Asian American Stereotypes Essay

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Asian Americans, one of the fastest growing populations today, are believed to have successfully overcome discrimination and achieve the American dream. However, this concoction has led to the cultural expectation that Asian Americans are more economically, academically, and socially successful than other minorities--aka, the model minority stereotype. The problems of the Asian American community are seldomly glossed over by living under the image of perfection. In recent discussions of the model minority stereotype, controversial issues about whether if it is accurate, have arisen. As flattering as it seems, it is actually inaccurate and creates false perceptions of Asian Americans among societies.
For decades, Asian Americans were deemed …show more content…
They are burdened with the expectation to adhere to their given “identity” and be successful. But what happens when they don’t fall into the stereotype? A study conducted by a team from The University of Maryland School of Public Health showed that the “pressure to live up to the model minority stereotype” was a source of stress that affected their mental health, physically and mentally. In fact, Asian American students “suffer from relatively higher rates of stress, mental illness, depression, and suicide attempts than other races.” The model minority label produces unnecessary stress and psychological torment among students, especially the youth. Traditionally, receiving an education is of paramount importance for Asian Americans, and when faced with the failure of complying to the expectation of achieving “straight A’s,” students begin to feel inadequate. The stereotype is potentially damaging towards those who are underachieving with a lower success rate. Moreover, the label disguises the fact that not every Asian American is as well achieving as others. The model minority stereotype should be flattering, but it instead allows underachieving students to be deprecated by
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