There has been buzz about the recent Miss America winner and I'll admit I was outraged at the enormous amount of ignorance spewed onto the interwebs, especially since Miss America is from my home state and my soon to be Alma Mater. However, people have been making outlandish arguments about racial dynamics in this country by claiming the ignorance response given to her proved that Asian Americans were stigmatized just as much as other minority groups. Many have argued that this is definitive prove that the idea of a "model minority" is a myth that doesn't exist. These statements can be true depending on what someone means by them, but in their literal sense they are are complete falsehoods that ignore white privilege and how white privilege was afforded to Asian and Indian American workers far more than their Black and Latino counterparts. This goes back to policies dating to the late 1800s moving forward all the way to the mid 1900s. Regardless of the perpetuation of whiteness, racial doctrine written at the time explicitly drew distinctions between Blacks and Latinos and Asians, making a hierarchical difference between the two. This can be seen clearly in 1950s as Asians were portrayed to have successfully assimilated into the U.S., while blacks and Latinos were considered to be failed Americans.
Quantifying stigmatization
Clearly one cannot quantify stigmatization. It can never be objectively proven that certain minorities are treated "worse" than others and any attempt to do so would be biased and unproductive. Instead we need to make the critical shift of understanding how identities are being targeted, rather than immediately jumping to the results of said prejudice and having an all out statistical throw down. For example, the effects of Islamophobia cannot be translated into some quantifiable number. Attempts to do this in social sciences tend to find a close proxy, but the proxy is never expansive enough for the horrible experiences that stem from Islamophobia in this nation. To then make the next step a comparison to the systemic racism faced by Blacks is completely outlandish. We need to accept that these are two different forms of prejudice that require different forms of support.
The Model Minority
I am not arguing that Asian Americans don't face prejudice. What I am cautioning against is this quick instinct to lump all experiences of oppression into one giant collective. Asian Americans don't face the significant economic and educational barriers that African American and Latinos face. They may face educational barriers (i.e. the way policies favor white students over Asian students), but these barriers aren't the same ones faced by African Americans. Furthermore, the sentiment of "never being a true American" differs from the sentiment faced in the black community which unabashedly makes claim to legitimate American citizenry (as they should), but finds themselves forever being a lower standard of American. These two psychological prisons aren't the same. They are both horrible in different ways. The creation of a Model Minority distinction isn't a falsehood, but it certainly isn't a blessing either. Both the Model minority and the downtrodden minority are in positions of subjugation. When an Asian American rejects the label of Model Minority, they are freeing themselves of that subjugation and rightfully so. However, the history behind that label cannot be tossed aside. It needs to be analyzed and scrutinized. It must be acknowledged especially when it had led to institutions giving specific benefits to certain groups and not others.
Together, but distinct
Minorities can be allies for each other, but must respect the distinct nature of what each other is going through. Sure we can bond over the similarities of oppression, however as stated by a friend of mine, we need to be mindful of the space we take up and how that could possibly prevent others from having their stories heard. I am not advocating for the disenfranchisement of Asian American experiences. I am respecting the unique nature of the Asian American experience. I think when we can recognize that we are different, then we can take the actual first steps to being allies for each other.
Quantifying stigmatization
Clearly one cannot quantify stigmatization. It can never be objectively proven that certain minorities are treated "worse" than others and any attempt to do so would be biased and unproductive. Instead we need to make the critical shift of understanding how identities are being targeted, rather than immediately jumping to the results of said prejudice and having an all out statistical throw down. For example, the effects of Islamophobia cannot be translated into some quantifiable number. Attempts to do this in social sciences tend to find a close proxy, but the proxy is never expansive enough for the horrible experiences that stem from Islamophobia in this nation. To then make the next step a comparison to the systemic racism faced by Blacks is completely outlandish. We need to accept that these are two different forms of prejudice that require different forms of support.
The Model Minority
I am not arguing that Asian Americans don't face prejudice. What I am cautioning against is this quick instinct to lump all experiences of oppression into one giant collective. Asian Americans don't face the significant economic and educational barriers that African American and Latinos face. They may face educational barriers (i.e. the way policies favor white students over Asian students), but these barriers aren't the same ones faced by African Americans. Furthermore, the sentiment of "never being a true American" differs from the sentiment faced in the black community which unabashedly makes claim to legitimate American citizenry (as they should), but finds themselves forever being a lower standard of American. These two psychological prisons aren't the same. They are both horrible in different ways. The creation of a Model Minority distinction isn't a falsehood, but it certainly isn't a blessing either. Both the Model minority and the downtrodden minority are in positions of subjugation. When an Asian American rejects the label of Model Minority, they are freeing themselves of that subjugation and rightfully so. However, the history behind that label cannot be tossed aside. It needs to be analyzed and scrutinized. It must be acknowledged especially when it had led to institutions giving specific benefits to certain groups and not others.
Together, but distinct
Minorities can be allies for each other, but must respect the distinct nature of what each other is going through. Sure we can bond over the similarities of oppression, however as stated by a friend of mine, we need to be mindful of the space we take up and how that could possibly prevent others from having their stories heard. I am not advocating for the disenfranchisement of Asian American experiences. I am respecting the unique nature of the Asian American experience. I think when we can recognize that we are different, then we can take the actual first steps to being allies for each other.
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