What is the thesis of Takasi’s Essay? What is the evidence that he offers for its truth? Do you find this argument convincing?
In the essay entitled the Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority, author Ronald Takaki tries explain that contrary to what other members of cultural minorities in the United States perceive or believe, Asian Americans are not superior both in terms of their personal and family income and educational background. Takaki exposes that most American cultural minorities such as the African Americans, for example, perceive that Asian Americans are superior to them as a cultural minority. The author has presented pertinent statistical information to back his claims.
In the case of Japanese Americans, for example, Takaki points out that while their personal incomes were indeed at an almost the same level with their Caucasian counterparts, they (Japanese Americans) were only able to attain such level of income because they acquired a higher level of education and worked for significantly more hours. So, in terms of average wage per hour for a particular job, their income may still be at a level comparable to that of other American cultural minorities. Another example that Takaki uses was the case of Chinese immigrants in Chinatown. This particular example was an extreme example of how unrealistic the Myth of Asian Superiority is. Takaki states that “most immigrants coming into Chinatown with a language barrier cannot go outside this confined area into the mainstream of American industry” . Another evidenced that he uses is the family income of Caucasians compared to that of Asian Americans. Takaki points out that while Caucasians and Asian Americans’ family incomes almost rest at the same level or bracket, the fact that the number of workers inside a single Asian American family is larger compared to that of a Caucasian family cannot be disregarded. So again, in terms of real income per job and per hour, the Asian Americans are not really that superior compared to other Americans. Moreover, the author used the statistics not just to counter the myths surrounding Asian superiority but also to expose the different problems that cultural minorities in the United States face. In the end, Takaki concludes that most Asians living in the United States are not really that superior compared to their counterparts from other cultural minorities. In general, the main argument that the author points out in the paper is convincing, given the presence of statistical data that he used to back up such points.
Works Cited
Takaki, Ronald. "The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority." The New York Times (1990): 21.
