If It Makes Money? Why Not?

As mention before the image of model minority that has been given to Asian Americans to their affluence, high education, and professional occupations these aspects of Asian Americans have a negative impact because not Asian Americans are achieving the “American Dream”. In a study from The Asian American Federation revealed that in 2000, nearly 1 in 5 Asians (19.6 percent or 152,674 people) lived below the poverty level and 40.9 percent (318,910 people) lived below twice the federal poverty. (Asian American Federation)

The media has the power to pacify, manipulate, and informed people, in which often times give society misinformation or fraud aspects of race, language, nationality, and culture. The cultivation theory created by George Gorbner and Larry Grass who are researchers at the University Of Pennsylvania, stated that the more time people spend watching television, they develop the perception of social reality portrayed on television. By examining the cultivation theory, the media plays an important role on how society defines the characteristics of racial groups. The stereotype of Model Minority is being portrayed in advertisements that would benefit corporate industries by using Asian Americans to advertise their products. Charles R. Taylor, Stacy Landreth and Hae-Kyong are journalists of Macromarketing (Asian American in Magazine Advertising: Portrays of the Model Minority) conducted a study and revealed that in product categories a consumer responds positively to Asian male in technical advertisements such as laptops and stereo speakers were as in food or men’s suits advertisements it will have negative respond. These studies gives us a better understanding of how themedia uses model minority in there advertisements.

(The Asian American women plays as the car dealer were typically Asian Americans are viewed as talented in engineering field).

Gorbner suggested that when media continues to portray stereotype it would result the acceptance of the stereotype as reality. Grey’s Anatomy series on ABC is an example of media portrays the stereotype of model minority. Sandra Oh who’s character is Dr. Christian Yang, is viewed as ambitious and completive. Although, it shows that Asian Americans are skilled in Science fields continuous portrayals of model minority affect Asians Americans the same point argued by Yuko Kawai who stated the negative aspect made Asian Americans a two faced; that not all Asians Americans were high achieving and successful. This is reason why the media is powerful tool because it could give false representations of ethnic group characteristics.