Op-ed: I’m Rejecting The Model Minority Myth By Being A Dumb Bitch
As Asian Americans, it is our duty to reject the model minority stereotype. Some people do this by amplifying the diversity within the Asian American community; some people build and highlight solidarity, past and present, with Black and Latinx communities. I, personally, choose to reject the model minority myth by being a huge, dumb bitch.
The model minority myth is this idea that Asian Americans are the “good immigrants.” According to this, we are submissive nerds whose success allows them proximity to whiteness. To me, this is disgusting. We are not a monolith, and I prove this by being a gigantic moron. I don’t know the state capitals or any of the presidents. The metric system gives me gas. The Earth is flat. La Croix is pronounced “lacrosse.” The census is just a way for the DMV to figure out if I’m single.
I am also the furthest thing from submissive. Every morning, I bark out my window to show the birds that I will kill them. Some call me a “scary dumbass.” Me? I call myself revolutionary.
Asian Americans are also working to dismantle white supremacy online. Some choose to tweet long threads about fighting anti-blackness in Asian American communities. I choose to tweet about my pussy swallowing a spider whole—a harrowing tale that ultimately defies oppressive stereotypes. We are all making an indelible difference. I don’t know what “indelible” means but fuck it. Here we are.
Sometimes, even those close to us uphold the dangerous notion that we should make perfect choices that lead to conventional success, all to be accepted by white people. We must stop the myth from perpetuating in our own communities, which is why I am opposed to perfect choices. Additionally, I refuse to make good choices, or even okay choices. For the past five years, I’ve been dating a guy who has crusty bedsheets, spends all his time at work (founding editor of LakeMichiganIsPeeWater.com), and cannot behave at restaurants. I do it for the culture.
Some think that “being a humongous dumbfuck” does not “contribute to Asian American liberation.” Untrue. I am proof that no matter who you are, you can leave your straightener on for hours until your old ass neighbor calls the fire department. Whether it’s work done by you, a civic engagement activist or me, the founder of TittiesInPaintings.gov, we are changing the narrative. We are not your model minority. Especially not me, a colossally, painfully dumb bitch.
