John Oliver: 'The model minority myth is a tool of white supremacy ...'

John Oliver hosts 'Last Week Tonight' on HBO Max.

Oh, how Americans love British accents. Maybe having political commentator John Oliver explain racism against Asian Americans will reach a segment of the U.S. population who normally turn a deaf ear to the subject of AAPIs and the burden and fallacy of the model minority myth.

In a recent episode (June 7) of his award-winning show, Last Week Tonight, Oliver tackled the he “model minority” myth and how it makes it OK to discriminate against Asian Americans.

“It is pretty clear that many in this country don’t seem to know much about the history or experiences of Asian Americans,” said the 44-year old comedian who makes laughter the sugar to make sour topics more palatable to viewers. The British accent helps, too.

“Very basically, America prioritized wealthy, more educated Asian immigrants, then turned to Black people who’d been subjugated for centuries and said, ‘See? They’re educated and successful. Why aren’t you?’” he said.

“The model minority myth is a tool of white supremacy and a trap,” he cautions.

Breaking it down, further, he said: “There is no nice racism, there is no silver lining to it, and there is no working your way out of it. You are perpetually treated like a foreigner, still asked where you’re really from, and Asian Americans are one geopolitical crisis away from becoming the targets of violence again."

He concluded with an appeal for more disaggregated data that show the wide disparities within the AAPI communities.

AAPI have a long history in the U.S. and yet, when a poll asked Americans to name a famous Asian American, 42% were not able to name one. Of those who responded, they named Jackie Chan (who is not even American) followed by martial arts legend Bruce Lee, who died in 1973.

Sorry Kamala Harris, being Vice President doesn't give you enough bounce to be named by 42% of Americans.

I don't know why, but Americans seem to go ga-ga over everything British (ie followers of the royal family). Maybe Oliver's accent and self-described whiteness will help white Americans accept what Asian Americans have been saying for decades, especially during the recent surge of anti-Asian violence. 

Kudos to nonAsian allies such as Oliver, who himself became an American citizen in 2019, for your support and for helping our fellow citizens to recognize the  diversity of AAPI communities, our individuality, our humanity and our long presence in and our contributions to the U.S.

Watch the complete show, below: