Asian Americans Not Always Top Achievers

Shay
July 11, 2008

I had a bit of nostalgia recently, and I recalled the good 'ol days of college lectures and courses. One that recently sprung to mind was a discussion about stereotypes. For example, my favorite one is that Asian Americans are good at math and science. Perhaps it is near and dear to my own heart because my brain has a hard enough time calculating the tip on a check, and I really never understood the ins and outs of photosynthesis. 

However, I always wondered: is it still considered bad if a stereotype is "good?" Isn't it usually seen as a positive thing if someone believes you are smart, capable, hard-working? 

Then I stumbled across a recent article that debunks the notion that Asian Americans are always "top notchers."  In the study from New York University, a group of mostly Asian American educators and the College Board found that the number of Asian Americans at institutions was inflated by the influx of international students, and that (surprise, surprise) "not all were top students gaining easy entry to the best colleges and universities to become doctors and engineers."

Additionally, the increase of Asian American and Pacific Islander students in colleges and universities is proportional to the increases in population, whereas people used to think the increased amount of students meant that they were "taking over" because of their academic performance. In the increase of students and the assumption that Asian Americans do well in school, many who need academic help are overlooked.

It's nice to see that people are starting to recognize that even though a stereotype can seem "positive," it is still a stereotype. 

Or is it possible for a "beneficial" stereotype to exist?

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Comments

Comments

Jaya wrote on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 3:24pm
Hey Shay,One point I wanted to make about the Asian stereotype is that this positive stereotyping towards us has been historically used to oppress African American in this country. We are seen as a solution to the "problem" that w.e.b. duBois talks about in the Souls of Black Folk.Also, if you get a chance check out my website.thanks!
C- wrote on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 3:38pm
Hmm. I expected Hyphen to be a little more sophisticated in its treatment of these these topics than this blog would suggest.
Shay wrote on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 3:45pm
I just thought the article was interesting - not quite sure what you mean by "more sophisticated." I do think that it's interesting that many people think that there is nothing wrong with certain stereotypes because they seem like a sort of "positive" generalization. But I'd be happy to hear your thoughts instead.
lala wrote on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 3:45pm
Agreed. Old old news. Everyone blogged about this story months ago. This post doesn't add any new perspective. Next, please.
C- wrote on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 4:12pm
This level of discussion of stereotypes is very Intro to AsAm Studies, Day 1. An authorized commentator for Asian Americans who are "culturally and politically savvy" should be much savvyer than that. This blog sounds as if the writer has never heard of, much less talked about, the notion of positive stereotypes before. It's disappointing.
r wrote on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 7:50pm
I just wanted to say a little bit of understanding goes a long way. Everyone is at a different stage of awareness with regard to any particular issue. Perhaps you could choose to expand the discussion instead of offering blank criticism
C- wrote on Sat, 07/12/2008 - 1:16am
Yes, r, granted: none of us is expected to be well-versed in everything. However, a representative of a media source on Asian Americans is rightly expected to be somewhat versed on the issues he or she chooses to address; to say so is far from blank criticism. I believe we readers look to Hyphen to be culturally informed and politically incisive in a way that a lot of the other AsAm mags fail to be. Is disappointment on that count less important feedback than offering an anecdote about math? Hardly.Shay, my second set of comments sounds harsher than I'd like, and is actually much more explicit than I'd have preferred to be. Apologies for bruising any feelings. May the frank criticism go a long way, though, toward raising the bar for your future entries.
boo wrote on Sat, 07/12/2008 - 1:19am
thanks for pointing that out r. just because something has been discussed before, and is considered "old" doesn't mean that it's not worth revisiting. sometimes we get so ahead of ourselves that we have to be aware of creating an atmosphere where people can't genuinely ask questions that they're curious about. it's like when a professor says "all of you know about the model minority myths right?" and everyone nods their heads except that one person who doesn't know. and to not feel stupid, that person just choose to remain silent. obviously, people are still doing studies about stuff like this so debunking the model minority stereotype has definitely not come to an end. now, with that said, let's discuss with an open mind!
Mandy wrote on Sat, 07/12/2008 - 10:26pm
In my high school, people often gave more credit for academic achievements to my Asian friends, even though we scored the same, if I didn't outscore them. The people at my high school actually told me that I couldn't be smart because I wasn't Asian (on numerous occasions, although my friends sort of defended me), and often came up with excuses as to why my achievements weren't as great as theirs. I don't hold it against Asians, but I really hated the stereotype itself for this reason.
C- wrote on Sun, 07/13/2008 - 1:57am
*sigh*Because sloppy reasoning should be chastened for the greater good, here's an analogy for the peanut gallery.Say you run a magazine about cars, and one of your writers does a blog about the wheel. Is the wheel "old"? Yes. Is the wheel still being used? Yes. Is it still worth blogging about? YES. However, which of the following approaches might you want the writer to take?A) Put the wheel in a little context--some historical development? technological innovations?B) Provide some perspective--how to navigate some recent controversies about the wheel?C) Solicit commentary about this wheel thing that the writer has just now stumbled upon?I would expect a piece in this context to display, however briefly, the ability to take an approach like A or B, not least because such approaches DO allow for a whole range of comments, from novices to experts alike. An approach like C, however, is apt to *shut down* commentary of any sophistication--so to adapt your analogy, "boo," this would be like a professor in a linear algebra class asking if anyone's noticed that letters of the alphabet appear in equations. None of the students with previous exposure to algebra are going to feel like there's anything worthwhile to say. So sure, you can go ahead and hold an excited conversation with the x other people in the room who are new to the concept of variables; but I hope that by now you'll be able to fathom that that's not the best use of the linear algebra classroom--and that those people new to algebra should not include the professor.And that's the last of my time I'll spend on you.
Linda Rho wrote on Thu, 07/17/2008 - 11:57am
It's unfortunate that even Asians fall into the stereotypes (positive or negative) of themselves. And the new generation of Asian American parents are of no exception. The crazy competitive Asian Parent Syndrome, parents who push their children to be the best at all costs, is living live and well. As a layed back stay at home mom of three wonderful children and a former middle school special educator, I tell my Asian students to just relax and to accept themselves for who they are. Because after all that is said and done, it's they who have to live that life.