The author of the essay, Viet Thanh Nguyen, builds a definition of the model minority through his essay. In one part of the essay, he says “…the engineers and doctors who mostly come from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and India – the model minority in American…”(page 5). In this quote, he is saying that those who are engineers and doctors are seen as successful, since these jobs are considered high-paying jobs. Not only this, many believe that only “smart” people, who happen to be people from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and India,  can have jobs like that. This shows that Asians are often associated with engineers and doctors, who are smart people with high paying jobs. Nguyen also writes “…the model minority: the desirable classmate, the favored neighbor, the non threatening kind of person of color” (page 6). Here, he says that Asians are also seen as a “non-threatening” and likable person. Based on this, I concluded that the model minority is the American idea of what an Asian is like: a smart, non-threatening, and successful role model who is liked by everyone and is supposedly accepted by society. 

This label can be very dangerous because since the term usually describes Asian Americans, they may feel that they have to reach this impossible standard or this idea of “perfection”. This can ultimately be a burden to them. I believe that this label serves white Americans because it can often be used as an excuse to justify why Asians are seemingly “more successful”, especially in the era when Chinese Americans started taking jobs from white Americans. I assume that back in the 19th century, many white Americans supported the notion that America is “their land”, even though they technically stole it, and that anyone who is foreign are not welcome, especially if the foreigners are succeeding. 

When Nguyen writes “the end of Asian Americans only happens with the end of racism and capitalism”, he is saying that where there are Asian Americans, there is racism and capitalism; the two are inseparable. There are certain parts in his writing that show his belief that people will always be racist towards Asian Americans. An example of this is when he writes  “the basis of anti-Asian racism is that Asians belong in Asia, no matter how many generations we have actually lived in non Asian countries, or what we might have done to prove our belonging to non Asian countries if we were not born there. Pointing the finger at Asians in Asia, or Asians in non Asian countries, has been a tried and true method of racism for a long time…” (page 7). There are also parts where he hints that Asians both directly and indirectly drive the businesses in America. Examples of this can be seen in the quotes:  “American history has been marked by the cycle of big businesses relying on cheap Asian labor,…” (page 8) and “Today Americans rely on China and other Asian countries for cheap commodities that help Americans live the American Dream…” (page 8). Throughout history, Asians have been important in the American economy. 

This essay shed light on the fact that different minority groups have their own set of struggles. This can cause some groups to overlook the struggles of another group because that group is occupied with their own struggles. It may be difficult to see and understand how other minority groups feel because one minority group may be so burdened by their own conflicts causing them to think that acts of racism are predominantly directed toward them since they’re experiencing those acts firsthand.