly. Erasing the fact of racism against Asian Americans and eradicating the struggle for racial justice, model minority ignores the diversity of individual characteristics among the minority group (Turner and Aguirre 267).
Those people who do not live up to the standards of model minority are considered as disadvantaged and face discrimination at school and work (“Christopher Columbus. Native Americans. One Word. Cut,” 0:48-00:55). Perpetual immigrant stereotypes communicate the identity of Asian Americans and Pacific island Americans as intruders who are neither welcomed nor wanted in the US, regardless of their professional, cultural, and historic contributions.
A Black/White binary refers to the claim that US society consists of only two true racial groups (the Black and the White). The lack of mere recognition of other people of color substantially limits the protection of their rights and equal treatment in society (Turner and Aguirre 272). In my opinion, the Black/White paradigm promotes racial experiences among minority groups, depreciating authentic cultural differences, prevalent among Asian and Pacific island Americans.
Works Cited
“Christopher Columbus. Native Americans. One Word. Cut.” YouTube, uploaded by Cut, 2015. Web.
Turner, Jonathan H., and Adalberto Aguirre. American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination. 7th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2010.