Asian American Success Debunks Liberal Myth of American Racism

Over the past few decades the rhetoric of the Progressive-left in the Democratic Party has relied more and more on the effect of inherent racism as the primary obstacle facing minorities in this country. As the sole political power in most black and Latino neighborhoods, Democrats have increasingly blamed racial attitudes and white privilege as the culprit to explain the reversal of African-American progress, tragically under-performing inner-city public school systems and disproportionate unemployment for young men and women of color. They continuously assert that America's inherent racism is the primary barrier to minority success, a liberal myth that is debunked when one analyzes the success of the "forgotten minority," Asian Americans.

For the upper-income white liberal-Progressive racism, or rather their vocal opposition of, has come to serve as a badge of honor and a validation of their "gentle goodness." As they drive home from work to their overwhelmingly white, often secluded gated communities, and pass many poorer black and Latino neighborhoods, they are able to take heart in that by virtue of their Democratic Party activism and loyalty they are "part of the solution" in improving the lives of poor minorities. However, they are unable to truly view the squalor and drudgery of those neighborhoods, as this is concealed by the high freeway walls, a barrier that helps them forget that it is their political party that has controlled those areas, with almost zero opposition, for close to 50 years.

So rather than examine the detrimental effects of liberal-Progressive policy, it is far easier to buy into the line that it is the legacy of slavery and American racism which is the cause of disproportionate poverty and crime in black and brown conclaves and thus the fault of conservatives, who are representative of a "traditional" American that Progressives have vowed to transform. Besides, this line of thinking provides the white liberal a form of catharsis, relieving them of any guilt they may feel from benefiting from so-called white privilege. This same dynamic enables the upwardly mobile left-leaning black or Latino individual to both feel themselves "special" as well as assuage their own feelings of guilt for these feelings.

The reality of the situation is, however, that regardless of skin color or political convictions, the template for success if America is a pretty simple one. Study after study shows that a combination of strong family values and structure, a commitment to education and hard work as well as a disciplined adherence to future goals will more often than not reap the benefits of the "American dream" to all who pursue it. As we look at the data, no single group in America has followed this template for success better than Asian Americans.

While it would be foolhardy to dismiss that a country with our history and in which all the people's of the world reside does not its share of racial division, it is also simplistic to give in to defeatist notion that racism can be an immovable barrier to the goals of an individual. It is, consequently, this defeatism that Progressives have used to maintain their power over black and Latino communities, but one they have been yet unable to instill in Asians, who have fully embraced the opportunities of the American system. If America is, as liberal-Progressives suggest, an inherently racist system which unfairly rewards white-privilege, then Asians are undoubtedly "out-whiting whitey."

Like many, Asians in America struggled to break past racial barriers and were subjected to discrimination. As they first began to place a foothold in this country a century ago, they did so at a time when America, and much of the world, was admittedly plagued by nativism and a social structure that did in fact limit their options. Added to this were the barriers presented to them as a result of language and adapting to a Euro-centric society far different from their roots in Asia. While the Italian, Irish, Jewish or Mexican immigrant of the time could at least find certain cultural similarities in their adopted country, the Asian in turn of the (20th) century America must have truly felt themselves "alien" in their new home.

But yet they persevered and as we look at the state of Asians in America today, we find a people who are better educated and higher paid than all other groups, whites included. How is it then, if America is the inherently unfair and racist society that liberals claim it to be, that Asians have not only prospered but overtaken white Americans in educational and professional achievement? How have they been able to achieve success in America that Progressives in the Democratic Party say is unachievable without a strong federal government presence in their daily lives, as they cite as the only potential remedy for black and Latinos? The answer is quite simple in that they have done so with very American (as well as very conservative) values.

Let us look first at median income in America by race. According to 2011 US Census Bureau data, black Americans have the lowest average family income among the "big four" racism groups in our nation, at $38,730. Next would come Hispanics at $39,730 average family income. As one compares this to white family income, at $62,545, this would seem to validate liberal-Progressive claims of "white privilege" and that race plays a huge part in their other favorite topic, income inequality. But when one gathers that America's highest earning group is not white, but Asian ($75,027 median family income) at the very least the myth of white privilege is shattered and is cause for further examination as to the reasons behind this data point which defies left-wing logic. Sadly for black and Latino Americans, these are questions their political leadership are unwilling to examine.

As conservatives, we are not beholden to simplistic notions and rhetoric of the left, thus we are intellectually free to examine the how and the why. The first logical place to look is the correlation between education achievement and higher earnings in adulthood. As we look at college graduation rates across the racial divide, we once again see a clear pattern. Black Americans have the lowest percentage of college graduates at 40.6, followed by Hispanics at 47 percent. 59.5 percent of white Americans graduate from college, although this will qualifies as second best, compared to 65.4 percent of Asian Americans who complete a four-year degree.

But it is not enough to simply look at these two charts to adequately explain the formula for success in America and to debunk the liberal myth of pervasive racism in America as a barrier to black and brown success. In fact there is some danger in a simplistic look at the correlation between college graduation and income. For many liberal-Progressives, the idea of college education has become a "magic bullet" solution to improve the overall lot of blacks and Hispanic in this country. While a better educated populace certainly opens up opportunities and further strengthens this nation, simplistic liberals once again look to racism as the cause for discrepancies, while conveniently omitting the success of Asians in this metric. Their solutions have been equally non-effective, as they seek "social justice" solutions to the problem via affirmative action and another of their merit-less feel-good terms, "outreach." It is their undying belief that the simple acquisition of a four-year degree will achieve greater "equality" that has led to the creation of so many "Studies" programs, generally divisive and leaving the graduate with little career options other than to remain in academia, the government bureaucracy or become a left-wing professional activism. Rather than peer into the causes of lower educational achievement among black and Hispanic students, liberals prefer to once again cite racism as the cause. The political reasons for this are obvious, as the vast majority of black and Latino children in this country are educated in public primary and high schools controlled and administered by Democratic Party functionaries.

So now we begin to peer deeper into the issue and examine how our childhood plays a part in determining our success as adults. There is no denying that an individuals economic condition as a child will play some role in their early development, to dismiss this would be as foolhardy as liberals denial of certain realities. That said, America has proven over and over again that even those born into most the most object poverty have the ability to rise above their circumstances and achieve great things. That said, as examine child poverty rates we see our previous patterns show consistency in this regard as well, with the caveat being, once again, the reason behind them. At the bottom, we see the results remain steady, as black children are most likely to be raised in child poverty at 36 percent. Hispanics once again are closer to blacks than their other counterparts at 33 percent. In this metric whites and Asians switch places, with white Americans having the lowest rate of child poverty at 12 percent against 15 percent for Asians. This can be reasonably explained in the obviously higher number of first generation Asian immigrants than white Americans.

So once again we are prompted to ask why. Certainly the first chart provides correlation as higher median incomes obviously presents lower child poverty, but this is not something that happens overnight. As we stretch back a century, Asians in America had poverty rates as high as any group in the country. Going back as recently as the 1960's & 1970's Asian rates of child poverty were comparable to their black and Hispanic counterparts. So once must ask what happened in that period which separated them from their fellow "minorities" and set the stage for them to achieve the distinction as America's most successful ethnic group? There are a couple of factors at play here, although all very important as it relates to the Democratic Party and the liberal-Progressive agenda of micromanaging minority communities. The first, and most important statistic is show below.

Here is where we see the most vital metric in the determination of success (or lack thereof) in America today. The role of family stability and structure in America is the single greatest contributing factor to the achievement of the American dream. Asian Americans led in this data point as well, and it isn't even close. Only 11 percent of Asian children are born into single-parent households which counteracts the pitfalls that beset many immigrant and second-generation households. Even with its reputation as being very family orientated, Hispanic single-mother birth rates have climbed to nearly half at 43 percent and black rates stand at a stunning 68 percent.

The disparity between Asian single-mother birth rates and that of whites (at 26 percent) explains how they have "leapfrogged" their Caucasian counterparts in income over the past couple decades. While the nefarious and divisive "white privilege" argument of the left is disingenuous and simplistic, it would be intellectually dishonest to dismiss that being the "first one-off the boat" doesn't present certain macro-driven advantages when examining disparities between groups. That said, Asians have proven that the traditional American values of family, thrift, hard work and "Yankee ingenuity" will open many doors in our society.

Furthermore, Asian American success has come largely without the "benevolent" hand of the federal government overseeing their communities and "protecting" them against the inherent injustice of our country. Unlike black and Hispanic communities, there is no strong Democratic Party political "caucus" which controls their community. While they tend to vote at slightly higher rates for Democrats than Republicans (although this pattern is one that only just began to emerge with Obama and differs greatly between various ethnic Asian) they are far from monolithic. And although every major city has a "Chinatown" or "Little Manila" they are more spread out and as such not beholden to the local Democratic ward boss or Alderman to dives out favors, government jobs and city contracts like a feudal lord. Their children go to schools that are less likely to be run by a Democratic monopoly and most importantly rejected the Progressive "Great Society" seduction that promises security but demands the acquiescence of individual self-determination.

Asians have adhered to the conservative path toward success greater even than white Americans. As stated previously, they are "out-whiting whitey." Prior to the Great Society welfare state, white Americans have seen their rate of single parent birth go from four percent to the 26 that it stands today. What this Progressive hallmark has been most successful in achieving (for the Democratic Party that is) is to break down the importance of family for so many Americans. By reducing the role that extended families play in the lives of the individual, filling that void with the hand of government, liberals have been able to gain greater access to the day-to-day lives of our citizenry. By stepping in under the guise of "compassion" they are able to provide a scared young mother-to-be the assurance of food and an income (albeit just enough to survive) and in many cases subsidized housing, providing a still teen-aged girl the opportunity to obtain her own lodging, thus negating the need to remain under the roof of parents or other family members. Over time this creates a disconnect among extended family members to the point that they ultimately become little more than casual acquaintances.

It also breaks down our value of human beings and life itself. As the state steps in to ensure that a child's basic needs are met, young men are provided a financial opportunity to askew their parental responsibilities. While for centuries an impending birth necessitated that young men "put away childish things" and quickly mature in order to provide for the life they created, as a society we have provided these young men an "out" and in turn created the "baby daddy." The love and bonds of fatherhood and family come not simply from creating life, but playing an active role during those precious early years of a child's life. Any father who has held their baby and felt their little hand squeeze their finger instantly understands the concept of unconditional love and recognizes that giving up a life of youthful indulgence is a small price to pay for the rewards of fatherhood. As liberal-Progressives designed and administered the welfare state, it is by no coincidence that they mandated, in many cases, that the child's father could not live with the mother in order to receive full benefit. In provided a financial incentive for young families to remain apart, our nation is complicit in a wickedness as great as slavery, if not more so.

You will rarely if ever hear the term "baby daddy" thrown about within the Asian community. You will not see young Asian women debasing themselves on afternoon television, procuring DNA tests to determine which of their recent conquests is the father of their child. This is not to say there is not Asian poverty, as we have shown above. But you can wager, with reasonable certainty, that this poverty will not carry on to the next generation within a given family. This poverty will not be accepted as an excuse for poor grades or rowdy behavior. There will be no Asian political leaders making excuses for failures and no community message preaching "we can't overcome, but it's not our fault." This message didn't exist in the pre-1965 black or Latino communities, but it exists today, and the influence of this message grows.

To their credit Asians in America, be they first or fifth generation, recognize the incredible opportunities that still exist in a society built upon a conservative ethic. The Pew Research Center surveyed Asian American attitudes on work ethic, opportunity and America as a whole and their findings suggest that Asians not only maintain the disciplines for success in American, but on the whole have a greater belief in the capitalist system and American exceptionalism. While they have succeeded in convincing vast portions of the black and Hispanic community, as well as segments of white women and beta males of the nefarious injustice of our country, liberal-Progressives in the Democratic Party have been unable to emasculate the Asian community and sour their belief that strong families, hard work and discipline will equate to eventual success.

The Democratic Party strategy, as it relates to the black and Hispanic community, seems to be one built on scapegoating the Republican Party and conservatism as the agents of racial injustice and the sole cause of inequality. Having virtually no tangible successes to point to from their multitude of government-run programs designed to better the lives of their constituents, they are left with little else to promise other than the dreams of a "non-white" 50 years into the future where they will have sufficient "black and brown" numbers to obtain total political power and as such will have no opposition to their plans and will strike blows for "social justice." Not only is such a message divisive and, dare I say racist, in its own right, but it is a fairy tale of a decrepit ideology designed to excuse its own failures. It is a fairly tale because as we have seen in the data, if the black and Hispanic communities continue to place their trust in the Democratic Party, numerical superiority will not be enough to overcome the immense damage of liberal-Progressive policy. As Asians have so successfully proven, inherent racism of America as an obstacle to individual success is a myth easily debunked through hard work and strong families.

Mostly it’s the Asian students in my college chemistry course, struggling with the English language, who are at the top of their class.

They work hard and study hard. They have family values. They cooperate with each other. They work for long term goals, rather than living for immediate gratification. They don’t commit much crime. They don’t kill each other in massive numbers. They don’t take drugs. Parents expect children to work hard and succeed. They don’t put their children down. They don’t consider themselves a victim group.

Gee.

There’s a victim group that some people feel sorry for. Being a member of the group gets a person easy admission to college, free tuition, a choice of jobs, not having to work at any job that they get, the ability to blame others for their woes.

How about the media running articles on the obvious contrast?

At the risk of being unPC, I will put the situation bluntly: as far as most progressives are concerned, ethnic East Asians are slant-eyed white people, with all the supposed “privilege” attached thereto. To qualify for “diversity,” you cannot be Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Singaporean, or Vietnamese. (India[n]s will join this group soon enough, if they have not already done so.)

They actually have higher IQs by ten points than whites.

Colleges in California actually have Asians suffering more from ‘affirmative action’ than whites.

There’s also a huge cultural difference. Mostly in tact families and huge value on work effort. The dreaded ‘ tiger moms’ get great results.

IQ. High IQ groups succeed, low IQ groups fail. Simple as that. All the pleading and begging for “disadvantaged” low average IQ groups to heed conservative messages will fail. The sooner society accepts the fact that some groups will always be on the bottom, the sooner we’ll come to some sort of solution. But I’m not holding my breath.

Nice try whitey, Asians vote overwhelmingly Dem and look down on us pale faces. We can no longer consider ourselves a western country with such large scale Asian immigration.

They are also non-western and culturally incompatible with our civilization. Kudos to the French, Italians, and Germans for not letting them in like the US, Australia, Canada, etc.

They also vote overwhelmingly Democratic. We cannot continue to call ourselves a western nation with an such an onslaught of Asians, middle easterners, and Africans.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.