Ronald Takaki vocalizes in his article that The Harmful Myth of AsianSuperiorityis not to assume that all Asian Americans are indeed successful,so its incorrect to generalize any particular race as superior over another. I believe this is true in the US today Asians in public schools are made to begreat students. This mentality fails when we realize that not all students arethe same.
Takakis persona is outraged at our own politicians using thesebroad assumptions to propagate why one race seems to succeed with little or nogovernment assistance and others who cannot. Then to compare the success ofAsians to the African American and saying If Asian Americans can make it, whycant African Americans’statements such as these, add fuel to a roaringfire of resentment towards Asian Americans. Asians have been touted assuccessful entrepreneurs, but comparing family incomes is even more deceptive. Some Asian American groups do have higher family incomes than Caucasians. Butthey have more workers per family. This “model minority image ishomogenized and hides their many differences, as stated by Takaki.
For example,while thousand of Asian students are in universities, others are on the streets,living in motels, or in gangs. A great percentage of Asians from New YorkCitys Chinatown live at or below poverty level. Takakis purpose was tobring awareness to the reader as to the harmful labels we imply on AsianAmericans. Not all Asians are successful here in the US because in their countrycertain licensing is not needed to be a professional. When these people come tothe US with poor English are then limited to the jobs they can do. Therefore arelimited to menial dishwasher, caretaker positions.
This is not fair. I feel ourcountry is arrogant when migrants come to the US. Japanese individuals earn goodincomes that are comparable to that of Caucasians. But what you dont know isthat the Japanese have to endure higher education, and work many more hours. Takaki focuses on all the unfairness that goes on in todays marketplace andwith the discrimination Asian Americans receive. His argument mainly statesinteresting facts that contradict what we read in the newspapers or hear on theevening news.
The author is angered and wishes for everyone to understand thatAsians are not the Model Minority. There is no such thing as a modelminority. Immigrants struggle hard or harder to make ends meet and becomesuccessful. His Persona is that of a frustrated individual who just read anarticle in the paper and has cast his rebuttal for all to see. His method ofdisplaying his facts was effective and enlightening.
But I think It would havebeen ideal if he would have included an opposing argument in his In general, Ibelieve his argument was effective. Now I do have a better understanding ofwhere hes coming from.Philosophy
