Can stereotypes ever be good? - Sheila Marie Orfano and Densho episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 12, 2026 · 8 MIN

Can stereotypes ever be good? - Sheila Marie Orfano and Densho

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore the model minority stereotype, and discover how it became a label for Asian Americans and is used to enforce racial hierarchies.--In 2007, researchers surveyed 180 teachers to understand if they held stereotypes about their students. The most commonly held opinion was that Asian students were significantly more industrious, intelligent, and gentle. This might seem like a good thing, but treating this stereotype as reality can cause a surprising amount of harm. Sheila Marie Orfano and Densho dig into the model minority myth.Lesson by Sheila Marie Orfano and Densho, directed by Léon Moh-Cah.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-stereotypes-ever-be-good-sheila-marie-orfano-and-denshoDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-stereotypes-ever-be-good-sheila-marie-orfano-and-densho#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://leonmohcah.comEducator's website: https://densho.org----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús, Lyn-z Schulte, Elaine Fitzpatrick, Karthik Cherala, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Vignan Velivela, Ana Maria, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Dan Paterniti, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Elnathan Joshua Bangayan, Jayant Sahewal, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Kris Siverhus, Devin Harris, Pavel Zalevskiy, Karen Goepen-Wee, Brad Sullivan, Karen Ho, Filip Dabrowski, Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Tim Leistikow, Ka-Hei Law, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, Boytsov Ilya, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Noa Shore, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak H, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul and Christophe Dessalles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Can stereotypes ever be good? - Sheila Marie Orfano and Densho

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