Southwest Chinese Journal (Stafford, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 1, 1982 Page: 7 of 16
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July 1-15, 1982
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Page 7
ever hit so close to home. I cannot sit back
and let this serious injustice go by unnoticed.
Why should innocent people pay now for past in-
justices done to Blacks? (File, p. 17)
The Waki. case may be many things, but it is not a case of
reverse discrimination. The charge of reverse discrimi-
nation is made by whites against policies they believe
give special treatment to nonwhites. This charge impli-
citly acknowledges the dominant pattern of discrimination
by whites against nonwhites, but claims that the tables
have been turned. Whatever merit there is to the idea of
reverse discrimination (and I think there is little merit
to the idea), one thing is clear. The charge of reverse
discrimination is applicable in the Waki case only if
Waki is white. Of course, she isn't. But again, the
thing that strikes one about this passage is that the at-
tack is directed not at the dominant pattern of discrimi-
nation by whites against nonwhites, but at the racial
minorities themselves.
While other examples can be cited (see File, pp. 12, 17,
18, 19), the pattern is clear. The File reveals an anti-
nonwhite and, is particular, and anti-black sentiment.
It is the sentiment that blacks and Hispanics are to blaire
for American racism and its specific manifestations in
the Waki case. The purpose of the sentiment is also clear.
It is to put as much distance as possible between Asian
Americans and the other nonwhite minorities. In short,
"we are not like them".
This points to the major ambiguity in the Waki case.
The supporters of Waki had two goals. First, they wanted
Waki reinstated at Sharpstown. This goal was accomplished.
Second, they wanted to point out the error of classifying
Asian Americans as white. But the attitudes and senti-
ments expressed in support of Waki undermine this second
goal. Rather than showing the error of classifying Asian
Americans as white, the animus expressed toward racial
minorities makes sense only on the unspoken assumption
that Asian Americans are more white than nonwhite. But if
this is the working assumption, what is the error in clas-
sifying Asian Americans as white? The supporters of Waki
cannot have it both ways.
What is the source of this animus toward racial minori-
ties? While the sources are multiple and complex, let me
suggest that a major source is the frame of mind that is
widely shared in the Asian American community. That frame
of mind is the "Oriental as model minority." It goes
something like this. Whites define what success is in
American society. Measured against these standards, Asian
Americans have made it in American society. Moreover,
they have made it on their own efforts, without outside
or government assistance. If only the blacks and Hispan-
ics would stop whining and asking for special treatment
and, instead, model themselves after Asian Americans, they
too would be successful. Those Asian Americans who accept
this image of themselves must legitimize themselves by
expressing animus toward the other racial minorities. For
it is only by participating in the attack on the other
racial minorities that Asian Americans can remain accept-
able to white society and maintain their tenuous position
in the American racial pecking order.
What is one to say of this frame of mind? The first 1
thing to say is that neither Asian American history nor
the contemporary reality of Asian Americans support the
contentions of this frame of mind. (See U.S. Civil Right?
Commission, Success of Asian Americans: Fact or Fiction?;
The second thing to say is that the "Oriental as model
minority" is essentially a white man's definition of Asiai^
American identity. It is promulgated for specific ideolo-
gical purposes— basically to justify neglect of the prob-
lems faced by racial minorities in America and to pit one r.
minority against another. Sad to say, it seems to be
working. RS
Let me clear up a possible misunderstanding. I am not re(
placing all the blame for interracial conflict on Asian
Americans. That is a ridiculous position. Every group,
white and nonwhite, bears some responsibility. What I am
suggesting, though, is that by accepting the "Oriental as
model minority" frame of mind, Asian Americans contribute
to interracial conflict and help to perpetuate the histor-
ical patterns of American racism. If we want to help im-
prove race relations in America, then we need to question
this received view of who we are.
Conclusion
Historically, the major fault line in American race
relations has been that of white and nonwhite. That re- i
mains true today. It is against the background of this
fault line that Asian Americans must define who they are
By accepting the "Oriental as model minority" frame of
mind and by participating in the attack on nonwhites, we
do ourselves grave harm. The animus toward nonwhites mis
finally be turned inward. For, as Waki's supporters poin
out, Asian Americans are not white. There is only one
way to escape this folly. We must seriously rethink our
identity as Asian Americans. And as I have argued befor
in these pages, Asian American identity lies in the re-
covery of Asian American history. It is by learning abou
the history of Asians in America that we can begin to
understand who we are and who we can be. Not to do so
will mean that situations such as the Waki case can, at
best, be fleeting victories and, at worst, self-imposed
defeats.
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Southwest Chinese Journal (Stafford, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 1, 1982, newspaper, July 1, 1982; Stafford, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth273776/m1/7/?q=Lamar+University: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.