Juggling Racism

I am angry and Asian and this, apparently, is a problem.

I should be a model minority, but I am not. I’m supposed to be successful in school, go on to a higher-paying job, and prove that in America race matters little.

Conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly, for example, denies white privilege because, apparently, Asian-Americans have it all. His ideas trouble for more reasons than I can count. Because I’m not a math concentrator, let’s stick with three.

The most glaring problem with this myth is its Ameri-centricism. The model minority myth makes a generalization about a specific race and applies it to all members of said race. However, the so-called facts that fuel this myth (such as the percentage of academically successful Asian-Americas) are facts solely related to the experience of Asian-identifying persons within the United States. “Hello!” I want to say. “I’m Asian but I’m not from the States!” But I should shut up, because Asians—all Asians; they all look so similar anyway—are quiet.

Second, the myth works to contrast the Asian-American experience from the experience of other racial minorities in America. Of course, each person’s experience is different and should be respected as such. However, by pitting Asian-Americans against African-Americans (as O’Reilly does), people attempt to divert attention away from the real problem—the privileged status of whites in America. This is a pretty classic ploy: divide the underdogs so they don’t realize who their real enemy is.

Third, it relies on the assumption that only overt displays of racism “count” as racism. If Asian-Americans are so successful—even more successful than whites—then why don’t I see more Asian and Asian-American faces in politics? In academia? Why are the Asian actors I see always nerds or martial art fighters? Why is it that I have to be asked where I am “originally” from? Why was I forced to look up to Keanu Reaves as a naive, half-Asian babe?

The flip side—the little sister, if you will—of the model minority myth is the assumption that all Asians are demure. And indeed women are the focus of this prejudice. It is a sexual fetishization, as well as a social one. Just as Asian girls will supposedly put up with job discrimination and sexism and racists jokes (“My little dumpling”), Asian girls will also let you have your way in bed.

After last month’s emails, I was disappointed that Harvard administrators were slow to take the racial hate speech seriously. Part of me wonders if the response was motivated by the notion that Asian-Americans are not a “real” minority—that they have assimilated into mainstream (read: white) American culture.

Perhaps university administrators felt comfortable remaining silent because they couldn’t imagine Asian and Asian-American students on campus voicing outrage in any meaningful way. After all, students of Arab descent are scary because they are all fanatical Islamists, and Latino students are scary because they all sell drugs and black students are scary because black people are scary. Right? But Asians are just nice, baffled tourists with 2400 SAT scores and bad English. Except the Chinese. They’re stealing our jobs.

I’m a little worried Harvard won on this one. It’s been a few weeks, and I’m still fuzzy on who called me “slit-eyes” and why. But what really makes me think that Harvard—and perpetuators of “model minority myth” at large—won is the fact that I saw so little anger. Yes, there was a great piece in Manifesta Magazine written by members of the Asian and Asian-American community at Harvard—but some of the most vocal outrage came from Harvard’s black community, in the form of social media posts. (Thanks!)

It would be unfair, even counterproductive, of me to put the blame on students. This isn’t a problem with people; it’s a problem with a system.

Minority groups aren’t simply restricted in terms of where they live or what they do for a living. We’re not simply restricted in terms of options—we’re restricted in terms of consequences. If Asian and Asian-Americans respond to attacks sans outrage, we seem to be perpetuating the myth that we are demure, we will be quiet. Not so good.

But if we act angry and outraged, we are deemed as being too aggressive—dare I say it, uppity. This is what groups demanding justice for Michael Brown found when they protested outside Busch Stadium found earlier this October. Neither of these options are ideal, and they’re pretty much impossible to balance. You’re either quiet, demure, proving the stereotype—or angry, hot-headed, and headed to prison.

If you aren’t white in America, you can’t even own the outcomes of your actions.

Tez M. Clark ’17, a Crimson editorial writer, lives in Adams House. Her column usually appears on alternate Fridays.