Inferiority and Superiority

Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan argues that although it is important to somewhat assimilate in order to fit in with the majority, it is also important to retain cultural pride. In Fish Cheeks, Amy narrates how she tried to view herself and her family through the eyes of white society, and thus the Chinese background she came from seemed strange and grotesque. For several decades, people of many minorities were viewed as inferior to whites. Even today, this bias persists throughout our culture in several places, but it has also become severely warped in the past decade. No longer are Chinese, Indian, and Asian persons considered to be inferior, but they are in fact praised through a "new strain of racial, ethnic and culture reductivism" (Mehta) that has swept the American psyche.

Contrasting between how little was expected of Asians in the past, how they did the cheapest and dirtiest jobs, and the expectations held for Asians today is like comparing the Earth and Sky. The stereotypes today are plentiful, and although flattering on the surface, hide a different strain of racism and isolation.

• Most likely to be nerds (2010 Study by Qin Zhang)
• Academic overachievers
• Lacking in social and communicative skills

These are the most prominent among the various stereotypes offered in mass media, and each one is severely degrading to those sensitive to mainstream culture - which is about everyone. The expectations set by an ethnic background already rooted in hard work as the path to success is trying enough, but these cultural influences add upon another layer of stress in order to be accepted. Being applauded by the media for their intellectual 'superiority' is not at all flattering to many, and often leads to social isolation and detachment. These "model minorities" are just another form of racism.