For the first seven years my life, I lived in Korea, a country that has maintained its ethnic and cultural homogeneity for centuries. My ethnicity, which was inextricably linked to the dominant culture in Korea, strengthened my sense of national belonging.
That quickly changed once my family and I immigrated to America. I attended an elementary school of predominantly white students whose families had been in America for many generations. While my friends and acquaintances were openly receptive towards my origins, I felt a sense of "otherness" for the first time. I began to embrace traits and values that I had identified as "American."
Yet despite my efforts, I soon realized that no matter how fluently I spoke English or what my documents said, I would never be classified exclusively as an American, but almost always as an Asian-American. This method of broad racial categorization unfortunately obscures the cultural and ethnic nuances that exist within any race.
One example of a sweeping generalization that corresponds exclusively with race is that of the "model minority." For example, Asian-Americans are often lauded for their socioeconomic advancements. The growing number of Asian-American white-collar professionals and the rising presence of Asian-Americans in highly selective universities reinforce the perception of Asian-Americans as a race that has been "successfully" assimilated in a short period of time, and whose people have reaped the fruits of their labors. This assumption poses two glaring problems.
The myth of the "model minority" and its perpetuation fails to consider the wide diversity of various Asian nationalities and ethnicities. While it is true that certain ethnic groups rather than racial ones have made significant gains in the past few decades, assuming that their success is representative of the entire pan-Asian community ignores serious problems in certain Asian-American communities. Laotians, Cambodians, Hmong and Pacific Islanders, for example, have comparatively lower education rates and higher poverty rates than those of the general population.
The "model minority" myth also poses a problem for interracial dynamics. The illusion of the pan-Asian community's successful assimilation is often used to blame other minority groups for their own socioeconomic stagnation or decline. Accusing minorities of perpetuating their own "failures" shifts blame from where it often belongs on broader cultural and societal obstacles that are reinforced by the status quo to an issue of race. The one-dimensional myth of the "model minority" is thus used to justify existing racial inequalities.
This type of sweeping generalization is not limited to the Asian community. The racial categorization that we commonly refer to as "black" does not acknowledge that people who are placed in this category encompass an immense range of geographical, cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds from the mixed descendents of the American slave Diaspora to visiting students from Rwanda. This supposedly homogenous racial group actually represents a vast mix of individuals who we naively collectivize by the color of their skin or their place of origin. The same could be said for our perception of Latinos, Middle Easterners, Native Americans and "whites."
The common system of categorizing race in America is outdated and oversimplified. Clearly, we need a new paradigm. One suggestion posed by Roger Lott yesterday ("Truly Color Blind," March 7) is to "foster a color-blind environment." Yet the term implies a lack of cultural and ethnic cognizance, which may lead to an unwillingness to recognize the very real challenges that many minorities face. It also dismisses the importance of the varied cultural and historic backgrounds that make America and more specifically, Dartmouth so vibrant and eclectic.
Instead, we must not be color-blind but simply be aware. Aware of the incredible spectrum of nationalities, ethnicities, histories, religions, beliefs, creeds and circumstances that shapes and molds individuals. Aware of our own biases and ugly prejudices that distort our perceptions of others. Aware of both the obvious and discrete injustices that people face on the basis of gender, age, class, race, etc. Most importantly, however, we must be aware of our common humanity in order to foster a community perhaps a world of mutual respect and understanding.
