How to Be A Model Minority: Mastering the American Dream is a satirical instructional manual which teaches readers to be idealized Chinese Americans in order to integrate into American society. The booklet bases its standards off of the model minority myth, a conception of Asian Americans which assumes Asian Americans must repress their Asian heritage and embrace overachievement to attain the socioeconomic status of a middle class white American family. Through color illustrations, photos, and short expository texts, the booklet explains to readers how and why they should accept the standards of the model minority myth, and uses Asian American characters in popular television and movies as references.
How to Be a Model Minority humorously deconstructs the model minority myth by exaggerating the expectations the myth places on Asian, particularly Chinese, Americans. This exaggeration allows the reader to question the validity of model minority expectations and the groups truly benefitting from these imposed standards. By examining media representations of Asian Americans, the booklet also suggests the role popular media has in disseminating cultural information.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CLAREMONT/oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:scripps_theses-2142 |
| Date | 01 January 2018 |
| Creators | Wong, Sarah |
| Publisher | Scholarship @ Claremont |
| Source Sets | Claremont Colleges |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Scripps Senior Theses |
| Rights | © 2018 Sarah E. Wong, default |
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