A discussion on Atlanta and recent Anti-Asian sentiment
In light of the recent tragedy in Atlanta, Asian communities in the US and around the world have begun to speak up about the issue of rising Anti-Asian sentiments.
Here, several members of our club have gathered together to discuss our own reactions and reflections on this issue:
Seoyoung:
A core lesson taught in my 4th grade class was the idea of the “melting pot” versus the “salad bowl” of cultures America could be. In a salad bowl, even if every part is different, it’s still part of the whole - even if I seemed different to my classmates, I could still be an American. But after years of silly questions and dirty looks and stares in majority white areas, various assertions on the nature of my race, I realized that despite being American for my entire life that people did not see me as that.
Asian Americans are not seen as fundamentally “American.” It’s always the American after the Asian, as if that was more important to our identity. We all know the tone of someone asking “Where are you really from?” and the frustration that once you answer that question, they’ll hit you with the “I love kimchi” or whatever the first stereotype they can think up is. What is irritating about these questions is that they’re not inherently intrusive (to most white people, apparently) but at the same time make it very clear that just from what we look like, we are treated differently. Have you ever heard a person ask a white person where they’re really from? If they told you they have German ancestry, would it be appropriate to tell them you love beer too? Why are they assuming that I’m a recent immigrant? Why are they assuming I am the encyclopedia of Korean knowledge when I’ve read only Hemingway and Toni Morrison all my life? This isn’t an Asian only issue - anyone who has had the “immigrant” label pasted over their identity knows this feeling.
I think casual racism is pretty easy - it happens all the time to me, when someone asks me to “perform” my “native” language (which is English, actually), or when people fawn over my Korean because they’re fans of k-pop (I’m just trying to have a conversation with my mom). It’s when someone asks me if I’m from North Korea as a funny joke (all of my grandparents’ families are separated because of the US division of Korea, but thanks for asking), or when people ask if I’m sure all of these statements are examples of racism happening. At least nobody has ever been violent towards me. At least I was able to assume people wouldn’t attack me until just a short while ago. What about the Black and Latino communities who have been proven to be under physical threat by the government and law enforcement?
And this casual racism leads to not just the shooting, but to the aftermath, the shuffling of various explanations for the shooter’s actions to groups calling for action against violence and universities keeping their fellows who spout racist statements such as the “Chinese Virus” and appear at Proud Boys rallies.
I’m not ashamed of being Korean. It’s just that if I’ve lived in America my entire life, shouldn’t I be treated like it?
Simon:
This attack was not just a targeted attack on Asian Americans, not just one motivated by the hyper-sexualization and fetishization of Asian women, but one rife with sentiments of male entitlement. There seems to be a growing number of hetero men under the delusion that women owe them something, that the slightest show of kindness or respect is a favor. This view fundamentally undermines the idea that we are all deserving of a baseline of dignity and respect.
I find it ironic that the right, the same ideology that claims to be “logical” and “not emotional” claims that this attacker was acting on pure emotion without racial bias. Let’s say for the sake of argument that this is true (it isn’t). I find it frightening that many tolerate the unfettered expression of male anger, but are quick to denounce women who come out accusing someone of sexual assault as emotional. What’s clear is this: many men need to be taught both self-control and emotional awareness. These tools will allow them to control feelings of anger and understand their source.
I’ve seen too many Asian men shaming Asian women for dating non-Asians or blaming Asian women for benefitting from their own fetishization.This is another form of male entitlement that minimizes the humanity of others. What we as hetero males must fundamentally realize is that we are not owed anything.
I don’t want to state a problem without offering a solution. I feel like that would be irresponsible.
Here are some questions men (I mostly mean straight men here) should consider:
Am I acting in a way that makes others uncomfortable?
Why do I feel angry and/or wronged?
How do my behaviors and assumptions affect others?
Do my values align with principles of personal dignity and respect? Do my actions reflect my values?
What are ways in which I can exhibit restraint and self-control?
Elizabeth:
Maybe because the past few years have desensitized me to violence, but when I initially saw the news reports about the Atlanta shootings, I honestly didn’t think too much of it. It wasn’t until later that I actually found out that it was a series of targeted attacks on Asian-american businesses in particular. I wonder what it says that the anti-Asian aspect of these shootings was downplayed in both early news reports and online discussion?
The recent uptick in violence against Asians has stirred up the Asian community, but I feel like there still isn’t a national, cohesive Asian identity and therefore still no national, cohesive response. Part of this is because many Asian communities are still relatively young since most of us are still second-generation immigrants. Part of this is also because Asia is so big that it’s difficult, and honestly unreasonable to lump all Asian-americans in with each other.
I believe the challenge for my generation and future generations will be on how to come together to advocate for all of us while still recognizing and celebrating our differences.
Catherine:
While it is devastating to witness the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, I have two major problems with the AAPI community’s response to it, and modern day Asian American activism in general. First, much of AAPI activism is undeniably antiblack in its framework and wording. For instance, increasing policing as a suggestion to the increase in anti-Asian violence would only hurt marginalized groups more, particularly Black people. Additionally, co-opting language such as “Asian Lives Matter'' is inherently antiblack, especially because Asians actively benefit from and participate in this antiblack racism. Asians who ask why the hate crimes don’t get as much attention as BLM or those who post a yellow square are antiblack. Asians who misuse AAVE or are against affirmative action are antiblack—if we want our movement to gain traction, we cannot just be 1) pushing away potential allies and 2) appropriating the work that Black people have been doing for years.
The second major issue with AAPI activism is that all our solutions fall within the limits of a capitalist and imperialist system. We fail to recognize that the root of the issue stems from anticommunist, sinophobic propaganda that’s especially worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the perception that the virus originated in China (which is not even true, but of course the general public doesn’t know that). Even worse, Asian diaspora are the first to believe in and spread this propaganda because we are so desperate to separate ourselves from mainland Asia and gain proximity to whiteness. We’re the first people to accuse China of being authoritarian or make jokes about bombing the DPRK and then wonder why there’s a spike in hate crimes. We assume these countries are bad because Western media tells us so, despite the fact that many of these news sources have ulterior motives, connections to the military and/or the 1%.
More Asian politicians, more Asian “representation” will not save us—it is way past time to realize that a system built off genocide, colonialism and slavery will never be for the people. We must seriously look at the damage capitalism/imperialism has caused and work to dismantle these systems instead of trying to reform or join them.
Kevin:
For other members of the Asian diaspora, I just want to say: it's okay to be upset; it's okay to grieve; it's okay to take up space. So often we have a tendency to minimize our pain, to avoid rocking the boat, to stow away the "minor feelings" that aren't important enough to mention — but those feelings matter. We have a right to make our voices heard, and we can do so without co-opting or minimizing the struggles of other people of color.
One thing that struck me is how muted our campus community's response has been to these events — in most ways, it seems like life has just gone on as normal. I admit to also feeling a sense of disconnection, but why was that, when I should be able to easily see myself in the shoes of the victims' families? If the victims had been Asian-American university students, would I have felt differently? The victims were Asian massage workers, and the media's reporting and our reactions have inevitably been shaped by that fact. Moreover, the killer's actions were themselves a reflection of the racialized misogyny directed towards Asian women, migrant workers, and massage workers. Now more than ever is the time to center their stories.
