model minority

[mod-l mahy-nawr-i-tee, -nor-]

noun

1. a minoritized racial, ethnic, religious, or social group, or a member of such a group, that is stereotypically viewed by the dominant group as being more successful or embodying traits more valuable to society than other such groups or individuals.

   Paradoxically, Asian Americans are perceived as both a model minority—happier, more successful, and more educated—and as perpetual foreigners.

Word History and Origins

Origin of model minority¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The victims “embody that surreptitious, sometimes unscrupulous navigation of America, its legal system and avenues for slick navigation of the law. He is the embodiment of the Western model minority but also a disillusioned rebel against it.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

While vile, Elez’s posts and the reactions to them represent a pattern of anti-Indian racism that runs rampant throughout the GOP base and is winning out over traditionally pro–“model minority” Republicanism.

Read more on Slate

Willis’ journey “is such a metaphor for the Asian American experience,” Yang said, “because we are the model minority, but at the same time we are invisible. People talk about Black and white, but where do we fall? You’re just not seen for who you are.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The neocons' first intellectual leaders, on the other hand, were Jewish, and their "model minority" assimilation into the conservative movement typified the adaptive dynamic of a more pragmatic conservatism that accepts change and seeks to master it.

Read more on Salon

Given the conservative fantasy that white men are the new oppressed minority, Vance's heartland background signifies a "model minority" member who’s made it.

Read more on Salon