Social Construct: Asian-Americans - Essay Example

Social Construct: Asian-Americans In America today, there are a number of different racial backgrounds and cultures, all of which have their own distinct identity and way of interacting with American life. One of these groups is often termed Asian-American, which is popularly used to refer to people of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Indian and Korean (amongst other) descent (Lowe, 1996). People from this background are hugely influential in America, not least because Asian-Americans comprise almost 5% of the population (Lowe, 1996). As with each of the other hyphenated identities found in America today, Asian-Americans have their own sets of stereotypes, social effects, constructions and repercussions found within the culture itself, and with others views of those seen to be within that culture. This paper will focus mainly on the “positive stereotypes” of the Asian-American as a social construct, and how these affect those living as an Asian-American as well as the consumption and repercussions of the group. Overall, it would seem that many constructions of Asian-Americans do focus on these so-called positive stereotypes, although many Asian-Americans themselves struggle with this definition of their own culture. As previously mentioned, Asian-Americans are a highly influential group in American culture, not least because they are one of the largest ethnic groups but also one of the most visible (Lowe, 1996). Although many would argue that the social phenomena of race is socially constructed itself (Andreason, 2000), the focus of this essay will be on how the Asian-American group has been socially constructed in specific. In much of the research, Asian-Americans seem to have been constructed in the social psyche as being a “model minority”, a term found throughout the literature (Lowe, 1996). The term “model minority” refers to the low incarceration rate of this group (Le Espiritu, 2008), as well as high household income (Siegel, 2012). Additionally, there are more difficult to prove aspects of this social construct, such as the high work ethic and academic achievement often associated with Asian-Americans (Siegel, 2008). This construct can be found in the consumption of American media. Shah (2003) found that there were four main stereotypes of Chinese Americans in film, which are termed “Yellow Peril,” “Dragon Lady,” “Charlie Chan,” and “Lotus Blossom” (p1). Whilst some of these are negative stereotypes, the so-called positive stereotypes of Chinese-Americans as assessed by Shah (2003) “provide normative models for Asian thought and behavior” (p1), meaning that they have been somewhat absorbed into Asian-American social constructs of themselves as a group. Furthermore, there are a huge number of movies which typically feature an Asian-American ‘construct’ associated with positive features like high academic achievement. For example, films such as “Mean Girls” have a stereotypical group of people known as the “smart Asians” (Waters, 2004). In the 2008 movie “Get Smart”, Bruce is an incredibly smart (and ‘nerdy’) character (Segal, 2008). Similarly, the stereotype is played up in TV. “Community”, for example, has a Math Club which is entirely populated by Asian-Americans (McHale et al, 2009). Image 1: Bruce from Get Smart (Segal, 2008) This social construct of the “Model Minority” has even permeated into the new media. The character Ki Oshiro-Wellington from the web comic General Protection Fault is also incredibly nerdy (Wikipedia, 2013). Computer games may also feature nerdy Asian-American characters, such as Jenny from My Sims (My Sims Wiki, 2013). However, opinions about the Asian-American stereotypes have also permeated the new media. In an analysis on YouTube, newdemo (2007) argues that this stereotype is simply a form of racism. Many people on the internet also have very negative opinions about this stereotype, suggesting that the “model minority stereotype effectively silences the Asian community from speaking out about these urgent social problems” (Liao, 2001). As with many social constructs, there is some element of fact in the Asian-American culture as portrayed by the media. This helps the construct become evident, as well as cementing it into the national psyche (both of those involved and those who are on the outside of the group). Siegel (2012) found that 49% of Asian-Americans hold a Bachelor’s Degree (or higher degree), a larger proportion than any other group. Additionally, the average household income for those who identify as Asian-American is $66,000, much higher than any other cultural or racial group (Siegel, 2012). However, this type of pressure can have negative repercussions for the group, as they are often seen as ‘failures’ when they do not conform to this stereotype or choose to pursue a less ‘academic’ career, such as the basketball player Jeremy Lin (Siegel, 2012). Chua (2011), with her book “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” exposed to the nation the different type of parenting attitudes that can be found in Asian-American families. This book created controversy because it involved an Asian-American woman playing up to the stereotype of the model minority (Chua, 2012), but did illustrate how the social construct of the Asian-American has manifest itself in daily life. Additionally, it shows the pressures that some families feel when faced with the “positive” social construct of the group. Qin, Way & Mukherjee (2008) found that Asian-Americans who are faced with the model minority stereotype report poor psychological and social adjustment, suggesting that there are definite negative repercussions of the so-called “positive stereotypes”. Additionally, two of the causes of this trouble for Asian-American young people were said to be “parenting work schedules and high parental educational expectations” (p480), suggesting that internalization of this social construct may be having a serious effect on Asian-American psychological health. In conclusion, the Asian-American social construct tends to be widely represented across all types of media, including film, television and the internet. However, the internet is also allowing Asian-Americans to help deconstruct and challenge the “model minority” stereotype and also change the way that Asian-Americans are perceived by others. However, there are many different reasons why the social construct of Asian-Americans is the way that it is. Firstly, it may have some basis on fact, as evidenced by high earnings from the group and high academic achievement. It also appears to have been internalized by the Asian-American group and used to judge their own successes. Overall, I definitely challenge this construction because it seems to be harming the Asian-American groups more than it needs to. Additionally, although it is supposed to be a “positive stereotype”, it can still be considered a form of racism as it does not take into account individual differences. It can also make it difficult for Asian-Americans who do not want to pursue an academic path because they feel that they are letting down their own culture by pursuing their own needs and desires. This is because the social construct of the Asian-American group is so strong that it has been internalized by the group, and also because social convention has led to the construction of this cultural ideal. Works Cited Andreasen, R. O. (2000). Race: biological reality or social construct? Philosophy of Science, S653–S666. Chua, A. (2011). Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Bloomsbury Publishing. Chua, A. (2012, January 8). Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html Community. (2009). Comedy. Geishas and Math Nerds: Asian-American Stereotypes. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs2COS-WRKw&feature=youtube_gdata_player General Protection Fault(webcomic). (2013, April 12). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=General_Protection_Fault_(webcomic)&oldid=549972027 Jenny. (n.d.). MySims Wiki. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from http://mysims.wikia.com/wiki/Jenny Le Espiritu, Y. (2008). Asian American women and men: Labor, laws, and love. Rowman & Littlefield Pub Incorporated. Liao, Michael S. The Asian American Experience. Model Minority, 2001. Web. Retrieved from http://www.modelminority.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=489:the-asian-american-experience-&catid=47:society&Itemid=56 Lowe, L. (1996). Immigrant acts: on Asian American cultural politics. Duke University Press. Retrieved from http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=CZXtZ8lFepsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=asian+american&ots=YqrzocNcKD&sig=dO8zGfhXuca2V2jmRUV9CES8wqY Qin, D. B., Way, N., & Mukherjee, P. (2008). The Other Side of the Model Minority Story The Familial and Peer Challenges Faced by Chinese American Adolescents. Youth & Society, 39(4), 480–506. doi:10.1177/0044118X08314233 Segal, P. (2008). Get Smart. Action, Comedy, Thriller. Shah, H. (2003). “Asian Culture” and Asian American Identities in the Television and Film Industries of the United States. SIMILE: Studies In Media & Information Literacy Education, 3(3), 1–10. doi:10.3138/sim.3.3.002 Siegel, L. (2012, October 27). Rise of the Tiger Nation. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204076204578076613986930932.html Waters, M. (2004). Mean Girls. Comedy. Read More