Asian Americans And the Fight for Educational Rights (5 of 6)

The truth of the matter is that Asian Americans are not "overrepresented" (which itself is a racist concept never imposed on white students), but rather, high Asian enrollment in some colleges reflects the geographical concentration of Asian Americans in particular regions of the country. For example, Asian Americans make up over 40% of San Francisco County; therefore it is not surprising that Asian enrollment at UC Berkeley is so high. On a national scale, Asian Americans constitute only a tiny percentage of college enrollment in most states.

The Model Minority Myth focuses on only certain types of Asian American families. The examples used are almost always children of rich immigrants who had educational advantages in their home countries or who came with enough money to put their children in the best public or private schools. Also highlighted are the children of middle-class professionals who were able to stabilize their livelihoods during the economic prosperity of the 50s. These statistics do not reflect the situation of the sons and daughters of the 70% or more Asian Americans who continue to work in the garment shops, restaurants, as clerks or in other working class jobs and who have limited options as to where to live, work and send their children to school.

It is common knowledge among scientists that one outstanding statistic is enough to distort the average and present a totally false picture, yet the "social scientists" of "60 Minutes", Newsweek and The New York Times Magazine do exactly that in depicting the "success" of Asian Americans.

The Model Minority Myth is not only false; it is dangerous. Can it be an accident that the revival of the Model Minority Myth in the early 80s paralleled the sharp rise in racist violence against Asian Americans

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