For Asian Americans, Claiming American Identity Means Rejecting the Model Minority Myth

Andrew Yang’s op-ed is clearly the product of someone who hasn’t learned about structural racism

Last month, Andrew Yang wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post on how Asian Americans can be “part of the cure” during this COVID-19 pandemic. I was annoyed after reading it and sighed in disappointment that he is one of the more prominent Asian American politicians (well, political candidates) at this time.

I was comforted when I saw Twitter comments coming through that pushed back on Yang’s ideas, and I was heartened to see a thoughtful piece authored by John Cho and a strong response published by Densho, an organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans.

There are almost too many problematic statements in Yang’s op-ed to even enumerate.

When describing pre-COVID times, Yang said his “place in this country felt assured,” followed by a description of an incident when “a teenager had yelled “Chink” at [Yang] from the window of his car” and “it barely registered.” I was incredibly bewildered to read this as an example of how Yang’s place in this country felt assured. Using this encounter to describe pre-COVID normalcy shows me that he tacitly accepts a very low standard for public conduct and tolerates the usage of racial slurs in our society.

Yang also said “the best thing that could happen for Asians would be to get this virus under control so it isn’t a problem anymore. Then any racism would likely fade.” I take it that he is unfamiliar with the concept of structural racism.

The central problem with Yang’s op-ed is his proposed solution to anti-Asian racism, which reflects his fundamentally false belief regarding racial justice. Yang believes that the solution to anti-Asian racism is for Asian Americans to “embrace and show our American-ness in ways we never have before,” including “help[ing] our neighbors, donat[ing] gear, vot[ing], wear[ing] red white and blue, volunteer[ing], [and] fund[ing] aid organizations.” Yang thinks that by acting like good citizens, Asian Americans can convince white America that we too, are human beings, and do not deserve to be stabbed or get acid poured all over our faces. This is a core tenant of the model minority myth: be good citizens and white America will (barely) accept you.

Yang thinks that by…