In Robert G. Lee’s article, the author brings up the point that people of certain ethnicities show better performance and economic standing than others. In modern day society, Asian Americans are often thought of as having high levels of educational attainment, as well as enjoying economic success and stability. The reason behind these achievements are often credited to hard work and perseverance. Seemingly, the title of “model minority” is some type of  award, the recognition that ethnicity groups get for being the most successful at thriving. However, this ideology is actually quite harmful.

The stereotype of high-achieving Asian Americans cannot account for all of Asian Americans. The statistics of average income and education is often compared to that of other ethnicity groups, as if to say “what is your reason for not performing as well as Asian Americans?” The performance of one ethnicity group should not be used against another group in any way, especially in cases of immigration. Also, the myth of model minority does not help anyone, even Asian American themselves. In the 1980s, several Ivy League schools admitted that they have limited admissions to Asian American students. Some schools choose lower-scoring applicants from other racial groups over Asian Americans in an attempt to promote racial diversity and to maintain some proportion to the society’s racial demographics. This limits chances of quality higher education for many immigrants who work hard to achieve good academic standing but are rejected to higher institutions of education solely based on their race. It also sets higher standards for admission to secondary education, creating more pressure for just one ethnicity group, which is unfair.

In the end, “model minority” is a myth that does no good to almost everybody. It should not be used as a title of praise or be set as a standard that other minorities should strive to achieve. As a result, the “model minority” myth is not a positive example in society and should be deconstructed.