History final paper. Asian American History. History Essay

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Asian American History
Introduction
Model Minority stereotype refers to the cultural expectation that was placed on the Asian Americans as a group that each individual would be hard-working, self-reliant, wealthy and obedient. The myth refers to an ethnic minority that has attained success with the parameters of a dominant culture. Between 1960 and 1970 the status of the Asian American has started changing. It was through this period that they managed to excel and acquired better household earning that the African American and they were also able to close the wage gap with the White Americans. At first, this upward mobility was attributed to investment in education. However, it was later realized that the schooling rates of the Asian Americans had not significantly changed during those three decades. Research suggested that the Asians began earning more because the Americans had started changing their views about them and they had also started being less racist towards the Asian Americans. This paper evaluates the factors which facilitated the model minority myth and how members of Asian Americans differentiated themselves from the other minority groups.
Between the 1960s and 1970s, the Asian Americans had started going up the socioeconomic ladder and they had also started experiencing major changes in their public image. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Asian Americans were portrayed and viewed as intimidating, foreign and threatening. However, by 1960, the ideas of the model minority has started gaining strength and the newspapers had begun glorifying the Asian Americans as law-abiding and industrious nationals who often kept their heads and normally did not complain.
The media has depicted and presented the Asian Americans as a community of successful minority. People believe that the Asians have benefited from astonishing and impressive accomplishments in educations, growing occupational levels, free mental health status, increased income and low crime levels. The media began representing the Asian Americans a model minorities after the Asians started exhibiting the characteristics of the middle-class individuals and after they started recording successes without getting help from special programs or welfare.
The article “Success Story of One Minority Group in the U.S”, explains that in 1960, the Chinese Americans, a minority group, whose population was about three hundred thousand at the time were winning wealth and respect from the White Americans because of their hard work. Also, around this particular Chinese from different states such as San Francisco and New York had started in concentrating on their studies. The increase in the numbers of Chinese youngsters in education programs reduced the number of youth Chinese who were idle and this played a major role in reducing the rates of crime and delinquency that involved the Chinese. It is also important to note that the Chinese teenagers were also taught that to attain the American dream, individuals should rely on their own efforts and not on help and welfare check.
The article further explains that the Chinese had begun acting and living differently as compared to the other minority groups. The Chinese Americans started distancing themselves from irresponsible behaviors and lawlessness and were promoting stability and peace. Out of the 4.7 million cases of crimes that were reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1965, only one thousand and two hundred and ninety-three American Chinese were involved. Unlike the Negroes and other minority communities who depended on help to uplift their standards, the Chinese Americans were more determined to improve their living standards without help from anyone.
It is keynoting that there were several factors facilitated and promoted the success of the American Chinese at a time when the members of the minority groups were highly disregarded and prejudiced by the White Americans. First, the Chinese had established strong relationships among themselves and they would help each other when it was necessary. Only a few Chinese were getting welfare handouts and some even did not want them. The tight family network and established clan loyalties enable the American Chinese to help each other. The social integration of the Chinese people played a big role in their growth, they regarded themselves as a big family and ...