I’m hearing different definitions of it but I never had a clear explanation. Thanks.
Edit: I forgot to mention that some Asian people and Asian activists have a problem with this. Yesterday, I found out that “**RE** model Minority” is a thing now.
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Folks in the so-called “Model” minority have every right to be opposed to the concept. It’s rarely used as a compliment to the supposed model group, instead it’s an insult towards other minority groups and a justification for treating them badly:
Basically: “If you (blacks/Hispanics/Muslims/etc) were more compliant and better behaved and stayed in school like Asians do then we wouldn’t have to treat you so badly”
Of course it’s bullshit, and even aside from the highly problematic implications for both the “model” group and the other group there’s pretty strong historic precedent that being a “model” minority doesn’t do a damn thing to stop a minority from being treated badly. For example Jewish folks would often match the description too, but time after time in the absence of other minorities the majority group starts to go “the Jews seem to be doing pretty well… a little too well.. it must be because they’re stealing from the good hardworking Christians”
As a group Asian Americans have very low crime rates, high literacy rates and make high wages. So they are set on a pedestal for other minority groups that they should be more like Asian Americans. Of course, it treats every member of a race as all the same, so even if it is supposed to be a compliment, it’s very racist.
in the simpleest terms, the “model minority” is the way that westerners use to compare a minority race, which is usually Asian, to other minority races. the most prominent example of this is the stereotypical work ethic of many asians, usually being efficient and high functioning, and comparing that to the work ethic of other races, which can be stereotypically seen as “lazy,” or “minimal”
basically, the “majority race” wants “minority races” to follow the example of the “model minority” so thay they can all be efficient, hard workers and do the laborious, manual work.
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