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Explorations in Ethnic Studies, 1989
In much ofthe U.S. media today, Asian-Americans are being hailed as the new "wonder group." Local... more In much ofthe U.S. media today, Asian-Americans are being hailed as the new "wonder group." Local newspapers seem to be filled with articles about how this student fr om Pakistan won the spelling bee and that student fr om Japan won the math contest. Weekly newsmagazines carry articles extolling this phenomenon, and many liberals and con servati ves alike enthusiastically promote the stereotype: liberals because it combats the racist myth that people of color are intellectually inferior to Euro-Americans ("whites") and conservatives because it can be used to promote the idea that any ethnic group can make it if only they work hard. l Therein lies one of the negative aspects of this media campaign. Some have used the seeming success of Asian-Americans as a way to deny the intensity of past and present racism against blacks and Hispanics.2 Negative comparisons are made between black and Latino people on the one hand, and Asian-Americans on the other, coupled with assertions that racial discrimination can no longer be an "excuse" for blacks and Latinos, because, after all, Asians are not white, and they have "made it." Needless to say, Asian-Americans are not the ones behind this campaign. In addition to the negative impact on other minority groups, the latest seemingly positive stereotyping of Asian Americans may ultimately prove to have negative impacts on the lives of Asian-Americans as well.
Explorations in Ethnic Studies, 1989
In much ofthe U.S. media today, Asian-Americans are being hailed as the new "wonder group." Local... more In much ofthe U.S. media today, Asian-Americans are being hailed as the new "wonder group." Local newspapers seem to be filled with articles about how this student fr om Pakistan won the spelling bee and that student fr om Japan won the math contest. Weekly newsmagazines carry articles extolling this phenomenon, and many liberals and con servati ves alike enthusiastically promote the stereotype: liberals because it combats the racist myth that people of color are intellectually inferior to Euro-Americans ("whites") and conservatives because it can be used to promote the idea that any ethnic group can make it if only they work hard. l Therein lies one of the negative aspects of this media campaign. Some have used the seeming success of Asian-Americans as a way to deny the intensity of past and present racism against blacks and Hispanics.2 Negative comparisons are made between black and Latino people on the one hand, and Asian-Americans on the other, coupled with assertions that racial discrimination can no longer be an "excuse" for blacks and Latinos, because, after all, Asians are not white, and they have "made it." Needless to say, Asian-Americans are not the ones behind this campaign. In addition to the negative impact on other minority groups, the latest seemingly positive stereotyping of Asian Americans may ultimately prove to have negative impacts on the lives of Asian-Americans as well.