I'm Not Your Model Minority

written and produced by Audrey Tchaa

I'M NOT YOUR

MODEL MINORITY

TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Author Chia Lor Choua Yang Jasmine Baker Emma Quie Furvah Shah Fuji Adair Vaughn Hess Jr. Isaac Yang Theresa Hang Nathalie Bonilla Ming Vang About the Author

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR Hello and Welcome, In this booklet, you explore the Model Minority Myth through the lens of eleven individuals; eight of Asian decsent and three individuals identifying as either Black, Biracial/Mixed, and Mexican-American.

These stories show that the Model Minority Myth doesn’t just affect Asian individuals, but all ethnic minorities. They will provide you different lived experiences, while also giving out the same message: We need to start dispelling the Model Minority Myth.

The Model Minority Myth was a label given to East Asian immigrants in America during the 1960s because of their visual success and achievments compared to other marginalized ethnic groups.

Many stereotypes that come out of this myth are: Asians are studious, good at math, and want to be lawyers and/or doctors, and many more. Putting them in this box, many Asian individuals today are feeling stuck. Not all of us want to be doctors, we are not all good at math, we are not all great at school, and we are not all the same.

I hope you find this collection of stories to be emphatic, and continue learning and bringing awareness to dispel the Model Minority Myth.

CHIA LOR "The Model Minority Myth is basically stereotyping that Asians are supposed to be the minority race that is more superior—they're supposed to be studious, supposed to be very successful. That's what that means to me, and it's just really annoying."

As a growing girl, the model minority myth has affected Chia's growth tremendously. Education is highly valued by her parents; it is also seen as a(n American) survival tactic to her. "That's why they really value education for us, so that we could survive in this country," she said. From this, she's always felt pressured to always be studious; she also, for a good portion of her childhood, only cared about her academic achievements. "I wanted to perform well, so that defintely influenced me—being really hard on myself as a kid and growing up," she said.

An ongoing mindset that Chia had for herself was: "Because I'm Asian, I must/have/need to be good at this." Some of the stereotypes that people gave her growing up were: nerd, geek, and she was made fun of for being the teacher's pet. "People would come up to me for help, and I liked that, but I kind of felt like: is the only reason people are friends with me is because I can help them with their homework?" said Chia.

If she were to scale how toxic the myth is from 1-10 (1 being not very; 10 being very), it would be a 9.5. She feels that stereotypes are always bad and you shouldn't do it in general, and even if some of them are true it's not what defines a person. "Being the model for something, it's just not ideal. To put that on a person, it's just not ideal; we're all human," she said. Chia feels some ways society can start dispelling this myth is by starting to diversify who you surround yourself with; to start talking to people who are different from you. To educate yourself and attend events, support Asian artists, businesses, and the likes—doing that will help educate yourself.

One thing that Chia would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "Reassess your values. How many Asian people do you actually know? Why are you basing all of your experiences on who you know, because there are so many people in this world. Reasses why you think the way you think; reassess why you get defensive if you are corrected. Be more curious, ask more questions, and expand your mind... If you're still doing the same thing you're doing, you're just not gonna know. You're just gonna believe what you see in the media because that's how society is. It's our job to decolonize and find out what's true."

22 • she/her • Hmong-Amer ican

CHOUA YANG "For me, I don't fall in between the lines of the Model Minority Myth. I'm a believer of you choose your own path, whether you're in—for example, the Hmong community—I don't follow any of that [patriarchal systems and mindsets]. I wouldn't say that I don't follow the expectations, but I'm more rebellious towards it. I do everything for my own intentions, but also just being respectful of others. I mind my own business and do my own thing, just like everybody else."

Growing up, Choua never really put much thought into the stereotypes that people gave him, or the Model Minority Myth. "I didn't think about it as much till I started getting older and reflecting on it, I was like, 'Wow, this dude just made this stereotype about me and I didn't think about it,'" he said. Being older, he breaks down these stereotypes by joking about them. For example, telling his coworkers that he's not good at math. "I'm an Asian who's not good at math, sorry not sorry!" He said. Not only that, but he also sees these stereotypes being used by parents who tell you that you should know this thing and that. "In that position, it puts you at a lose-lose situation for you," he said. Reflecting about it now, he hopes that people are start to learn more about the myth and to let Asian individuals know that they are strong and powerful.

Choua rated the toxcity of the model minority myth as a 7 or 8. "For me personally, I use that and I get competitive with myself. I start comparing myself to others," thinking he should be caught up to speed based on where he's at in life, "It's kind of guiding me in a way, but in terms of it being toxic, it makes me self-sabogtoge," he said. Not living to his own expectations, his parents expectations, and feeling like he's failed.

One thing Choua wanted to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "Whoever still believes in that [myth], mind your own business. Do your thing. I tell everybody this, I don't care what view you have, as long as I give respect, I deserve that same respect back... You can't assume that everyone is the same, and that people know certain things or know a skill better than the other person. It's not true, it's not something you should be comparing anybody to... I've learned that life is really up to you and all you can do is respect other people and what they want to do."

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JASMINE BAKER "A lot of times when I think about the Model Minority Myth, I think about how people have stereotypes specifically for Asians—this idolizing of a certain minority... Saying like, 'If they can do it, why can't you do it?'

They're the kind of idolized and more 'put on a pedestal' minority. I guess [this] minorit[y]ies in the past have triumphed and have obviously prospered in the 'American Dream,' and they use that as inspiration for other people."

Being biracial, Jasmine doesn't think the myth has affected her personally, but has seen the effects of it first hand from her former high school friend. "I've defintely seen it with my friend.

Obviously, being the only Asian at our school, a lot of people that she was so good at everything," she then said her friend's cousin attended the same school, "A lot of people were like, 'He's defintely not like her; he's a weirdo,'" she said. She feels the myth affects how other minorities percieve Asian individuals—seen to have more privilege and idolized—and how the system sets minorities up to pit against each other. "When you're a minority, the system is set up to pit you against other minorities... That's how the system is [set up] so we can all stay down and not overthrow it," she said.

Some stereotypes that Jasmine has heard regards to idolizing Asian people, specifically Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cultures. "Even in college, I've seen people fetishzing a lot Eastern Asian culture," she said. Jasmine rated the toxicity level of the myth at 12. "My problem with it is that a lot of the times they look it as like, 'They were immigrants to this country and they made it big, so why can't you?' But it's disregarding and discounting a lot of the behind-the-scenes of it and other Asian [ethnicities] too," she said. She feels we must start humanizing Asian individuals and letting them share their stories, to dispell the myth.

One thing Jasmine would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "It's not real. I don't know... It's very obvious that—if you know someone who is Hmong or know a little bit about Hmong history—they're not seen, [or] included in that model minority myth. I would just tell them it's not real and they need to talk to somebody. You need to open your mind and realize that people aren't living the 'American Dream' and there's no such thing as a model minority, and if so, that's really toxic. It's bashing on other communtities too and that community as well. It's very dehumanizing."

23 • she/her • Biracial - Black & White

EMMA QUIE "That [the Model Minoirity Myth] has had a pretty big impact on my life. Just having that stigma hanging over my head. A lot just growing up and stuff, I am Chinese-American... I was born in China and live in the United States, and It's very obvious, to me, that feeling of having to be smart— even though that's not a rule, to be the best all the time."

Growing up as a Chinese adoptee, Emma has felt it to be hard at times. "Just knowing that you're different from your family is [difficult].

My family would be like, 'Oh, you're special because you're the only one who is a minority and it's cool and everyone loves you for that,' but also I just wish I had a place to fit in sometimes. I wish there was a middle ground," she said. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and household, she's learned to accept her differences, despite the challeges she's faced being a minority in her community. "Everyone is unique super unique in their own way," she said.

Some of the stereotypes that Emma has heard relates to her physical attributes and Chinese culture. She told a story about when she was nine years old and attended a ski camp, and someone made a comment about how sad it is that Chinese people eat dogs. "I've also gotten comments about my eyes, and asking if I'm able to see... For a while, it caused me to not like my race, I didn't want to be Chinese. I felt like it was so frowned upon," she said.

Emma gave the model minority a rate of 6 or 7 for its toxicity. "I think that although I'm not getting direct comments about it, I do have that feeling inside me. Like I said before, I have this guilt in me, if I don't do well in school; and I also don't want people to percieve me as only an academic person," she said. She feels society can start dispelling the myth by getting rid of the stereotypes and putting them on a person.

One thing that Emma would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "Treat someone how you want to be treated... Everyone has their own cultural traditions. Even now during the coronavirus, I knew that there was going to be some discrimination against Chinese-Americans—Asian-Americans—because it started in Wuhan, and I think it's very concerning sometimes. It really shows that you need to be much more considerate because you can't put a race on a virus. That's something that's still a problem, so obviously there needs to be more happening."

17 • she /her • Ch ines e-ad opte d

FURVAH SHAH "I think it is something that puts a lot of pressure on, specifically Asian, but minority ethnic kids. I think it's like the idea that you have to fit this stereotype, this box, you have to contribute to society in the most effective way. If you don't, then you are lacking, the odd one, not meant to be here."

Growing up Muslim, Furvah has dealt with assumptions about her religion. Being Asian, she feels it puts added pressure to fit into the model minority stereotypes. "You shouldn't have to be a doctor or a lawyer or have to have good grades in school to be a part of society," she said. Furvah feels pressured to fit this mold due to society being seen as "less than" to her white peers. "We have to already work so much harder to just be on the same level as them; whether it's in school, it's in career, in society overall," she said.

The biggest stereotype she's heard has to do with academic excellence; with high-paying career paths; and how the myth is seen as a positive stereotype. Being a Muslim women, she explained how there are different narratives, "I think the model minority and positive discrimination play hand-in-hand sometimes because, for example, if there's a scholarship for BAME students— Black Asian Minority Ethnic—it's almost like, 'Oh, you only got that because you're Muslim or because you're Asian.' That's also really frustrating because these things are put in place to help us, but people will make assumptions... You literally can't win," she said.

Furvah rated the myth a 7 or 8 on the scale of toxicity due to all of the pressure Asian individuals face, but thinks it's not the worst thing either. One way she feels society can start dispelling the myth is to rethink about how we view race and stereotypes.

One thing Furvah would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "[Relating to the cornavirus] A lot of the people who've died, especially the doctors, are minority ethnic, they're Asian and East Asian. It's like, 'Oh, wow, look at this! Such heros. They'd risk their lives for us,' but it's like, we shouldn't have to risk our lives, and be the best, and contribute the most in society in order to be respected, in order to be valued as a memeber of society... They [White people] don't get the kind of slack we get; the, 'Oh, you're not contributing to society,'; the, 'Oh, why are you here in the first place?' They don't get that."

20 • she/ her • Pu njabi - S outh As ian

FUJI ADAIR "It's defintely something I've dealt with in the past, I think especially in school. I do feel like sometimes I could tell that other full-blooded Asians had more issues with that than I did because I am biracial and happen to look definitely mixed somehow, or just not completely Asian in general... I do know that I defintely didn't have as much biases than other Asians, when it comes to school work. The most I've had was the whole racism thing..."

Fuji has felt the affects of the Model Minority Myth growing up. "Defintely felt like my grades were never good enough," they said. They explained how their parents were strict on their grades, and due to that, they've been strict to excel academically. "Because I'm strict on myself, people assume it's because I'm Asian... They kind of perceive it as, 'Oh, that's how it is for that group of people.' [...] I didn't really talk about it because it was really obvious: 'Oh yeah, it's because of your family.' Not because of my self confidence or affects how I think about school and stuff," they said.

Some stereotypes that Fuji has heard regarding the myth regards to academics. "I've defintely heard the whole, 'You're good at math,' thing; or the really, 'You're really smart,' type thing," they said. Another thing Fuji mentioned was Tiger Moms—a label given to Asian mothers for being too strict on their children. Fuji would rate the myth an 8 or 9 on how toxic it is. Realizing that it starts with school and beyond due to feeling pressured to succeed academically and in your career. They feel society can start dispelling the myth by having more representation of Asian individuals—different ethnicities, cultures, careers, etc.

One thing Fuji would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "As much as we don't have a lot of Asian representation, it's way more than 10 years ago so like get with the program. We'll probably still be years and years in oppression, but we can at least for the love of god drop the minority myth... The model minority needs to go away, but there are so many Asians that do hold that up... The model minority should not be used anymore by people who are not Asian, but Asian people need to understand that since we are model minority[ies], we seem to be, in a way, more privileged than other people—Latinx, Black, and Native American/Indigenous people. We need to come together instead of staying comfortable at the top, just because we're seen as 'good' than other individuals."

23 • they/them • Biracial - Japanese & White

VAUGHN HESS JR. "It can be stereotypes, from what I see. Even it can be, 'good light' it can be a stereotype where people are into a box. That box can be very deceiving, because [it's saying], 'You must be like this.' For example, being a geek and being Black is out of the norm, which is it's own thing, but it's basically putting people in this box."

Speaking from his experience, Vaughn never felt he was a model minority, but was defintely a model child growing up for his cousins. "Most of my cousins, they didn't really care about school or studying, they just wanted to have fun," he said. He didn't like the comparison his aunts made to him and his cousin, "They're not me. Let them be them," he said.

Some stereotypes that Vaughn has heard regards to what Asian's excel in as well as how the media portrays Asian individuals. "I've heard and have seen before they're good at math or extracurricular activities—it could be band, music, just anything. [Based on media] They're also shy, quiet, obedient; or they're the rebel," he said. Vaughn rated the toxcity of the myth at a 9. "It does bring stereotypes. We want a quick definition of what is what. We see what is a White person, Black person, Asian person, Latinx person, and an Indigenous person... What we need to do is, back away from trying to put people in that box," he said. Vaughn had an incident during a biology course where his group didn't want to interview Hmong vendors at a farmer market for an assignment because they assumed they couldn't speak English and went a different vendor.

One way Vaughn think society can start dispelling the myth is by not believing in the stereotypes we see in the media. Another way is to admit the wrongs and move on forward. "Don't try to defend yourself..., [and say] BUT'. No, [...]just move on and move forward," he said.

One thing Vaughn would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "It harms them, basically. It harms them and it puts people in this box. You just don't wanna do that because when you do it narrows people down. My grandpa, for example, doesn't know other Asians [ethnicites] other than Chinese... Basically, when you have that perspective: 'Asians are smart; Asians are this,' it kind of narrows what possibilites can actually happen... It's even harder to break out of that when not only society is telling you but your family as well."

22 • he/him • Black

ISAAC YANG "To me, I have two perspectives on it. My first perspective is towards non-Asian individuals. To non-Asian individulas, it really does seem offensive. People think that... Asian people are good at math, all those things I grew up hearing, it's not something great you hear growing up as a kid. When I was younger, I felt like I should've been good at these things becauwe of the minority myth. The other perspective is toward my own people, the Hmong community. What I'm trying to say is, my parents do believe in the model minority myth, where Asian people have to be quiet and submissive,so we won't get hurt.

I get it that they're doing it for survival, but I want to be someone who fights for minority rights and LGBTQ+ rights, it's hard to stay quiet."

Isaac felt the myth has kept him quiet, growing up. "I did go by what my parents told me to do. I wasnt very towards other people, I wasn't very rebellious; every 'rebellious' thing I have done, wasn't [considered] rebellious, it was just a normal thing to do. It made me have to fit an expectation that I could never fit, so it wasn't great," he said. Some stereotypes that he's been given was that he was good at math and has never experienced this first-hand, but has friends who told him people expected them to be musically talented.

He rated the myth a 10 on its level of toxicity. "Why would you want anything over a one, it should just be zero, there should not be minority myth, it just shouldn't exist. I think that anything even relating to that is very toxic," he said. He explained although people will defend the myth by saying it's a positive thing, they're disregarding your authentic self and only percieving you based on the stereotypes society gives based on your race/ethnicity. One way Isaac feels society can start dispelling the myth is by breaking down the stereotypes and starting fresh.

One thing Isaac would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "Asians are a lot better than you give us credit for. We are not your quiet, submissive, yellow feverf wanting people. We are strong individulas who have survived through thick and thin—we have survived death and discrimination. I think that this generation and the generation ahead of us will be the future—not for Asian people, but for all minorities to feel welcomed and loved."

21 • he/him • Hmong-American

THERESA HANG "The Model Minority Myth means to me a lot of negative things on all ends. I think on one side, people misinterpret or misunderstand the variety of Asians, the issues they face, and then they make judgements based on very sterotypical statements, and on our end—the Asian-American end—we suffer because of that. We're mentally, even realistically with buying homes and school. Just on all ends. Specifically, there were several situations in my life where I struggled internally and I couldn't let them out because of the model minority myth..."

The myth has affected Theresa's growth by how she behaved towards others.

An example they gave was how they felt they weren't able to voice their concerns due to the societial pressures of needing to have everything under control, which felt unobtainable.

"That has deterred me from being comfortable. Reaching out and asking for help when I need it, Instead I internalize it all inside me," they said.

Some of the stereotypes they've heard are based in economincs. "They're well off, but overall the basic average income; they have job stability, they graduate with a high school degree or higher; which is not true when you separate the different ethnicities," they said. Other stereotypes they give out is how they excel academically—are good at math and has good grades.

Theresa rated the model minority myth as a 7, based on how toxic it is. "Just watching and being a part of the wave of Asian-Americans embracing these stereotypes is progressing forward. I don't think it bothers as much individually and as a bigger group," they said. They feel society can start dispelling the myth is by having standing in solidarity with one another and fight against the stereotypes, and you can start doing this individually, which eventually will create a ripple effect— you tell one person, the person tells another person, and so on.

One thing Theresa would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "You're probably going to work with Asian-Americans, people of color, and we're a salad bowl of diversity and different ethncities. What you say is going to be an infliction of your beliefs, and you're probably going to say something stereotypical or deragatory or something that hurts people of color and/or Asain-Americans; whether you live with that or not, I want to make you feel guilty. Just know you gotta help make our communities better and treat each other better."

22 • they/them • Cambodian-American

NATHALIE BONILLA "How interpret this is it can be other people see a student or person as having to do better because of their ethnicity.

Doesn't matter who they are, so if you're Asian you're supposed to be an A+ student. When you're slacking, they'll ask, 'Why're you slacking? You people shouldn't be doing that.'"

Being a Latinx women, Nathalie reflected on the stereotypes that are given to Latinx women. "We're not really sent to college, so when I was in high school and I said I wanted to go to college and stuff. Some of my teachers asked me, 'Are you sure?'

Because a lot of Latina women do get pregnant when they're was in high school...

Out of all the Latinas, I was the only one going to college," she said.

Some of the stereotypes she's heard was mostly about their career paths, which was centrally STEM-related fields. Having Asian friends, she says she doesn't see that a lot. "I don't see that everyday—I have friends, you know—with all the different ethnicities and backgrounds, and when people say that, I'm kind of like, 'That's not true for everyone, you're generalizing everyone,'" she said.

Nathalie feels the model minority myth is very toxic, rating it a 10. "All stereotypes are bad, but just like having such a high expectation of a student it can kind of affect their mental health. If you tell them, 'You're not doing good [based] because of their ethnicity.' [Student perpective] You're going to be like, 'This is all I can do, and I'm working so hard and you're expecting too much of me,'" she said. She believes to start dispelling the myth, we all have to stop generalizing who people are based on the stereotypes that was given to their community.

One thing Nathalie would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "People that are generalizing people should get to know a person better because [we can't assume] all White people are this, that's not the case for everyone... We do have some people that are good, some people that are bad in certain ethnicities, but at the same time we're all different. We should get to know each other and be more educated and informative ourselves and not make assumptions."

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MING VANG "It's just stereotypes since I've been since I've been very young. It's just a common occurence in my life... I think it's hard living in a predominantly community and going to predominantly white schools. You get comments all the time, at least I did, from not so much from my parents but from those around me."

The myth has hurt Ming's growth due to growing up in predominantly white neighborhoods and schools; she recieves certain comments from her peers at school. "Usually at school, it's usually when we share test results and things like that. I'm not really a school person, so when people see that I don't get 100s or A's they're confused... But when I do get A's, they're like, 'Yeah, it's because you're Asian,'" she said. Ming believes as she gets older, it's more about what she thinks about herself and not what others do. Some of the stereotypes Ming has heard is based around talent; an example she gave is music. "For me, I am good at music so that was kind of weird too because people expected tha, so when I showed my musical talent, it's like they knew," she said. With that being said, she added she hesitates to tell people that she's planning to study music in college because it feels expected to do so.

Being mixed-ethnicity, Ming has felt she has only embraced her Japanese side due to going to Japanese school. Not having enough exposure to her Hmong side, she felt lost. "It was hard to balance the three and figure my life out," she said. It wasn't until she started attending a summer camp where she truly felt her most authentic self and embraced her Hmong side with the Hmong friends she made there.

Rating its toxcity a 9, Ming feels society can start dispelling the myth is by educating ourselves about Asian-Americans and by having Asian individuals tell their stories. "They don't know what we go through because they don't know, they don't care; they think what they think," she said.

One thing Ming would like to say to those who still believe in the myth is: "We're people too. We're not different. Like maybe we have different cultures, [but] we still feel the same feelings they do, there's nothing to it. How would they feel if we stereotyped them all the time? Putting those type of things of them? It's just frustrating and so angry they don't understand... I think they should treat us how they want to be treated too."

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Audrey Tchaa is currently a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Stout studying Professional Communication and Emerging Media with a concentration in Applied Journalism.

During her time at Stout, she's found a profound love for activism and advocacy. She is currently in a student-led organization, Your Turn, Stout and has also hosted her own event regarding diversity and inclusivity on Stout's campus through the program, BOLD Beginnings.

Being Hmong-American, I feel the Model Minority Myth should be a topic that should be discussed and dispelled in today's society. The purpose of this book is provide eleven different stories to showcase the diversity of experiences from both Asian idividuals and other minorities. If you are curious to know more about other works I've done, please check out my online portfolio here.

I'M NOT YOUR MODEL MINORITY