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Lost Among Caucasians: The Lethal Fallacy of the Model Minority Stereotype | Diversity Journal

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Lost Among Caucasians: The Lethal Fallacy of

the Model Minority Stereotype
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May 19, 2014 Kathie Sandlin () 2 (http://www.diversityjournal.com/13713-lost-among-caucasians-lethal-fallacymodel-minority-stereotype/#comments)

Education 59 (http://www.diversityjournal.com/tag/education/)

ByNicholas D. Hartlep, PhD

Do you believe that Asians/Asian Americans are largely successful? Do
you assume they all win spelling bees, attend Harvard, and become
brilliant scientists? Then you, like many other North Americans,
subscribe to the model minority stereotypethe faulty belief that, by
and large, Asians/Asian Americans are occupationally, financially, and
academically successful.
The stereotype is prevalent in higher education, embodied in slogans
that describe Asians/Asian Americans as taking over prestigious
universities. Some have dubbed the University of British Columbia the
University of a Billion Chinese, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
as Made in Taiwan, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as
University of Caucasians Lost among Asians. These acronymic puns
reveal a pervasive misperception. Despite widely held claims that Asians

(http://www.diversityjournal.com/wpcontent/uploads/HartlepHeadshot.jpg)

HARTLEP

are overtaking topflight 4-year colleges, the truth is most attend 2-year
colleges.
Killing Them Silently: The Model Minority on Campus
This supposed positive stereotype is in fact negative. Studies actually indicate that the model
minority stereotype correlates with increased numbers of suicides among Asian students who do
not achieve the academic success expected of them.
The model minority stereotype is killing Asian/Asian American students silently. On April 10, 2000,
Elizabeth Shin, a Korean student at MIT, committed suicide by self-immolation; in May 2007,
Mengyao May Zhou, a Stanford University graduate student, committed suicide by taking more
than six times the safe dosage of Unisom; and on April 21, 2012, Wendy H. Chang, a senior at
Harvard, was found dead in her dorm room, having apparently hanged herself.

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Lost Among Caucasians: The Lethal Fallacy of the Model Minority Stereotype | Diversity Journal

While the loss of life is clearly the most extreme damage done by a general acceptance of the
model minority stereotype, there are many other serious implications. For example, despite data
that indicate otherwise, there remains a widespread belief that Asians/Asian Americans in North
America are all financially prosperous and occupationally successful.
The Model Minority Stereotype at Work
According to 2012 API Representation on Fortune 500 Boards, a report published by Leadership
Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP), 129 Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) held 144 board seats at
114 Fortune 500 companiesin 2010, there were 96 API directors and 115 board seats at 98
companies. Asian Americans continue to be woefully underrepresented in leadership roles despite
the groups incredible growth rate. Why are Asians/Asian Americans underrepresented in
leadership positions within Fortune 500 boards and companies? Could it be that the model
minority suggests that they are more technologically and scientifically savvy, and that they lack the
interpersonal skills necessary to lead?
This reminds me of something a colleague once told me: People dont see and interpret the world
as it truly is; rather, they see and interpret it as they are. The media reinforces our tendency to think
of Asians/Asian Americans as a model minority, by often portraying them as scientists,
mathematicians, or medical doctors. Because we are inundated with these stereotypes, we cant
rely on our perceptions, but instead, must apply critical analysis.
Our unthinking acceptance of stereotypes causes us to lump individuals we identify as belonging
to a particular group together as if no meaningful differences exist between them. If it is wrong to
stereotype African Americans as athletes or drug dealers (which, of course, it is), isnt it just as
wrong to stereotype Asians/Asian Americans as overachievers who do exceptionally well in
college and the workforce?
Origins of the Model Minority Stereotype in the United States
The stereotype of the North American Asian/Asian American model minority arose during the
1960s when an academic by the name of William Petersen authored a story published by the New

York Times Magazine, titled Success Story: Japanese American Style. The piece highlighted and
overemphasized Japanese success, comparing it to the lack of success African Americans were
having in the United States. The timing of Petersens publication is notable, coming months after
the release of Daniel Patrick Moynihans infamous The Negro Family: The Case For National Action.
The Moynihan Report, as it is now come to be known, accused African Americans of having a
culture that caused the undesirable outcomes they were having. Together, the takeaway message
of Moynihans demonization of blacks and Petersens praise of the Japanese in America produced
the modern-day model minority stereotype.
The Asian Model Minority Stereotype at Work
All stereotypes are harmful to employers precisely because they constrict employees sense of
individuality and stifle creativity. Interestingly, the more people believe in stereotypes, the more
accurate the stereotypes seem to be. Human nature causes us to remember situations that
confirm a stereotype, and forget the many times the stereotype was disconfirmed.
Research conducted by Harvard Universitys Project Implicit illustrates how stereotypes are linked
to our implicit biases. Implicit biases are prejudices and ways of thinking that are subconsciously
present. Implicit biases have occupational implications for Asians/Asian Americans. If, because of
implicit bias, an employer assumes that Asians/Asian Americans lack qualities needed to succeed
as leaders, they will track Asian/Asian American employees into technical positions instead. In the
business world this is referred to as the bamboo ceilingin the medical profession, the sticky

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Lost Among Caucasians: The Lethal Fallacy of the Model Minority Stereotype | Diversity Journal

Stereotypes are always more hurtful than helpful. University administrators and professors, as well
as those in the corporate world, are best served when they understand that the Asian/Asian

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American model minority stereotype is limiting and inaccurate. I would like to end this article by
offering five suggestions that support diversity and equity initiatives:

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1. Hire more employees of Asian descent. Asians/Asian Americans are underrepresented in

many employment fields and sectors of the United States workforce. Hiring more Asians/Asian
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Americans will benefit employers, because Asians/Asian Americans constitute a large and
diverse constituency that boasts large purchasing power. They also are an important voting
bloc for politicians, which relates to the next point below.

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2. Support immigration reform and citizen rights for undocumented Asians. Of the more than 11
million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., 1.3 million are from Asia, according to the
Department of Homeland Security. These undocumented individuals are not a drag on the
economy; rather, they help strengthen it. Pragmatically, it makes political sense to support
immigration reform for undocumented Asians. For instance, in the 2012 election, Asian
Americans turned out in large numbers for President Barack Obama, providing 1.5 million votes
for his re-election. Supporting citizen rights for undocumented Asians will build increasing
partisan political support. Financial support can be offered to groups such as Asian Students
Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education (ASPIRE), a group fighting to help educate Asian
Americans, the fastest growing immigrant population in the United States today, about their
rights and opportunities as undocumented people.
3. Support Asian/Asian American leadership development opportunities. Universities are
offering programs, such as Stanford Graduate Business Schools Advanced Leadership
Program (ALP) for Asian American Executives. The first program of its kind, ALP addresses the
apparent gap in effective executive training for high-achieving Asian executives. Groups like
LEAP are also involved, offering its Leadership Development Program (LDP), which supports

leadership development for Asians/Asian Americans by helping participants bridge the gap
between Asian and American business cultures while retaining their Asian values.

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4. Dont rush to judgment when Asians/Asian Americans are in the mainstream news media.
The medias treatment of the Eldo Kim story is a recent example of how the news media can

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portray Asians/Asian Americans who are under intense cultural pressure to do well at Ivy
League universities. Dont automatically buy into the narrative that Kim faked a bomb threat to
avoid taking a final exam because he was afraid of not getting an A. Wait until the whole story
comes out.
5. Boycott and protest stereotypical media. Do not support Hollywood films or television
programming that cast Asians/Asian Americans in stereotypical roles. Asian/Asian American

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compared to 6.4% portrayed by Latino actors, 13.3% portrayed by African Americans and 72.5%
portrayed by white actors. Therefore, the absence of Asian/Asian American actors is equally
concerning as their presence in stereotypical roles.

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Lost Among Caucasians: The Lethal Fallacy of the Model Minority Stereotype | Diversity Journal

Dr. Nicholas Hartlep is Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations atIllinois State University. He
has been researching the Model Minority Myth for 6 years for articles and books including The

Model Minority Stereotype: Demystifying Asian American Success(Information Age Publishing,

2013), The Model Minority Stereotype Reader: Critical and Challenging Readings For the 21st

Century(Cognella Publishing, 2014), Killing the Model Minority Stereotype: Asian American

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Counter-Stories and Complicity(Information Age Publishing, In-Press), and Modern Societal

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