<p>This article kind of caught my eye --- no kidding, considering I'm Asian myself. I just wanted to share this with you. I thought perhaps it'd provide a viewpoint that is very different from what we normally see on CC.</p>
<p>Summary</p>
<p>"Asian immigrants to the U.S. tend to be already highly educated and from the middle or upper class, for a number of reasons. Thus, they get a completely different start in life in the U.S. compared to other minorities. Although Asians achieve a much greater degree of success in the U.S., the "model minority" stereotype is a myth because Asian-Americans still bump into the glass ceiling, receive lower pay even with the same qualifications, and have higher poverty rates. The image of boat people escaping the ravages of war and communism to take full advantage of American opportunities is also a myth, in that Southeast Asians actually have the lowest success rate of all Asians."</p>
<p>[sarcasm]Well of course, we're perfect...[/sarcasm]</p>
<p>I think this article brings up some interesting points and does a great job of debunking many common assumptions of Americans. However, it seems they exclude Central Asians and Indians. Not to say that they would really affect the data.</p>
<p>Actually Africans are the immigrant group that have a higher level of education than all ethnic groups in America.</p>
<p>But I agree even in that case and the one you presented, it is never good to group all Asians or all Africans, or a whole continent together. There are many other factors that contribute to different situations</p>
<p>Asians may have an advantage academically, but how many Asians are in the U.S. government? Do you know any Asian senators or representatives? I think not. Heck, there are more African Americans and Latinos than there are Asians.</p>
<p>Asians may get engineering prizes and nobel prizes for medicine, but everyone knows that politics is what matters the most.</p>
<p>Asians may be overrepresented in colleges and even have better grades than their white counterparts, but when it comes to real life, we're at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Asians may be overrepresented in colleges and even have better grades than their white counterparts, but when it comes to real life, we're at a disadvantage.
[/quote]
I'm not sure how being blessed with intelligence can be considered advantage...</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm not sure how being blessed with intelligence can be considered advantage...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Actually - read James Flynn's latest 2007 book "what is intelligence?" - or something along the lines of that. Asians actually aren't necessarily blessed with higher IQs - rather - they achieve academic recognition at levels that outexceed what their IQ scores would otherwise predict.</p>
<p>Everyone is blessed with intelligence, every ethnic group. There is not one that has more intelligence than the other because we are all part of one race, the human race, we are made of the same things. </p>
<p>Now some groups that may achieve more than others and outside factors contribute to that. It would be foolish to ignore those other factors when passing judgment.</p>
<p>Porkfriedrice is right, even though Asians perform well and win all the awards they are highly discriminated against in the real world when it comes to status. Being rich and being respected are not the same thing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
In 2005, Asian American freshmen were more likely than the national freshman population to come from families with household incomes of less than $40,000. Nearly 31 percent of Asian Americans came from such backgrounds, compared with the national average of 22.7 percent — presenting these students with an obstacle to success in higher education.
<p>As for myths - they include that Asians in the US are "rich" (Asians have a higher poverty rate than the US average), that Asians are all driven with regard to education (there is quite a difference btwn SE Asians and NE Asians in this regard), that Asian students all go to top schools (the majority of Asian students at the collegiate level are attending community college), etc.</p>