FrankH.Wu,TheModelMinority.PDFVIP

Frank H. Wu, The Model Minority: Asian American Success as a Race Relations Failure, from Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White (New York: Basic Books, 2002): 39-77 2 The Model Minority Asian American Success as a Race Relations Failure Student: Asians are threatening our economic future . . . . We can see it right here in our own school. Who are getting into the best colleges. in disproportionate numbers? Asian kids! Its not fair. Teacher: Uh ... That certainly was an unusual essay. .. Unfortunately, its racist. Student: Urn ... are you sure? My parents helped me, -GARRY TRUDEAU Recycled Dool1csbury: Second TIwughts on a Gilded Age Revenge of the Nerds I am not the model minority. Before I can talk about Asian American expe? riences at all, I have to kill off the model minority myth because the stereo? type obscures many realities. I am an Asian American, but I am not good with computers. I cannot balance my checkbook, much less perform calculus in my head. I would like to fail in school, for no reason other than to cast off my freakish alter ego of geek and nerd. I am tempted to be very rude, just to 39 YELLOW demonstrate, once and for all that I will not be excessively polite, bowing, smiling, and deferring. I am lazy and a loner, who would rather reform the law than obey it and who has no business skills. I yearn to be an artist, an ath? lete, a rebel, and, above all, an ordinary person. I am fascinated by the imperviousness of the model minority myth against all efforts at debunking it. I am often told by nice people who are b