[Source: NBC News]
It is widely thought that Asian Americans are inherently intelligent. Of course, this isn’t true. Through pressure from parents always nagging about having to do well in school to get a good job, and a lot of hard work and dedication, Asian American do indeed succeed in school. However, this is not the case for all Asian Americans. Also, when going into college, most Asians do not get results that their high school performances should merit. This is because of the high expectations that are set by the model minority label. The model minority label also forces Asian Americans to overachieve and work harder to be competitive in the college application process. As a result, the expectation is set even higher for Asian Americans creating a vicious cycle of more and more competitiveness.
Another issue about the label of model minority is that it promotes a division between Asian Americans and other races. For example, although affirmative action was implemented to help make up for the disadvantages that many minority races face, it does not help Asian Americans. Asian Americans need 140 SAT points more than white people to get a place at a private university, while African Americans need 310 fewer points than white people. The division created by the label of the model minority puts Asian Americans in a weird positions, as it makes us seem too privileged to receive benefits given to other marginalized races, while still not good enough to experience the privilege that white people receive.
[Source: racefiles.com]
