“Years ago…they used to think you were Fu Manchu or Charlie Chan. Then they thought you must own a laundry or restaurant. Now they think all we know how to do is sit in front of a computer.”
Virginia Kee, then a teacher in one of New York’s Chinatowns, said the above words in Time Magazine’s 1987 cover story, “Those Asian-American Whiz Kids”. 28 years later, her words still hold true as stereotypes dominate Asian-Americans’ image in American popular culture. However, the issue at hand is not about the under-representation of Asian-Americans more than it is about their misrepresentation. Exactly as Kee expressed, the image today illustrates Asian-Americans as skinny, textbook clutching children with thick glasses who are nothing but machines wired for success. They are perfect examples of what is called “model minorities”, or a minority group whose members achieve higher socioeconomic success than average. However, this general depiction is not only offensive, but it is more importantly one-dimensional. Unfortunately, the media has consistently depicted Asian-Americans as models of such stereotypes, promoting the misrepresentation.
Consider prime-time TV show characters as examples. It is interesting to see that Asian-American characters in wildly popular shows are often molded with attributes of success, higher-education and professionalism. On the other hand, they are also characterized by being stingy, critical, and career-obsessed. For example, in the ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy, actress Sandra Oh’s character, Dr. Christina Yang, is portrayed not only as ambitious, hard-working, and competitive, but also as unsympathetic and selfish.
Furthermore, B.D. Wong’s character of Dr. George Huang on NBC’s drama Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (notice all the doctorates?) is again depicted as extremely skillful, yet soft-spoken. Similar to Dr. Christina Yang, the character of Dr. Jing-Mei Chen, played by Ming Na on NBC’s drama ER, is characterized by overt competitiveness and ambition as well. It seems like in many of the most widely watched series on some of the largest television networks in America, Asian-Americans are unable to escape the stereotype of being competitive workaholics with little genuine care for others. Through incorporating these characters into the shows, the media is perpetuating the “model minority” mindset in American culture.
While misrepresentations are hurtful by themselves, the concrete effects they have are even more detrimental to cultural diversity. In fact, Mary Lui, a professor of American and Asian-American Studies at Yale University explains that because “Asian-American are smart and successful…hiring or promoting them does not count as encouraging diversity”.
BY CHERYL WANG
THE ASIAN
MODEL MINORITY