My Own Experience with the Model Minority Myth

At least for me, I had never heard the words “model minority myth” until I had gotten to college. What I had experienced up until then was just what I thought was expected of me. Be good at school. Excel in math. Excel in the arts. Don’t act out. Be submissive. Be obedient. These weren’t really things expected of me by my parents but rather expectations I discovered from the people around me, the media I consumed, and the environment in which I learned how to be part of society. These were all things that I later learned to make up the Model Minority Myth.

At first, I thought, what’s the big problem with this? I expect myself to be held to these standards and isn’t it good that people are able to think of me in this positive way? Being held to such high standards is good because it causes me to strive to be better and to do better. But then, little incidents began to pile up. My golf coach, whom I had only met the week before told me, “Hey Brian, you like math right?” Kids incessantly asking about my mastery in karate of which I had none or asking me to help them with math despite just meeting me for the first time. These incidents made me reflect on who I was as a person; do I really enjoy playing the violin or doing math or is it because this is what people expect of me? I remember sometime after getting into Hopkins, reflecting on the goals that I had when I was a child. I once thought I was going to be a LEGO designer, but here I was, on the premed track. I was actually angry for a little while, am I only here because society told me this is who I am to be? But then, I started to realize a few things about myself. I truly enjoyed the violin and the piano. It taught me to love music and especially classical music. I love math, it was a subject that I truly enjoyed and introduced me to friends that I never would have met. For better or for worse, the Pre-Med track was a decision that I had made on my own. I want to practice medicine for my own reasons, not my parents or anyone else. I also started to notice some other things about me. I loved sports. I loved the competition and the exhilaration it could bring. I loved being loud and outgoing because it was just so much more fun and exciting than staying out of sight and quiet. All these things make up who I am today. I love tennis and golf and volleyball and medicine and talking and Chopin. I like the things I like because I chose to like them, not because someone told me to like them and this is exactly why the Model Minority Myth is dangerous. I was lucky, I turned out to really enjoy the hobbies that I have but for others, I know they don’t. I know they are full of anger and resentment for something that was pushed on to them, not chosen by them. The Model Minority Myth forces Asian and Asian-American children into a box; that the options put before them are the only ones that they can pursue. But that shouldn’t be the case. All Asian Americans should be able to pursue whatever goal we dare dream of but this construct limits us in what we can do and what we can become. But how do we stop it?

It’s quite simple actually, but of course, simple doesn’t mean easy. We need to change people’s perception of who Asian Americans are. We need to promote Asian American members in every field whether it be arts, academia, athletics, entertainment, etc. By changing the fundamental way people view Asian Americans, we can bring this Myth down, one step at a time. It might not happen in this generation or the next, but I believe it’s a goal worth pursuing and I hope you do, too.