Alif Dirlik's reading, "Asians on the Rim: Transnational Capital and Local Community in the Making of Contemporary Asian America", focuses on how the term and meaning behind Asian American is evolving with recent times, however we cannot forget the past history of how Asian American came to be. Dirlik highlights how "While the most visible effect may be the elevation in Asian American status vis-a-vis other minority groups, the transformation has not put an end to earlier problems in the conceptualization of Asian America which persist in recon-figured forms, as introduced new burdens on being Asian American, and has complicated the very notion of Asian America to the point where it may break apart under the fore of its contradictions" (p.3). The transformation mentioned that introduced new burdens on being Asian American reminded me of the model minority myth. The burden of the model minority myth is that it generalizes all Asian Americans and silences the untold stories of those that do not fall under the model minority narrative. Not only does the model minority myth misrepresent Asian Americans as a whole, but it also gives the assumption that Asian Americans are no longer in need of additional resources and tools in order to succeed as well as de-minoritizes Asian Americans.
Pei-Chia Lan's chapter in Asian Diasporas, “Legal Servitude and Free Illegality: Migrant “Guest” Workers in Taiwan.” discusses the issue of how migrant contract workers, or overseas contract workers (OCW), have less freedom in their "legal servitude" while undocumented workers have more freedom as well as higher pay. In regards to border control and state regulation, Lan makes an example of Taiwan's government legalizing foreigners to work on a national construction project: "This policy emerged primarily as a response to a labor shortage, or more exactly, a lack of cheap labor for low-skilled positions not in high favor by locals" (p.257). This exploitation of the lower class in need of labor is what is stopping us from progressing forward as a united front. We need to tackle the issues that are coming from the dominant group, not working against one another. Minority groups working against each other is what is giving the dominant group their control. The concept of "Illegal on Paper, Free in Market" (p.266) should not be something a migrant worker has to choose: being an OCW with low pay under a legal servitude, or become an undocumented worker with higher pay but lose basic legal protection such as health insurance.
Question: The problems with undocumented labor are still present today and are not just found within the Asian community. What steps can be taken towards not exploiting those in need of employment and how can we move forward in solidarity with other minority groups?
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