Daniel Patrick Moynihan, former member of the United States Senate, claimed the deterioration of the Black family and society was due to the prevalence of matriarchal households. This goes hand in hand with the idea of Asian Americans as the “model minority,” because the Asian American family structure is commonly viewed as strong. Seeking a strong family structure plays into the politics of respectability, because that can be considered to be a White middle class value—something suburban Asian Americans are often associated with. This also connects to the idea that Asian Americans are in this middle or gray area where they do not have the same privilege as White people but they hold more privilege than African Americans, because they are used as an example of what other minority groups should aspire to. As a whole, comparing two minority groups is dangerous because it only deepens the divide that exists between some people of color. Determining that one’s strength is more than that of another is harmful in the way that it only adds fuel to the flame of marginalization.
However, the idea that a matriarchal household should be held responsible for the “downfall” of the Black community as a whole is racist. Moynihan was trying to justify his ill feelings towards African Americans, making it seem as though it is the fault of African Americans that racism against them exists. This is an example of when White privilege allows one to believe they can dictate the way marginalized people should handle the deterioration of their own communities, without considering any possibility of an entire system that works against the interests of these marginalized groups.