Unravelling The Model Minority Myth And Its Roots To Capitalism

My value as a woman of colour shouldn’t be placed on fulfilling stereotypes

By Anne Marie Elpa

It has been a recurring comment that many first and second-generation immigrants have sadly had to hear at least once.

“You’re not one of them, you’re the better ones.”

The model minority myth has been used against Asian immigrants for decades, characterizing them as polite, law-abiding, and having achieved higher levels of success than the general population through some combination of innate talent and hard work.

The concept places an emphasis on material success, at the same time, capitalizing on the duality between those who achieve success and those who don’t. It disrupts the need for interracial solidarity and allyship, and also displaces Black and Indigenous Canadians.

Of course, the model minority myth still lingers in Canadian immigration policies today and overall attitudes towards non-white immigrants.

Premier Doug Ford was met with criticism for his controversial comments on immigrants while addressing reporters in Tecumseh on Oct. 19.

“You come here like every other new Canadian. You work your tail off,"  he said. "If you think you're coming to collect the dole and sit around, it’s not going to happen. Go somewhere else.”

The same week, shocking footage circulated on social media showing a Toronto woman berating Filipino employees at a Tim Hortons, stereotyping them as ‘house-cleaners’ or ‘domestic workers.’

In an interview with BlogTO, the woman justifies her stance on ‘anti-racism’ stating that looking to hire a Filipino migrant worker excludes her from racism.

"Six months ago, I was looking to sponsor a lady from the Philippines to live in my house. So I respect this community," she said. "If I was a racist, why should I hire someone from this community to live with me?"

The problem with comments like these is that it judges immigrants based on how much they can contribute to the Canadian economy. It implies that non-white immigrants don’t already work hard or haven’t sacrificed enough.

The foundation for early Canadian immigration policies were based on these capitalist views.

Chinese labourers in the late 19th century were exploited for the work building the Canadian Pacific railway. Despite their labour, they were not able to vote or experience the same privileges afforded to white immigrants.

The Chinese Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act were enacted, Asian immigrants being viewed as a threat to white society.

As a result, immigration was limited to certain groups, boats of non-white immigrants and refugees being turned away.

Though attitudes towards these groups changed, officials seeing the value of their work and what that would mean for the Canadian economy, creating programs and gateways to permanent residency such as the Foreign Domestics Movement in 1981 and

Live-In-Caregiver program in 1992. The programs primarily targeted Asian women, primarily Filipino women, stereotyped as ‘family-oriented’, submissive, and hardworking.

The issue with these changes in contemporary immigration is that it places migrant workers in an already precarious and potentially exploitative position and makes it difficult for marginalised groups to access the labour market.

One’s personhood should not be determined on whether they worked 50 hours a week or left young children for years just to make ends meet and have a better life.

The model minority myth overlooks the lack of opportunities faced by marginalized individuals alongside barriers to success, alluding that “if they work hard, they can achieve and become a ‘contributing member’ of society”. It takes away and undermines the struggles that immigrants face such as racial discrimination, language barriers, workplace exploitation, and the fact that foreign credentials aren’t recognised.

The model minority myth also trickles down to second-generation immigrants, being expected to uphold the same standards and face the same pressure to ‘succeed’ as their immigrant parents did.

My value as a second-generation Filipino-Canadian should not and cannot compare to what the next person is doing. Just because I achieved success whether it be in my professional or academic life, does not mean the next person could do it too.

Not everyone is privileged with the same opportunities.

Simply put, the model minority takes away from much needed conversation on dismantling capitalism and anti-racism. We all have a drive to make a better life for ourselves and it shouldn’t take someone stereotyping us as lazy to prove that.