Fil-Ams not model minorities in the US
Joekerr
NO MODEL. Contrary to the myth, Filipinos are far from being model
minorities in the United States, so says Prof. Kevin Nadal in his
book. AP photo
NEW YORK – Are Filipino-Americans model minorities in the United
States?
Not quite, if Kevin Nadal, a professor of psychology at the John Jay
College in Criminal Justice, would be asked.
In his book, "Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory,
Research, and Clinical Practice", Nadal said the 'Model Minority' tag
is a myth; at best, it is a stereotype, and many Asian-Americans,
among them Fil-Ams, "do not fit this model."
Nadal's work attempts to flesh out "misleading" data about Filipino-
Americans in terms of family income, employment, and education. While
Fil-Ams may appear to have higher median family income than other
Asians, it points out that an average Fil-Am family has more members
contributing to this income - 3.41 members - compared to an average
Asian (3.08 members) and American (2.59 members) family.
"Thus, Filipino American families are making less money than others,"
Nadal said in his book.
Nadal, who is best remembered for mobilizing an online signature
campaign against an episode of "Desperate Housewives," added that
several studies have noted many Filipino-American youth have
participated in gangs or gang culture and have been incarcerated at
higher rates than East Asian Americans. [See: More signing up plaint
vs ‘Desperate Housewives’ ]
While Fil-Am gang activity has declined from its apex in the 1980s,
gangs have morphed into the DJ hip hop crews, with disc jockeys
providing some kind of leadership in this particular subculture. As
explained in the book, "They knew they don’t fit into the white
culture, so they rejected it and embraced hip hop because hip hop was
already embraced by gang culture."
Americanized Pinoys perform poorly in school
The more Americanized Filipino students become in the US, the worse
they tend to perform in school. Such was the finding of a study of 10
urban communities across America conducted by the National Federation
of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) of Washington, DC.
Hydra Mendoza of the San Francisco School Board pointed out that 36
percent of Filipino students in San Francisco dropped out of high
school which, while still 8 percent below the district average, still
constituted a cause for alarm amongst Filipino parents.
Read more
Among Asian American youth – specifically Chinese-, Korean- and
Vietnamese-Americans - Fil-Ams tend to be more likely to get into
trouble, according to the book, citing multiple research. They’re more
likely to be arrested for curfew violation, truancy or other forms of
“problem behaviors." They also tend to not do very well in school.
"Statistics have shown that second generation Filipino-American
students have experienced higher rates of high school dropouts and
lower rates of college admission and retention than East Asian
Americans," Nadal said in his book.
Aside from that, previous research has supported that Filipino-
Americans may have a higher prevalence of substance abuse than East
Asian Americans.
It has also been revealed that Filipino-Americans have higher rates of
HIV/AIDS and out-of-wedlock and teen pregnancy than other Asian
American groups.
Employment and competence
In terms of employment, the book notes that Fil-Am male workers make
"significantly less money" than Asian and American males even though
they are better educated and speak English relatively well. A full-
time Fil-Am male worker earns an average $35,560 compared to an Asian
male ($40,650) and American male ($37,057).
"Despite the fact that many Filipino-Americans are well-educated, they
do not receive the same levels of income and are often at a lower
occupational status when compared to other Asian-American groups of
similar education qualifications," Nadal noted in his book.
The book made reference to a study that states that Filipino-Americans
are sometimes "categorized with marginalized groups" like African-
Americans and Hispanics, and for that reason, “they may internalize
inferiority and may not expect to succeed."
"Because Filipino-Americans may also have similar sociocultural
outcomes as Black- or African-Americans and Hispanics or Latinos (eg,
experiences with racism, teen pregnancy, gang involvement, and
juvenile delinquency), they may believe they are not meant to achieve
higher levels of education and instead are meant to remain in the
working or lower social classes."
Studies have likewise shown that Fil-Am males have "higher rates of
incarceration."
The book offers a number of reasons why Fil-Ams would fare poorly
compared with other Asian-Americans within the same socio-economic
status: racism, acculturation, colonial mentality, and the quest for
material success. Add to that disconcerting brew “body image issues,"
with some Fil-Ams having a “need to be like the colonizer."
Nadal also discussed racial and ethnic discrepancy, with Fil-Ams
showing closer connection with African-Americans and Latinos than with
Asian-Americans to whom the Model Minority label is usually attached.
The book is a "valuable reference" for scholars, educators, mental
health professionals and the average person who wants to get to know
Filipino-Americans better, says Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D. of Teachers
College-Columbia University, who wrote the foreword.
Sue says Nadal takes the reader into the life experiences of Fil-Ams -
including the period of colonization, the impact of Catholicism, and
the matter of skin color – and “provides us with a new framework of
Fil-Am identity." - Philippine News