NEW YORK – Are Filipino Americans model minorities? Do we want to be? And what does it take to join that elite club of idealized Asian Americans who are academically gifted, professionally successful, and filthy rich?

Not quite. Who knows. A whole lot – in order, is how Prof. of Psychology Kevin Nadal of John Jay College in Criminal Justice would likely respond to the questions. In his book, “Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice” (Authorhouse, 2009), Nadal says the Model Minority tag is a myth. At best, it is a stereotype, and many Asian Americans, among them FilAms, “do not fit this model.”

He also warns that the labeling is unhealthy  and promotes competition among ethnic communities.

Among the findings in the book, rich in demographic research and academic analysis: “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.“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.

“Previous research has supported that Filipino Americans may have a higher  prevalence of substance abuse than East Asian Americans.

“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.”

The book attempts to flesh out “misleading” data about Filipino Americans in terms of family income, employment, and education. While FilAms may appear to have higher median family income than other Asians, it points out that an average FilAm 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,” says the book.

In terms of employment, the book notes that FilAm 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 FilAm 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,” it says.

The book makes 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 FilAm males have “higher rates of incarceration.”

While FilAm 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.”

Among Asian American youth – specifically Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese Americans --  FilAms 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 do not very well in school.

The book offers a number of reasons why FilAms 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 FilAms having  a “need to be like the colonizer.”

Nadal also discusses racial and ethnic discrepancy, with FilAms 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.

Nadal is best remembered for mobilizing the community -- via an online signature campaign -- against an episode of “Desperate Housewives”  that made fun of Filipino doctors. Hundreds of thousands of angry Filipinos around the world responded to his online petition.

Sue says Nadal takes the reader into the life experiences of FilAms -- including the period of colonization,  the impact of Catholicism, and the matter of skin color – and “provides us with a new framework of FilAm identity.”