The Idea Of "Model Minority"

Something very interesting happened to me yesterday at Wonderland. While there with a fellow Asian friend we encountered, for the first time, two children who line jumped us. I was absolutely shocked and for five minutes my friend and eye looked at the girl and her younger brother, while she murmured an explanation of "leaving the line and coming back". My friend and I were passive for a minute in shock, but then I got built up the courage and told the girl that we were waiting in the line here first and it was disrespectful of her and her brother to bud in front of us. You can stand in front of the ones behind us, I said, but you can't get in front of us.

Then, I confidently said to my friend, "Come on **Lily." Lily was hesitant at first and for a brief second the young girl took advantage of that and said, "Lily's a 'good' girl" but Lily still went in front with me. The little boy however would not budge, even with me telling him that I would inform the worker that he lined jumped. He arrogantly replied, "I don't care!" When we finally reached the front of the line, I promptly informed the worker and he told the boy to leave. Shock registered in the little boy's face as he stumbled backward to where his sister was standing.

 Later on, Lily and I discussed what occurred. We were both so disappointed that the children could be so disrespectful to their elders. We were two 21-year-olds in an amusement park trying to have fun, and these two kids thought they could pull a fast one on my friend and I because we were Asian and looked young, innocent, and easy to take advantage of. These children were rude and it was as if they had never heard "no," especially the little boy. He had many chances to accept that he was in the wrong and leave, but he stubbornly held his ground and acted impertinently.

What I found most interesting was how the girl called Lily a "good girl" for not speaking up. This little girl unknowingly used the stereotype of model minority against Lily. The girl tried to set up the standard of goodness based on "passive behavior." Lily was therefore set up as good for not speaking up and letting the kids bud the line, while I was set up as the contrary for speaking up and not accepting injustice.

I had never experienced the negative implications of being a "model minority" until now, and all I can say is it doesn't feel good. Speaking afterward with my friend, she told me she didn't speak up because she didn't want there to be a fight or confrontation, but she would have told the workers once we reached the end that they line jumped. I told her that I had to tell the children outright, because they had to realize that what they did wasn't right. For the record, the two children were not Asian.

**Name changed due to privacy of identity.