This piece was submitted for “From Where I Sit,” an ongoing column associated with the ESOL program that aims to share the stories and experiences of international students. Frank Meng is a student from Beijing, China. In this article, he writes about the stereotypes of Asians and the pandemic’s effect.
“Go back to China and stop the Chinese Virus!” A driver yelled at me outside of Hannaford a couple of weeks ago. The narrative of Asians and Asian Americans has suddenly shifted from “model minority” back to “yellow peril.” Both of the stereotypes are categorically problematic.
The term “yellow peril” was created in the late 19th century by a Russian sociologist Jacques Novikow and introduced in popular culture in 1912 through Dr. Fu Manchu, a fictional villain in Sax Rohmer’s series of novels. Using the color “yellow” to refer to the skin tone of East Asians, it presents the racist notion that Asian Americans are unclean and unfit for citizenship in America. The notion of yellow peril also fueled the initiation of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first immigration law ever implemented that banned immigration solely based on race.
“Model minority” suggests that Asian Americans should stop fighting oppression because they have relatively higher socioeconomic status. In Hollywood, this was shown through Charlie Chan in 1945, a fictional Hawaiian detective who embodies the smart and passive Asian stereotype. The character was played by white actors in yellowface, highlighting the belief that Asians should not have a voice for themselves. Characterizing Asian Americans as the “model minority” is harmful as it not only ignores the differences within Asian Americans, but also suppresses them from speaking out about the racism and discrimination that they still face, such as the idea of being a perpetual foreigner.
The discourse about yellow peril becomes more relevant than ever under COVID-19. Even after the World Health Organization states that cities, countries, regions, or continents should be avoided in naming diseases, President Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” stigmatizing the Chinese people. Reinforcing the notion of yellow peril, the terminology allows people to justify their animosity against Asians. According to WSJ, in New York City alone, there are more than 104 hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans reported in the past two months. More and more Asian Americans are facing physical assaults, refusal of service and even vandalism.
We need to reject the both false and harmful stereotypes. Asians and Asian Americans are neither model minority nor yellow peril. We need to collectively fight against a dehumanizing and discriminatory system that puts the rights of some over the rights of others.
