The myth of model minority has pervasive damages, and hence, I would deem it harmful if I were an African American. Essentially, the model minority is a group of people from disadvantaged communities perceived to achieve success through determination and hard work, setting a positive model to be emulated by other minorities. Notably, in the US, Asian Americans are considered the model minority concerning education and socio-economic status. I believe model minority groups intensify discrimination and disparity against other racial groups by building on additional layers of social stratification. Based on vast generalizations, model minority groups are negative stereotypes that push the idea that Asian Americans are a monolithic group and extend the segmentation of disadvantaged African Americans.
Model minority connotes the black Americans’ deviance and adversity from socially accepted norms, triggering resentment. Seemingly, model minority facilitates a division between communities of color by distinguishing Asian-Americans as good minorities who are superior and better accustomed compared to African Americans who typify inferior minorities. Therefore, model minority develops conflicting social beliefs and perceptions between the various racial groups, leading to imbalanced treatment and opportunities (Yi & Hoston, 202o). For instance, compared to blacks, Asian Americans are considered to have better intellectual capacity hence more likely to secure employment opportunities. Model minority reinforces black prejudice by depicting Asian minorities as better, which consequently causes resentment among African-American communities.
Finally, the myth undermines the cross-racial collaboration and solidarity between black and Asian communities in the US. In response to model minorities, black Americans associate the highlighted racial differences with the endemic racism in America. The African Americans develop micro aggression and resentment against Asian Americans by perceiving them as racist. Ultimately, model minorities are a negative stereotype that increases discrimination against African Americans while highlighting deviance and adversity between minority groups, leading to resentment.
Reference
Yi, S. H., & Hoston, W. T. (2020). Demystifying Americanness: The model minority myth and the black-Korean relationship. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 7(2), 68-89. Web.