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13.7: Asian Americans- The Peril of the “Model Minority” Myth

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    324977
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    Asian Americans are often hailed as a media success story, with increased visibility in film and television. However, this visibility is frequently filtered through the “model minority” stereotype, which paints Asians as universally successful, hardworking, and politically passive. This myth, a functionalist tool, is used to dismiss systemic racism and pit minority groups against each other. It also erases immense diversity within the category, obscuring the struggles of Southeast Asian refugees and Pacific Islanders. The myth masks ongoing discrimination; 82% of Asian Americans themselves believe they face discrimination, a higher rate than other groups perceive for them (Pew Research Center 2025). Furthermore, it can mutate easily into the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when anti-Asian hate surged.


    13.7: Asian Americans- The Peril of the “Model Minority” Myth is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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