“Becoming White”

• According to Tsai, a Hunter College High School alumni, Asian-Americans try to fit themselves into socially acceptable positions by “acting white”. Surprisingly Tsai’s interviewed subjects admit to their acceptance or even embracement of the term. In her paper Tsai writes that “Among blacks, ‘acting white’ is socially stigmatized, but Asian students who ‘act white’ usually occupy the more socially prestigious positions. Because ‘acting Asian’ is equated with acting foreign or like a nerd, ‘acting white’ among Asian people becomes a source of pride and is valued as the ability to assimilate into the American society. While both performances are frequently practiced, the Asian students who 'acted white' are more likely to achieve extracurricular activity status within the school, which often led to admissions into more prestigious colleges.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010802038.html

• http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-asians-attack-labels-20130323,0,883060.post

• http://cmhc.utexas.edu/modelminority.html

• http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2012/11/24/the-7-worst-asian-american-stereotypes/

• http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/01/daily-circuit-artists

• http://blog.angryasianman.com/2013/03/beyond-bad-ugly-summit-on-asian.html

References

• http://www2.und.edu/dept/undncate/ESPB_Program_Reports/elementary_ed/ESPB_Elementary_Education_Documents/student_work_samples/Standard50015.3/50015.3b/15.3bMCTeachingMeets2.pdf

• http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-asians-attack-labels-20130323,0,883060.post

• http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2012/11/24/the-7-worst-asian-american-stereotypes/

• http://cmhc.utexas.edu/modelminority.html