What Historical And Governmental Policies Influenced Asian...

Asians have been referred to as the â€Å"Model Minority† for decades, but is it an accurate representation of Asian America culture today? This notion derives from the stereotype that Asian families are stable and Asian culture produces success in regards to grades and professions. My questions are as follows: what historical and governmental policies influenced the term, how did it affect Asian-Americans, what should Asian Americans do to be treated equally to improve the rights of their people, and how does this all tie together with the core concept of history memory? I hope to answer these questions thoughtfully in my essay. The term â€Å"model minority† emerged during the 1960s as a response brought on by the Immigration and Nationality Act†¦show more content†¦Asian Americans have been significantly affected today because of the â€Å"model minority† ideology. The idea of Asian Americans being the model minority encouraged and pushed Caucasian Americans that if you have the right cultural values, you can make it. This causes an erasure of the economic disparities and social issues that the poor working Asian Americans have today. Bernadette Lim, Harvard Undergraduate student, in her article, Model Minority Seems like a Compliment, but It Does Great Harm, raises awareness that the term â€Å"Model Minority† does a lot of harm despite it’s positive connotation. The author points out the fact that many southeast Asian minorities are in poverty rates. Included in the southeast Asian category, there is a 40-50% drop out rate. Asian American female students have the highest suicide rates among college students from the pressure of performing really well. This article also points out a threat of Asian Americans in the college admissions process where Asian Americans are perceived as a threat to other applicants. It implies that society wants a control to racial contents where they only want enough that serves the main interest of society. When you are harming the mobility of mainstream Americans, you’re viewed as threatening. Harming, in the case, is Asian Americans taking the spots of college p lacements for â€Å"actual† or Caucasian American students. In Lee’s â€Å"The Model Minority as Gook†, he