"Asian-American" is a fairly new term. Although Asians immigrated to North America as early as the 1600's from the South Pacific, and China, Asian-Americans have only recieved recent recognition as being part of the United States citizen demographic, perhaps because it was not until 1943 that the Magnuson Act was passed, making it so that Asian immigrants could become citizens (Before this, Asian Exclusion Acts of the late 1800's barred those of Asian descent from owning property).
The term “Model Minority” was coined in the 1960’s, when the media began to recognize Asian Americans as their own racial group. Back when America’s political atmosphere was rapidly changing, the media wanted to cover some positive changes which ethnic minority were making. It was first used in print by William Peterson, a sociologist, in the New York Times, in an article titled "Success Story: Japanese American Style”. At the time, studies revealed that the newly recognized race of Asian Americans proportionally attended college more than their white counterparts. A disciplined hard working upbringing was credited for this stereotype, trying to set an example for other minorities in the country, possibly to encourage them with the perception that hard work pays off even for a minority group; or possibly to show them that their current undesirable situation was their own fault, and that they should act the way the Asian-Americans did in a white-dominated society. Another similar article was published around the same time indicating the success of Chinese-Americans. By the 1970’s, the model minority stereotype was put in place. Since then, Asian-Americans have sometimes found themselves labeled as being the “Model Minority”

Today, "Model Minority" refers to a minority which has achieved a high level of success. It is still usually used to describe Asian-Americans, particularly those of Eastern Asian descent. According to the myth, Asian Americans have essentially "achieved the American dream" are often seen as "smart", "hard-working", and "successful".
So what's the problem with this image? Stereotyping of those of Asian descent becomes a problem when it leads to judgment of the character of Asian Americans. Judgment is synonymous with “assumption”, and when assumptions are made of the character of individuals simply based on race, it creates problems.

Such assumptions are that Asian Americans are "smart". Pressure to achieve is especially high among Asian-American students. While Asian-American students are found to generally do well in school, the model minority image contributes to low self-esteem and lack of support when they struggle (Lorenzo, Frost, & Reinherz, 2000). A study in 1996 showed that both high and low academic achievers among Asian-American students were stressed by the pressure to uphold the high standard set for them by society. True, statistically, Asian-Americans do achieve fairly high average scores and are more likely to get a college degree than other ethnic minority groups (in some cases, proportionally more than whites). But average statistics do not address those who are at the lower end of the measure of achievement. An article published in 1994 by The Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting (CEEP) to the teachers of Asian-American students warns: “If Asian students are viewed as instant successes, there is less justification for assisting those who may need help”. And sometimes, in order to avoid being embarrassed or labeled as being a “disgrace”, these students who actually need help will avoid it. “Several mental health concerns and psychological afflictions, such as threats to cultural identity, powerlessness, feelings of marginality, loneliness, hostility and perceived alienation and discrimination remain unaddressed and hidden under the veneer of the model minority myth,” says Daya Sandhu, an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Louisville.

Although statistics show that Asian Americans are more likely to have an advanced degree than any other racial group, including Whites, what is being overlooked is that they are also more likely to not complete high school. Also, in a Socioeconomic Statistics and Demographics article (2000 Census Public Use Microdata Samples); though Asian Americans have the highest median household income among all racial groups, this does not apply to individual median incomes. This may account for the fact that in many Asian-American households, there are several family members who bring in income, whereas in other households there may be only one or two workers. This is further proven by the amount of Asian-Americans in the work force: 65.3 percent of Asian-American citizens are currently employed, an almost two-percent gap above all other racial groups, indicating that no, Asian-Americans do not necessarily make more money than individuals belonging to other racial groups-- there are just more workers per household. Statistics are not necessarily a prime indicator of success.
Furthermore, the entire demographic of “Asian-Americans” as a group is hardly ever examined in depth. Since the Model Minority articles of the 1960's, many refugees from parts of Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia have immigrated to the United States. As with all racial groups, we do just that with Asian-Americans: we group people. In the same Census, although Japanese-Americans who have less than a high school education represent a mere 9.5 percent of the total Japanese-American citizens, Vietnamese-Americans have a 37.8 percent rate of not receiving a high school diploma in this country. This is much higher in the White, Black, and Hispanic/Latino categories. And for Cambodian, Hmong, or Laotian-Americans, this rate tops those of all other racial subgroups in this country with a whopping 52.7 percent who have not obtained a high school diploma, with 9.9 percent receiving public assistance—the highest overall percentage of all racial and ethnic groups in the survey.

Another problem with the image of the model minority is the perceived lack of need for assistance. In our media, much coverage has been done on the successes of Asian-Americans who have made incredible scholastic achievements and created successful businesses and found occupational success; making the “American Dream” a reality. Statistically, Asian Americans appear "too well off" to be impacted by the tax laws in any negative way. Stereotypes of Asian-American success only dig the hole deeper. Government officials have sometimes denied funding for Asian Americans because they have "succeeded in society", referring only to the families who have achieved the higher incomes and college degrees, ignoring the Southeast Asian immigrants who may speak little or no English, and may not even have a high school diploma or be in a fiscal situation in which they my pursue higher education. Because of the stereotypes and lack of coverage, those who are Asian American who find themselves in positions of poverty with lack of opportunity and education.
The Model Minority myth is also a problem when hiring employees. Sometimes, employers consider their Asian American workers "passive" and "unimaginative", so they are not promoted to executive positions (Takaki, 1989; Palumbo-Liu, 1995; Lee, 1996). Asian Americans are also seen as being qualified in careers in science and engineering, but cannot take managerial positions due to lack of necessary skills (Wong & Nagasawa, 1991). This makes it much harder for those Asian Americans who DO find a stable job to ever be promoted.
In our media, the stereotypes for Asian Americans are magnified even further. The portrayal of Asian Americans in our television media are seen as focused, overachieving, unable to be marked. Their perfection is often so exaggerated that it is impossible to relate to their characters. “There's a lack of diversity in the way we're portrayed on television,” Yul Kwon, a participant on “Survivor: Cooke Island,” said in a recent interview. Sure, Asian-Americans only make up 4.4% of the U.S. population, behind other minorities: African Americans at 12.1%, and Hispanic or Latino groups at 14.8% (U.S. Census Bureau).But if you look on television, Asians are stereotyped more than other races, often given "hilarious" names which sound like their native language and speaking in broken English, making them seem like foreigners, despite the fact that many families have been here since the 1800s, such as those who built the railroads in the 1850's. Many Asian-Americans have found themselves in a situation in which they are being teased, provoked, and harassed about their cultural identities, although it seems more socially acceptable to make fun of Asian-Americans in ways that are seen as taboo to use upon other minority groups. The reason for this may be that other minorities are seen as being underprivileged, unfairly treated, and in need, whereas Asian-Americans are seen as being "successful" enough to not only mix into the white majority, but to pose an economic and social threat other ethnic groups. Again, some Asian-Americans have obtained success, but this blanket statement is hardly accurate, and Asian-American children and teens in particular are being punished for it, whether or not they "fit the mold"
Because of this, some Asian-American teenagers rebel against this image of being "submissive" and "obedient". Terri Hu, a Chinese-American student who felt labeled as "uncool" because of her race, says, "I thought that by failing in school I could prove that I wasn’t really smart. And if I wasn’t smart, then I couldn’t be Chinese".

Yes, the Model Minority may on the surface look like a positive myth, but it is still a myth; one in which groups people on the basis of their race. By doing this, we are more likely to judge people based solely on race, regardless of their upbringing or status in this country. This goes beyond social pressures to succeed. By categorizing, we disregard the (many) “exceptions” to the “rubric” which categorizes “Asian-Americans are seen as being "successful" enough to not only mix into the white majority, but to pose an economic and social threat other ethnic groups. Again, some Asian-Americans have obtained success, but this blanket statement is hardly accurate, and Asian-American children and teens in particular are being punished for it, whether or not they "fit the mold"
Because of this, some Asian-American teenagers rebel against this image of being "submissive" and "obedient". Terri Hu, a Chinese-American student who felt labeled as "uncool" because of her race, says, "I thought that by failing in school I could prove that I wasn’t really smart. And if I wasn’t smart, then I couldn’t be Chinese".

Yes, the Model Minority may on the surface look like a positive myth, but it is still a myth; one in which groups people on the basis of their race. By doing this, we are more likely to judge people based solely on race, regardless of their upbringing or status in this country. This goes beyond social pressures to succeed. By categorizing, we disregard the (many) “exceptions” to the “rubric” which categorizes “Asian-Americans”. And because of these perceptions, we overlook the fact that some of these people need help academically, socially, financially. and economically. So truly, even a positive stereotype is a negative one.