“Once again, the model minority myth has conscripted Asian Americans into the conservative war to protect (or, in this case, retrieve) White privileges from Black encroachment” pg 120.
This quote essentially means that White Americans are using Asian Americans to push back on the desires of the African American community. In the paragraph where this quote was found, he was talking about how the model minority myth was used in the early 1980’s “to turn the clock back on civil rights, affirmative action, redistricting, and social welfare programs”. This administration, under President Ronald Reagan, also sought to “ abandon desegregation appeals, weakening affirmative action requirements in federal contracting, halting record-keeping procedures vital to civil rights and fair housing, etc” pg 120. Kim believes that the Asian American community was put on a pedestal, so to speak, to show off the successes of their community in order to bring down the other minority groups. This would lead many people to push back on the civil rights and equality given to the African American community, as many would just simply say, “after all, if Asian Americans can make it, why can’t Blacks?” pg 118. This seems like a very strategic way to be seemingly oppressing only one group while actually oppressing all the minorities. Since the Asian Americans are the “model minority”, it will keep them content instead of wanting better treatment and equal rights.
For every action, there is a reaction. As you have mentioned, there was a push back against previous movements during the Regan administration. With the development of the model minority theory, it was easy for conservative(white) politicians to say, “if Asian Americans can make it, why can’t Blacks?” Ignoring the fact that the African American condition is a direct result of the practices of their predecessors.
I agree with your analysis. Everything done by White society is essentially to keep themselves on top of the social hierarchy. I believe the only reason why Asian-Americans are being put on a pedestal is because they are achieving enormous amounts of success, comparative to other minority groups. This may have been unsettling for the Whites. The Whites then found a way to keep them content, to keep them from wanting to take over, by giving them the title of “model minority.” By doing so, everyone else gets pushed back even further, and the Whites retain their spot.