The model minority myth, while seemingly a good image for Chinese-Americans, actually puts undue pressure on Chinese-American families.  This myth is a double-edged sword; while it brings a good name to Chinese-Americans, it also hurts any Chinese-Americans who are only average, because then it seems like they are not up to par.  This forces Chinese-American parents to work very hard so that they can have stable careers and incomes, and also puts much pressure on Chinese-American children to get good grades and do well at school.

            Benson Tong, in her book The Chinese Americans, describes how the model minority myth has persisted since the mid-1960s.  The reason the perception of Chinese people transformed from “yellow peril” to “model minority” is because of World War II.  Because the Chinese and Americans found a common enemy in the Japanese, American media started extolling the virtues of the Chinese while contrasting them with the “evil” Japanese.  However, this myth has become damaging to the Chinese-Americans.  Many studies of Chinese-Americans, according to Tong, “argue that success in educational and economic advancement stems from deeply held values embedded in the Chinese culture…strong familial ties, close control of children, traditional family values, and collective solidarity over individual interests” are supposed to explain why “Chinese Americans have overcome racism and poverty to attain education and income levels that exceed even those of Euro-Americans.”  However, this myth is quite damaging because many important details are left out.  Tong describes how approximately 11 percent of all Chinese American families lived in poverty in 1990 as opposed to the 7 percent of all white families.  Also, Tong notes that “comparisons of incomes between Chinese and whites fail to take into account that the Chinese are concentrated in states with higher costs of living which negate the higher incomes of the group” and also that “Chinese American families have more persons working per family than the white family.”  Tong additionally points out that this “diverts needed attention from segments of the [Chinese] population that are still grappling with socioeconomic barriers...[and] also downplays the level of racial discrimination Chinese Americans encounter in their lives.”

            This myth puts all Chinese families at a disadvantage by raising the average expectations for a Chinese individual.  Those Chinese people who are laborers or restaurant owners/workers are looked down upon because they do not meet the expectations of the model minority myth—they are not “successful” Chinese-Americans.  The Chinese people who are professionals are required to put forth even more effort than most other professionals of different races because of the expectation of superb work and large amounts of effort from them.  This puts a lot of stress on Chinese-American parents.  Furthermore, Chinese-American children are held to high standards and are expected to always get good grades, which is unneeded pressure.