This week, two new research projects presented the facts: Asian Americans continue to face disparities correlated to race, even in fields such as technology that they are reputed to dominate. One report focused on tech; another report delved into details of gender inequity. An earlier study of Asian Americans in the legal profession presented similar conclusions. While Asian Americans finally have broken through the initial barrier, being hired at the entry level, that only renders their absence in leadership roles even more glaring, as they hit the “glass ceiling.” There are fewer of them in charge than you would expect if people were judged on merit. Yet Asian Americans have difficulty attracting sympathy despite the evidence. There are three reasons for discrimination being compounded by indifference.
First, the very success of Asian Americans, real and perceived, makes it difficult for them to complain. Positive stereotypes have negative effects. They are characterized as the model minority, with the suggestion that they earn more money on average than anyone else — including whites. The superficial soundbites fool us. Asian Americans also are more highly educated on average than anyone else (with the caution that there are significant ethnic differences if the numbers are disaggregated) — including whites. That means they have to be better to be treated as equals. Asian Americans look as if they are prospering, because they have learned to overcompensate for bias.
Second, the fear of Asian Americans as an invading force, representing the rise of the East and the decline of the West, also makes it difficult for them to establish that they have any rights as citizens. It does Asian Americans no favor that they are not regarded as true minorities. They are perpetual foreigners, even if they are native-born, assimilated, and loyal to the United States. There is so much talk about demographic trends within the nation, as well as the ascendance of Asia and especially the rise of China, that Asian Asians, Asian immigrants, Asian Americans alike all appear to be a threat. According to the hypothesis of “Yellow Peril,” Asians are taking over in an inevitable clash of civilizations. The assumption is that Asian Americans can always “go back to where you came from,” as is said by those who are prejudiced but would deny their ethnic nationalism.
But, third, the most subtle aspect of the problem is mathematical. Since Asian Americans are overrepresented in some respects, whether in colleges or corporations, the conclusion is that they have achieved parity. It is similar to the situation for Jews, who have long protested that any effort to achieve proportionality in enrollment and occupations measured by the population essentially ends up with the mandate of quotas. Discussions about underrepresentation must use an appropriate baseline to be just in a diverse democracy. Whether a community is overrepresented or underrepresented, and the severity of the discrepancy, depends on the numbers within the population who are qualified for the opportunity under consideration (not their total numbers). By that standard, it is nothing less than shocking that Asian Americans who are common as employees are not promoted to be managers. It would be fair to say they are exploited. It’s no wonder so many prefer their own start-ups.
For Asian Americans, a pattern has persisted since the earliest arrivals who were “strangers from a different shore” in the words of the first book to describe their history. Asian Americans are paid the compliment that they are smart and hard working, but that conceals the insult that they must be smarter and harder working, trying twice as much, for their fair share. This mistreatment violates the ideals we hold dear.