Why are Asian Americans generally so successful?

[ErVaReAn rEpUbLiC]

Indeed, since Asians need to have higher academic results than whites to have an equal chance in college admissions. Thus they have to study harder due to institutional discrimination, then they get branded for being nerds when they try to make up for this discrimination. Great!

Not sure if your serious, but from where I'm from there isn't anything like you just described, in fact Asian students are highly encouraged and sought after by the local universities and high schools (not hugely but it's there all the same)

From some of the kids I've talked to, most of the pressure comes from home for whatever reasons.

I'm surprised that the general awareness on this issue is so unknown.

Here are some links from diversified sources (I recommend reading the first one, at least):

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/opini ... icans.html
http://priceonomics.com/post/4879428301 ... nst-asians
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-cah ... 98760.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bev-taylo ... 53198.html
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/20 ... sian-quota
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2 ... story.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... ns/266538/
http://www.princeton.edu/~tje/files/Adm ... 202004.pdf
https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/ ... school.png

[The Krogan]

Not sure if your serious, but from where I'm from there isn't anything like you just described, in fact Asian students are highly encouraged and sought after by the local universities and high schools (not hugely but it's there all the same)

From some of the kids I've talked to, most of the pressure comes from home for whatever reasons.

I'm surprised that the general awareness on this issue is so unknown.

Here are some links from diversified sources (I recommend reading the first one, at least):

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/opini ... icans.html
http://priceonomics.com/post/4879428301 ... nst-asians
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-cah ... 98760.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bev-taylo ... 53198.html
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/20 ... sian-quota
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2 ... story.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... ns/266538/
http://www.princeton.edu/~tje/files/Adm ... 202004.pdf
https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/ ... school.png

Very interesting, though I'm not from the U.S. so I wouldn't really know about such issues with what is described in some of the articles, (Quickly read through the first and some of the others)

But I haven't heard of anything like that where I'm from, but ya never know.

[ErVaReAn rEpUbLiC]

I'm surprised that the general awareness on this issue is so unknown.

Here are some links from diversified sources (I recommend reading the first one, at least):

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/opini ... icans.html
http://priceonomics.com/post/4879428301 ... nst-asians
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-cah ... 98760.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bev-taylo ... 53198.html
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/20 ... sian-quota
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2 ... story.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... ns/266538/
http://www.princeton.edu/~tje/files/Adm ... 202004.pdf
https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/ ... school.png

Very interesting, though I'm not from the U.S. so I wouldn't really know about such issues with what is described in some of the articles, (Quickly read through the first and some of the others)

But I haven't heard of anything like that where I'm from, but ya never know.

It's possible that this is a side effect of affirmative action policies (I'm not saying affirmative action is bad, just that it could have side-effects). This is further evidenced by the fact that California, which doesn't have affirmative action in college admissions, doesn't seem to have quite the same issues regarding Asian-Americans (which is mentioned in the links).

[Lydenburg]

I once read a book which accused economically successful minorities in countries they aren't necessarily indigenous to of being guilty of apartheid. The book cited Chinese communities in Malaysia, as well as Lebanese in Francophone Africa, and Afrikaans and Indian people in the RSA.

The logic of this particular scholar ran something like this: even if an ethnic group did not come by its superior economic position - which includes a racially disproportionate representation in the white collar class - by inheriting it from some historical form of discrimination which disadvantaged everybody else...

Even if they hypothetically came by this success through family connections or work ethic or something equally innocuous...

The fact that a greater number of them are enjoying their lives proportionate to the total ethnic makeup of the country makes them guilty of apartheid, or at the very least the promotion of inequality.

Ergo, Americans of Asian ancestry are racist imperialist pig dog oppressors.

[Aggicificicerous]

A lot of rich or well-off Asian parents send their children to the west for schooling.

[Mavorpen]

Very interesting, though I'm not from the U.S. so I wouldn't really know about such issues with what is described in some of the articles, (Quickly read through the first and some of the others)

But I haven't heard of anything like that where I'm from, but ya never know.

It's possible that this is a side effect of affirmative action policies (I'm not saying affirmative action is bad, just that it could have side-effects). This is further evidenced by the fact that California, which doesn't have affirmative action in college admissions, doesn't seem to have quite the same issues regarding Asian-Americans (which is mentioned in the links).

It really isn't. It's because of wealthy alumni and athletes. There's been no evidence confirming affirmative action has anything to do with Asians being discriminated against.

[ErVaReAn rEpUbLiC]

It's possible that this is a side effect of affirmative action policies (I'm not saying affirmative action is bad, just that it could have side-effects). This is further evidenced by the fact that California, which doesn't have affirmative action in college admissions, doesn't seem to have quite the same issues regarding Asian-Americans (which is mentioned in the links).

It really isn't. It's because of wealthy alumni and athletes. There's been no evidence confirming affirmative action has anything to do with Asians being discriminated against.

I've heard about that too. Could you give some links though? It'd be interesting to read some about it.

[Mavorpen]

It really isn't. It's because of wealthy alumni and athletes. There's been no evidence confirming affirmative action has anything to do with Asians being discriminated against.

I've heard about that too. Could you give some links though? It'd be interesting to read some about it.

Sure. The thing is, this isn't a new phenomenon. Ivy League schools actually used to do the same to Jews. See, even though Jews were relatively successful when it came to schooling, they faced discriminatory blockades because a large number of them were first generation immigrants and therefore did not have wealthy families with an affiliation to the school who could donate. It reached the point where they even instituted quotas for Jews.

They did so under the guise that Jews weren't "well-rounded" enough to be admitted, and this stereotype of Jews being boring people who study too hard has been transferred over to Asians as well. Asians ALSO have a situation where a significant amount of them are first generation immigrants, and a majority of their population growth is from immigration, so they also do not have the benefit of having wealthy alumni families.

Now, it should be noted that Ivy League schools are actually correct, in a limited sense. Not about the stereotypes of Asians and Jews as being boring people who "study too hard" and who aren't "well-rounded." They are correct in the sense that having well-rounded students is actually something universities should, and do, strive to have, because it fosters a better learning environment. The problem is that these attributes are a smokescreen for the real reason for Ivy Leagues having a problem with discrimination against Asians.

[Deuxtete]

For much of the same reasons for why Asia developed the most martial arts. They're simply good at excelling within education and at entrepreneurship generally speaking.

That's not how martial arts in most east Asian arts work.
They are usually branches of another art. There aren't nearly as many different martial arts as there are names for differentiating religious, regional, and family styles.

[Caltarania]

I'd say it's more so that they're portrayed to be successful, and the stereotype stuck?

[Internationalist Bastard]

I think most Asian Americans (not all) did to come from more succesful families that moved to the States later. I'm purly basing this off my husband, so feel free to correct me.

[Ever Victorious Iron Willed Commanders]

Given that over 65% of Asian Americans are foreign born, and it is usually first-generation Asian parents who are the "tiger moms" (for example, Fresh Off the Boat), that might be why. And it's not like white Americans are "destined" to have the highest income, highest grades in school, etc.

[Auricium]

I'm an Asian Canadian, (chinese) and one thing I have noticed is that chinese parents pretty much expect you at the very least to go to university, and get a decent to well paying job (not necessarily doctor, doctor, lawyer.) (which sounds very stereotypical, I know)

I find that second generation mothers are actually just as strict- it must carry on or something, IMHO. I go to a school with a population that is largely chinese/asian up here. I was born in Canada, and my mom was too, and she grew up in Canada as well- I find that first generation parents are more "tiger" parents if they are better educated in english/such. If not, they tend to just stress marks- since my Grandma either doesn't know english or pretends not to.

But all parents are different. Not all asian parents are "tiger" parents. In fact, most I don't think take the full "tiger" mentality completely.

[ErVaReAn rEpUbLiC]

I've heard about that too. Could you give some links though? It'd be interesting to read some about it.

Sure. The thing is, this isn't a new phenomenon. Ivy League schools actually used to do the same to Jews. See, even though Jews were relatively successful when it came to schooling, they faced discriminatory blockades because a large number of them were first generation immigrants and therefore did not have wealthy families with an affiliation to the school who could donate. It reached the point where they even instituted quotas for Jews.

They did so under the guise that Jews weren't "well-rounded" enough to be admitted, and this stereotype of Jews being boring people who study too hard has been transferred over to Asians as well. Asians ALSO have a situation where a significant amount of them are first generation immigrants, and a majority of their population growth is from immigration, so they also do not have the benefit of having wealthy alumni families.

Now, it should be noted that Ivy League schools are actually correct, in a limited sense. Not about the stereotypes of Asians and Jews as being boring people who "study too hard" and who aren't "well-rounded." They are correct in the sense that having well-rounded students is actually something universities should, and do, strive to have, because it fosters a better learning environment. The problem is that these attributes are a smokescreen for the real reason for Ivy Leagues having a problem with discrimination against Asians.

I did refer to the Jewish quota analogy in one of my links. What I find troubling about this discrimination of Asians is that it is such a large and diverse group. After all, more than half the world population is from Asia, and they are all defined under an arbitrary racial group? Some Asian sub-groups are indeed low-income and disadvantaged and more comparable to, say, Hispanics, yet they are still defined under this arbitrary racial group that contains a larger population than the rest of the world put together, and no doubt with as much diversity as the rest of the world put together. As a result, they too are held to higher standards than whites in college admissions.

[Auricium]

I can see what your saying.

I don't think that they are defined under one group however. I find in Canada, not sure about down south, its South Asians (Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis, etc) south-east asians (thai, cambodian, vietnamese-ish. etc.) and Oriental (Chinese, Japanese Korean, etc.)

I think that's how universities would divide them too, it doesn't make much sense for these institutions to do otherwise, IMHO.

Anyways, I actually find that sometimes, it's less the parents and more the peers.

[L Ron Cupboard]

They keep the best fortune cookies for themselves.

[Liberty and Linguistics]

Probably because they face much less racism than say, blacks or Latinos.

Did you ever learn to think critically?

The Asians generally have a sturdy work ethic, and the Asians that come over are generally wealthier and smarter than many that live in their homelands, as the ones that can now afford to come over are clearly better educated than those who cannot afford a plane ticket from Shanghai to LA.

[Internationalist Bastard]

They keep the best fortune cookies for themselves.

[ErVaReAn rEpUbLiC]

I can see what your saying.

I don't think that they are defined under one group however. I find in Canada, not sure about down south, its South Asians (Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis, etc) south-east asians (thai, cambodian, vietnamese-ish. etc.) and Oriental (Chinese, Japanese Korean, etc.)

I think that's how universities would divide them too, it doesn't make much sense for these institutions to do otherwise, IMHO.

Anyways, I actually find that sometimes, it's less the parents and more the peers.

Yeah, I was talking about the US. I'm not sure whether discrimination against Asians in college admissions exists in Canada. On the other hand,incomes are lower among Asian Canadians than among whites, in contrast to the US (although it's also that way in California).

Isn't Oriental a derogatory term?

[Geilinor]

Many Asian Americans live in wealthy states such as California or New York and modern immigration law prefers immigrants with a college education.

[Imperium Sidhicum]

I'd say their success has mostly to do with the traditional values of East Asian cultures.

East Asian cultures, which are strongly influenced by the teachings of Confucianism, emphasize selflesness, collectivism, industriousness and discipline.

An Asian brought up with these values will work hard without personal gain or ambition in order to contribute to his family, community and nation. A good example of these values at work is post-war Japan, where citizens were willing to work 16 hours a day for a bowl of maggoty rice just to rebuild their country. Consequently, Japanese economy that had to be rebuilt literally from zero would catch up with US economy that experienced great growth during war in just two decades.

Having an extremely high work ethic, Asians will also pursue excellence in anything they do with reckless abandon, be it studying in university, making a career in a business company or simply mastering a computer game. This work ethic is, I'd say, the product of the aforementioned culture of collectivism - the community places high expectations and pressure to succeed upon it's members. Asians are also more concerned with their personal reputation, their "face", than Westerners, and are hence more careful and deliberate about their public image than others. Those Asians who reside in the West will cultivate the "model minority" image by striving to appear cultured, industrious and polite - both coincidentally, as this reputation is a byproduct of their normal way of doing things, and deliberately, to preserve a reputable image of themselves and their community.

[Gauthier]

Has anyone in this thread compared the Hard Working Asians (tm) to Those Shifty Lazy Niggers And Spics (tm) yet?

[Liberty and Linguistics]

Has anyone in this thread compared the Hard Working Asians (tm) to Those Shifty Lazy Niggers And Spics (tm) yet?

No, because less people are like that then you may think.


Have you contributed anything useful in this thead yet? No? Well, I can't say I had any decent expectations for you.

[Gauthier]

Has anyone in this thread compared the Hard Working Asians (tm) to Those Shifty Lazy Niggers And Spics (tm) yet?

No, because less people are like that then you may think.


Have you contributed anything useful in this thead yet? No? Well, I can't say I had any decent expectations for you.

Contribute "useful discussion" in a thread that's a Superior Asian American fanclub? Same neighborhood as Master Race Erotic Literature.

[Liberty and Linguistics]

No, because less people are like that then you may think.


Have you contributed anything useful in this thead yet? No? Well, I can't say I had any decent expectations for you.

Contribute "useful discussion" in a thread that's a Superior Asian American fanclub? Same neighborhood as Master Race Erotic Literature.

I 'hate" to be condescending, but you realize that the entire purpose of this thread is to discuss the high average income of asian-americans, and discuss why this is the case. If that constitutes a superior asian fanclub, then consider me and anyone contributing in this thread to be a member.

As for that master race line, what the hell are you even talking about? I'm going to be blunt and say your attempt at humor here fell flat.