Effects of the Model Minority on Asian Americans - Assignment Example

When Chinese immigrants encountered racial oppression and exclusion in the U.S., they equated the mistreatment with their loss of civil rights and freedoms because both the U.S. and Chinese governments failed to protect them from racism and oppression, while the same governments ensured that Chinese Americans did not experience racial equality in the U.S. First, the Chinese government, instead of allowing Chinese Americans to thrive in the U.S., had kept them under a tight leash through oppressive surveillance and control practices. The Chinese government also countered any opposition or criticism from Chinese Americans, thereby making them inferior to other Americans who have freedom of speech. Second, the American government did not exactly stop China from controlling Chinese Americans in the U.S. The U.S. did not protect Chinese Americans in Americans soil because it continued to see the latter as suspicious illegal aliens, even after World War II. Furthermore, the U.S. government did not take positive actions to create equal conditions for Chinese Americans. It practiced racial profiling as a means of cleansing the U.S. of suspected communist Chinese Americans. This statement, “Chinese in the United States were subjected to a highly institutionalized structure of dual domination?” means that Chinese Americans had two lords in the U.S. - the U.S. government and the Chinese government. Both governments subjected Chinese Americans to racial oppression and exclusion, as already explained in the first paragraph. World War II did little to ease racism and oppression against Chinese Americans. Although President Roosevelt compelled the U.S. Congress in 1943 to repeal the Chinese exclusion laws, he did so because it was an essential military strategy. He also replaced it with a less stringent exclusionary law through the immigration quota system. During the Cold War, instead of improving the rights and liberties of Chinese Americans, the U.S. government practiced racial profiling to denaturalize or deport suspected or real communist Chinese Americans. Many Chinese Americans stayed silent and assimilated to show the U.S. that they were not bound to China or to communism. It was effective for them because it decreased American actions against them. 2. The effect on the atomic bombs on Japan and its economy is that, at first, the Japanese got angry at their military leaders, and many accepted that their nation should never launch another war, while the Japanese economy severely suffered initially because of lost jobs and the destruction of cities during the atomic bombing. First, after the atomic bombing, the Japanese remarkably felt more resentment for their military forces than the U.S. government. They did not harbor any racist feelings against the U.S., although some resentment developed during the opportunist actions of the U.S. toward Japan when the Cold War started. Second, the atomic bomb negatively affected the economy of Japan, where the unemployed reached 13 million and demobilized Japanese soldiers became beggars. The Japanese persevered by working closely with the Allied forces in forming a new government structure and new policies that affected its way of life. For instance, a new constitution was ratified in 1946, which guided the Japanese government toward a more democratic era. The Japanese constitution in 1946 laid out the preservation of the emperor as the symbol of unity of the people and renunciation of future wars. By preserving the Emperor, the Japanese were able to hold on their ancient cultural symbols, which helped them persevere during these trying times. The Japanese people received greater democracy in how members of the government were selected and removed too. Furthermore, changes in agrarian and labor laws improved satisfaction among peasants and workers. These changes enabled many farmers to own their own lands, while workers were allowed to form and participate in trade unions. By 1970, Japan became a world power despite the obstacles because of the combination of initiatives and partnerships between governments and private enterprises. The U.S. provided private and public assistance, while the Japanese government gave tax incentives and high depreciation allowances. Japanese banks made loans easy to get too, which improved entrepreneurial activities. Political changes happened also, which improved the ability of the government to encourage trade and business. Japan Prime Minister Yoshida improved relations with Russia and expanded trade with China. Succeeding Prime Ministers worked hard on preserving internal control, while expanding the economic growth of Japan. 3. The Model Minority is not entirely a myth because it is true that many Asian Americans are excelling in different fields. The truth lies in the capacity and will of Asian Americans to go beyond difficulties and to achieve the American Dream of a good life. David Bell gave examples of Asian American grocers, restaurant owners, musicians, writers, and doctors, among others, who are successful in their various endeavors. The positive effects of the Model Minority are that Asian Americans have become resilient to any form of racism and oppression and have become more focused on their ambitions in life. For example, Bell talks about the high rate of admission of Asian Americans into the top American universities. These statistics implicate that Asian Americans have the same chances as whites in entering prestigious universities, which, in turn, can open economic, social, and even political, opportunities for them. The Model Minority improves access to opportunities and enables Asian Americans to dedicate themselves to their pursuit of a good life. The good stereotypes of the Model Minority are good if they reflect the real needs, interests, and realities of Asian Americans. Bell provides numerous examples of Asian Americans who did well in the U.S. because of their hard work and because some of them also finished college and excelled in their fields after completing higher education. If this path is what these Asian Americans truly wanted, then they are benefitting from the good stereotypes that give them credibility in schools and the fields where they wish to flourish. The good stereotypes are bad, however, if they mask underlying racial oppression, which Frank Wu explains. Wu asserts that the Model Minority is a myth because Asian Americans are not true equals in American society. They are paid less in the same jobs where there are whites, and not many of them enjoy career growth, including promotion to the highest ranks of American international corporations. In other words, Wu argues that the Model Minority stereotype is bad if it makes American society blind to racism against Asian Americans, and by being blind to it, they are not doing anything to resolve it. Asian Americans should not fight the Model Minority stereotype if it inspires them and gives them economic, political, and social opportunities, but they should fight it if the Model Minority has become a political ploy for hiding the true realities of some Asian Americans who are not doing as well or are not pursuing the same paths as the mainstream Asian Americans. In reality, Wu provides a realistic portrayal of the Model Minority stereotype: It is good if it helps some Asian Americans succeed in America, but it is bad, if it hides racial oppression. 4. There was a huge difference in the status of Asians born in America both before and after the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act because after 1965, the U.S. government lifted prior immigration restrictions and exclusionary laws, which resulted to a spectacular influx of new Asian immigrants into the U.S. After 1965, exclusionary laws were relaxed, and so many Asian refugees and relatives became free to enter and to live and work in America. Numerous Asian professionals also found better economic opportunities in the U.S. They were part of the Asians who used family reunification as a way of reuniting with their families by bringing them to the U.S. In other words, after 1965, Asian Americans experienced less immigration restrictions, thereby boosting their presence in America. With greater numbers, furthermore, Asian Americans were able to form ethnic/racial communities that strengthened bi-racial identities. While some Asian Americans decided to go for full assimilation, to the point of civil assimilation or absence of local values and power struggles, others maintained strong bi-racial identities through their expanding ethnic/racial communities. The U.S. easily exploits Asians and Asian Americans as it simultaneously enforces distinctions that render Asians linguistically, culturally, and racially “foreign” because as Asians, it can see them as vital only to the economy when they are needed, therefore, they are easier to lay off when economic conditions are harder. As for Asian Americans, by seeing them as similar and foreign, the U.S. exploits them through economic oppression, specifically by not providing them the same wages and upward career mobility as white employees. The best examples come from Wu where he states that based on Barringer’s study, whites continue to have better social, economic, and political statuses than Asian Americans, meaning that the latter are paid lower and do not have the same management promotion chances as white counterparts (330). Hence, the U.S. gets the benefits of having skilled Asian and Asian Americans, and the ability to maintain control over their political, social, and economic growth through labeling them as foreigners. Read More