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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My parents were poor asian immigrants.  Their biggest priority in life was getting me and my siblings set up with an excellent education. That meant renting a small apartment in a good neighborhood, no vacations, no restaurant outings, no summer camps, owning a beat up car, and my dad working 3 jobs to make ends meet.

They succeeded in their main goal- I am very successful and so are my siblings.  And many immigrant families I know have a similar story.  It does make me wonder about Americans with no language barrier-- why don't they, either white or black, seem to work hard to make it?  It is possible, clearly, as so many immigrants do it.[/quote]

It starts with the parents and their ambition to strive for themselves and their kids. It's no wonder why over 50% of asians have bachelor's degree. It's the highest of the races.[/quote]

Whoa, whoa whoa here Nellies. I'm a SE Asian immigrant. Dirt poor upbringing. Neither of my parents went to college. And I went to an elite college and have a nice life now with zero help from my folks, who are well-meaning but kind of ignorant. I am the exception and a beneficiary of the model minority myth, always having teachers assume that I'm smart and pushing me into GT classes because of the way I look.  "Asian-American" is a giant catch all that means almost nothing. Over 50% of Asians have bachelor's degrees because of the racist laws governing how many Asians were allowed into this country limited free migration for many many years. Only educated East and South Asians were allowed in, skewing the number and giving rise to the model minority myth. SE Asians, especially refugees like myself, were only let in starting about 50 years ago.

It is NOT possible for many of my Black friends because of severe institutional racism in this country going back to 1619. There are a million laws and norms that prevent upward mobility in a way that Asians these days don't experience.

Jay Kaspian Kang, an Asian-American journalist, has written many thoughtful pieces about being Asian in America. You should check him out and check your assumptions. [/quote]

Spot on. Thank you for pointing this out! Because people of Asian descent make up such a small percentage of the American population, people just assume that Asian-Americans are a monolith when we are not.[/quote]

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