learntoquestion ltq discussions

Readings and Streamings:

Note: It’s important that you read and/or watch at least FOUR (4) of the 12 items listed below AND clearly reference them in your post. I would especially urge you to include within your choices #1 from Human Rights Watch (HRW) for a global perspective on this topic:

Reading options:

1. “Covid 19 fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide,” Human Rights Watch, May 12, 2020. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/12/covid-19-fueling-anti-asian-racism-and-xenophobia-worldwide

2. Ivan Natividad, “Coronavirus: Fear of Asians rooted in long American history of prejudicial policies,” Berkeley News, February 12, 2020

https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/02/12/coronavirus-fear-of-asians-rooted-in-long-american-history-of-prejudicial-policies/

3. Stephanie Garcia, “’I am not a Virus’: How This Artist is Illustrating Coronavirus-Fueled Racism,” PBS, April 1, 2020. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/i-am-not-a-virus-how-this-artist-is-illustrating-coronavirus-fueled-racism

4. Anna Purna Kambhampaty and Haruka Sakaguchi, “’I Will Not Stand Silent.’ 10 Asian-Americans Reflect on Racism During the Pandemic and the Need for Equality.” Time, June 25, 2020. https://time.com/5858649/racism-coronavirus/

5. Sarah Li, “Anti-Asian Hate Has Surged during the Coronavirus Pandemic, Reports Find,” Teen Vogue, September 18, 2020. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/anti-asian-racism-stop-aapi-hate

6. Felix Sitthivong, “Coronavirus has sparked another epidemic in my prison: Anti-Asian Racism,” The Marshall Project, December 3, 2020. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/12/03/coronavirus-has-sparked-another-epidemic-in-my-prison-anti-asian-racism

7. Liz Mineo, “The scapegoating of Asian Americans,” Harvard Gazette, March 24, 2021. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/03/a-long-history-of-bigotry-against-asian-americans/

8. Michael Eric Dyson, “Why don’t we treat Asian American history the way we treat Black history,” Washington Post, March 26, 2021.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/asian-black-atlanta-history/2021/03/26/9f10a9ac-8d98-11eb-9423-04079921c915_story.html.

If you find you hit a firewall, use the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Cirx-q5wXJWd4bw0SUvRnp_zQRGGWug/view?usp=sharing

9. Jay Caspian King, “The Myth of Asian-American Identity,” The New York Times Magazine, October 5, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/magazine/asian-american-identity.html. If you find you hit a firewall, use the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qdAXaBKpA4qG6ycL6...
   

10. Sakshi Venkatraman, “Asian hate crimes rose 73% last year, updated FBI data says,” NBC News, October 25, 2021.https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-crimes-rose-73-last-year-updated-fbi-data-says-rcna3741

Streaming options:

11. Video from the Los Angeles Times: Epidemic of Hate: Asian Xenophobia and Coronavirus, February 3, 2020 [7:55] https://youtu.be/7nlenypkMww [7:55] and the accompanying article Suhuana Hassan, “Fear of coronavirus fuels racist sentiment targeting Asians, Los Angeles Times, February 3, 2020. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z4iu--gthgMAwX2iuQdjeCkrGDwqvmTx/view?usp=sharing

12. Article and video: Erin Donaghue, “2,120 Hate Incidents Against Asian Americans Reported During Coronavirus Pandemic,” CBS News, July 2, 2020 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anti-asian-american-hate-incidents-up-racism/

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The former President repeatedly referred to it as the “China virus” or the “Asian flu.” Insofar as we first became aware of a COVID-19 in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, that association has regrettably stuck for many Americans. What COVID has unleashed, not only in the United States but in far-flung places around the world, is anti-Chinese vitriol and, because of the long history of Asian interchangeability by non-Asians, anti-Asian views more broadly.

Xenophobia directed at Asians isn’t new, as we have/will see this week in class. What COVID has inspired is just the latest in a long history of anti-Asian hate.

President Biden signed S.937, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, sponsored by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), in May 2021. At the signing ceremony, Biden spoke eloquently of the “why” behind the legislation:

“We heard how too many Asian Americans have been waking up each morning this past year genuinely — genuinely — fearing for their safety just opening the door and walking down the street, and safety for their loved ones. The moms and dads who, when they let their kids out the door to go to school, were worried.

Attacked, blamed, scapegoated, harassed during this pandemic. Living in fear for their lives, as I said, just walking down street.

Grandparents afraid to leave their homes even to get vaccinated, for fear of being attacked.

Small business owners targeted and gunned down.

Students worried about two things: COVID-19 and being bullied.

Documented incidents of hate against Asian Americans have seen a shocking spike — as the Vice President has outlined at the front of her comments. Let alone — let alone the ones that have never been reported.

Gut-wrenching attacks on some of the most vulnerable people in our nation — the elderly, low-wage workers, women — brutally attacked simply by walking outside or waiting for a bus. Asian American women suffer twice as many incidents of harassment and violence as Asian American men.

And the conversation we had in Atlanta is one we’re hearing all across the country, that all of this hate hides in plain sight — it hides in plain sight — and too often, it is met with silence: silence by the media, silence by our politics, and silence by our history.

For centuries, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders — diverse and vibrant communities — have helped build this nation only to be often stepped over, forgotten, or ignored. You know, lived here for generations, but still considered, by some, the “other” — the “other.” It’s wrong. It’s simply — to use the phrase — it’s simply un-American.

My message to all of those of you who are hurting is: We see you. And the Congress has said: We see you. And we are committed to stop the hatred and the bias.”

The Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population in the United States, according to the US Census (as of 2020), is believed to number approximately 20 million people, roughly 7.7% of the total population in the nation. It constitutes the fastest growing population in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, Asian-Americans constitute the “highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States.”

So many non-Asians can’t distinguish among Asians—witness Valerie Soh’s keenly observed short All Orientals Look the Same [pointedly using the pejorative term, “Orientals”]--so they lump Asians all together. Not unlike the Native American voices we heard who wish that we would identify Native peoples by their tribes and not label them all “native” or “indigenous,” many Asians too wish people would acknowledge their specific places of origin, their differing circumstances, cultures, and histories, and not simply assume that “sameness.”

We know that Asians have been the target of dismissive language; think of the episode when then Boston School Committee chair, Michael Loconto, was caught on tape (in fall 2020) mocking Asian names. And they have been the target of growing violence—think most especially of the killings of Asian women at spas in Atlanta in spring 2021.

For you to consider in this post, after choosing from the readings/streamings above:

Why the hate? And why is this hate not new but is based in a long history of anti-Asian discrimination? And why are most non-Asians—and some Asians--minimally aware of this history?

How have Asians—who we already know are classified as “white” when it’s convenient (think of the example of the Boston School Committee) and are also classified as “other” or “POC”—confronted this othering? The latest version may be triggered by COVID but we know this has a long and sordid history.

What should Asians as well as non-Asians do today to be allies in response to what these articles and the video clips chronicle?

Maybe those are foolish questions. What we know from our work on discrimination and othering thus far is that issues of “us” and “them,” “superiority” and “inferiority,” the desire to identify an “in group” and an “out group” governs much of human interaction.

Please weigh in on these questions in a thoughtful, well-supported post, supported by what you learned from class, from the readings/streamings and from what you know from your own experiences. Don’t just generalize—be specific! And please do post a question for the next person to respond to in their post (and respond to the question posed prior to your posting!).

The hate displayed within many of these articles is not locked into one group, but instead varies based on race, ethnicity, religion, and even gender. In this case, we are focusing on anti-Asian hate. There is a long history of anti-Asian discrimination, but it has gone under the bridge for a long time. Prominent examples can be the propaganda used in WWII against the Japanese or during the massive influx of Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century. However, these examples are the ones that gained a large amount of attention due to the portrayal of Asians, which means there are many others that have basically disappeared. Most non-Asians and Asians are minimally aware of this history because of 2 major factors: media and silence. Media is a clear one, where information can become mainstream within minutes. However, there is not much media on the history of anti-Asian hate, with the few that do occur being quick and small articles, rather than being a headline. The “silence” is related to how Asians receive this information and then how they act upon it. Even now, I don’t always see a lot of Asians trying to stand up and taking action on what is happening. I think this is primarily due to the way that many are grown up in a household with a certain cultural standard, especially concerning independence, education, and collectivism / family. Silence is prominent, to the point that it can affect someone’s decision making, impulsiveness, and response to a situation. This connects to the fact that when Asians report a hate-crime, there is either a very minimal response or no response at all. From the article “Covid 19 Fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide” published by the Human Rights Watch, it explicitly stated “The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other federal agencies have not taken any specific actions to address the rise in racist attacks and discrimination, although several state and local governments have set up hotlines and directed authorities to investigate cases of attacks or discrimination”. Since there’s no response that validates the event that has occurred to them directly, it doesn’t matter as much as it would if it affected a larger group of people at once. These events are harbored for a short amount of time before it is quickly forgotten and then they move on with their lives, as they need to keep pushing forward.

Concerning how Asians are handling these issues, I still stand with the previous statement I made: there is little to no action. Right now, I can think of more anti-Asian hate crime incidents than I can think of activists who are confronting this issue. I think this is primarily due to a mindset of “Oh, someone else will do it”. Everyone is far too busy in their daily lives to take a change in their lives. If they do try to take a stand, then their whole life needs to be rearranged. Another factor is the way the Asian history and Asian-American movement is portrayed in the United States. There is not a key figure that is associated with the movement, nor is there a specific event that is associated with it. The movement is also portrayed in the media much less than another famous movement: Black Lives Matter movement. Within the article “Why don’t we treat Asian American history the way we treat Black history?” published by the Washington Post and written by Michael Eric Dyson, a professor at Vanderbilt University, had believed “The struggles of the Black American narrative — the arc from slavery to Barack Obama — are celebrated, contested and even sometimes disparaged. But there’s no denying that this narrative is well-known. We all grasp the importance of Black history to the American story, even if we argue over the proper emphasis” (Dyson). It’s argued that Black prejudice and discrimination is the default when talking about inequality and racism within American history. One group is so embedded within the history of our nation that it ignores the struggles of other ethnic and racial groups, failing to put all of them on an equal ground or even acknowledging it. Since there is a lack of awareness, that leads to a lack of understanding, which then leads to inaction.

Even now, I do not think there is much to be done about the events that have been recorded and shown. For Asians, it is a matter of figuring out how to dissect that broad umbrella of what is titled as “Asian” and for non-Asians, it’s a matter of figuring out how it connects to them. There may not be a personal connection, since they do not belong to that broad group, so it can stem from ideas of equality for all or to bring more awareness to the events that have happened in history.

There really is no reason for the Asian hate. In my opinion, “reasons” like the virus are just excuses to be racist. We notice this a lot in society. Maybe someone does something wrong and people immediately jump on them for it, but using insults towards things like their race, sexual identity, disabilities, etc. In this case though, the Asian people have done nothing wrong. They did “create” the virus, and many think they did, and certainly not all Asian people are carrying the virus either. Although not comparable, it reminds me of the recent Monkeypox scare, and how many believed only gay people could get it, so they used it is an excuse to be homophobic. It doesn’t help either that America’s former president seemed to encourage the scapegoating of Asian people. “The scapegoating of Asian Americans” mentions that Trump would call covid the “Chinese-virus,” and he even once called it the “kung-flu.” Not only is this incredibly inappropriate and childish, it makes racist people think that they can do the same thing. They figure that if someone as “smart” as the president believes Asians are to blame, then it must be true. The same article mentions Pearl Harbor, and how many Asians were generalized into one group, with all of them being blamed and attacked for something they didn’t do. Generalizing a community is very dangerous, especially in instances like this. We watched the video in class, where the artist showcased multiple different Asian people, attempting to prove that all Asians do NOT look the same. This stereotype is still very alive today, and many people assume that any Asian person they see is Chinese. This is harmful because it strips away one’s identity and sense of self. It is extremely disrespectful. The hate is also increased by people who think they are in the right, just because they are not outright screaming slurs at Asian people. They don’t believe they are subtly showcasing their racism, and so they continue to do it. For example, “‘I am not a virus.’ How this artist is illustrating coronavirus-fueled racism,” a young Asian girl was told by a white woman, “shouldn’t you get off this tram?” This was the woman’s way of saying “I am scared you’re carrying a virus simply because you are Asian.” I honestly don’t understand why many non-Asians and even some Asians don’t know. I do believe that Asian hate is very much ignored. I remember there was a clip from a comedy show, where a woman was talking about her experience in the nail salon. While talking about it, she mocked the worker with an offensive accent, and everyone laughed at it. It was a recent show too, which was very surprising.

I know that many Asian people who have experienced this hate have simply ignored the perpetrators, but this does not always work, it instead fuels the racist. In “Covid-19 Fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide,” someone was waiting at a bus stop when they started being verbally attacked. After ignoring this person, an object was thrown at them. Thankfully, the object didn’t hit them, but it could have caused catastrophic damage. Others, decide to express their anger and hurt through art. “I am not a virus” is a collection of arts in which Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom addresses the hate and blame that is being thrown towards Asian people.

I think the best thing we can do to be allies and combat this racism is recognize and act. As I have been mentioned before, many forms of “subtle” racism aren’t recognized as bad. These comments are ignored and often seen as light-hearted. A lot of these comments stem from common racist stereotypes. So, I believe to be allies, we attempt to eradicate these stereotypes, and stop letting racist comments slide under the radar. People need to start intervening as well. According to “Anti-Asian Hate Has Surged During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Reports Find,”

“young people are more likely than adults to be harassed at school, in public parks, and online. In almost half of these incidents, adults were present, but only in 10% of cases did bystanders intervene.”

My question for the next poster is: Why do you think Asian hate is often ignored?

Western countries always look for ways to encourage isolationism and xenophobia, while using people from different so-called races for their own economic gain. When it is convenient, whites use Asians as a “model” for all non-white races, sowing divisions within the POC community and disregarding the struggles that Asians face. When they need someone to blame, the US has never failed to find someone — whether it be Haitians with HIV, Mexicans with swine flu, or COVID-19 with Asians (as ‘I Will Not Stand Silent.’ 10 Asian-Americans Reflect on Racism During the Pandemic and the Need for Equality.” points out).

But this didn’t start during the pandemic. At the turn of the 20th century, Chinese immigrants were blamed for bringing in a disease in San Francisco, and what the SF government first did was close off Chinatown from the outside, not allowing anyone to go out — simply because the immigrant who received it was Chinese. This idea of the “other” has been here forever.

Asians people are characterized as meek, cunning, uncivilized animal eaters who steal women and jobs. American culture and government has systematically worked to breed Yellow Peril in the white community and has isolated Asians from other communities of color. Furthermore, Michael Eric Dyson identifies eloquently that the racial label that America has placed on who is Asian has made a group of diverse communities with so very different experiences sucked into one vacuum . All these communities with different problems that need to be addressed can’t get help because there are groups that are generalized as either end of the wealth spectrum or the education spectrum. To me, it’s taking a group of cats, dogs, chickens, and lions and feeding them all the same food and putting them in the same litter box.

This has happened within my lifetime. All that people really know about Asians, and East Asians in particular, is that they eat dogs, they’re smart and they started the COVID-19 pandemic. When I was in sixth grade, we were learning about Chinese history and a student said, “It’s so gross that Chinese people eat dogs. I feel so bad for the dogs.” I told her that it wasn’t really a common practice in China and she looked at me disgustedly. She repeated the sentiment multiple times to my constant disagreements and it turned into a shouting match.

In my majority-white middle school, many of my peers would come up to me and ask me to help them do their homework simply because they associate smartness with Asianness. It felt exhausting to always be the person to be expected to tutor others simply because of my racial identity. And I can’t imagine how other Asians who were struggling academically were able to receive help when the expectations that their peers and educators place on them are so high.

My mother also was spit on by an old lady during the pandemic, and all she did in reaction to the hateful incident was go to the bathroom to wash the spit off.

Asian Americans, like other communities of color, face multiple microaggressions within their lifetime. They’re often characterized as quiet and submissive, but they are the ones fighting their own battles. Despite the bystanders and the police who don’t do anything, they go on their days, knowing that they are stronger than the hate. Many are resisting and protesting. However, the former experience is one that Asian Americans have taken on for centuries in America.

The previous posters’ question was “Why is Asian hate ignored?” To me, it’s because of the idea of Model Minority. Asians are traditionally seen as successful and hard-working people living out the American Dream, which is simply not true for the majority of Asian Americans. Asian Americans are the most economically diverse group, with people on so many ends of that economic spectrum, that you can’t put one average number to an entire group of people. However, this assumption has led us to believe that the Asian race is not struggling and aren't the ones who need support.

The question of anti-Blackness within the Asian American community has been one that I have been pondering on for a long time. I’ve had discussions (many that were very heated) with family members who immigrated from China who have this notion that they’ve succeeded just fine in America, so why can’t other communities? They themselves believe stereotypes placed upon Black and Latino communities in particular. To me, this defeats the whole purpose of unity and empowerment. They push others down and bring themselves up.

I believe that this generation, children of Asian immigrants born within the social media age, have taken the initiative to reteach and become more educated on their history and have taken inspiration from powerful movements like Black Lives Matter as a gateway into bringing the unique experiences and history of those called AAPI into the general curriculum.

My question is, what assumptions have you made about Asian Americans? If you identify as an Asian American, do you notice a double-standard in privilege and hate, and do you internalize some of the stereotypes about yourself?

Hate like this will exist when society otherizes another group of people. Americans separated Asians from their humanity and society. We learned this through the building of the railroad, racist posters, and propaganda where asian americans were subjugated to poor working conditions with low pay and little representation. Americans saw asians as submissive on one hand, easy to control and dominate. And on the other side, they saw Asians as a threat to national security, arguing that they would prey on their women, take their jobs, and be evil. Sara Li from Teen Vogue shows that there has been an exponential rise in hate crimes since the pandemic started exposing more recent events surrounding asian hate. This racism has been entrenched with little awareness until now. Both Dyson of the Washington Post and Kang of the New York Times agree that Asian American history is different from the history of other groups. Dyson uses this as a justification for why Asian American racism is less discussed and makes a comparison between Asian American history and African American history education in America. However, Kang notes that this ideology is subjugated within whiteness and classism arguing that Asian Americans, the privileged ones, focus on why aren’t they living like white people instead of how do we liberate the oppressed. Education systems have also failed to educate about Asian American history. It hasn’t been a priority since day one and that should change. From reading about the Rape of Naking, I learned that the education about the Nanking Masscare was sparse all across the globe except China. Yet, this event has been one of the most problematic and scary events in history.

Asians are currently in an interesting position: They are often stuck between being the model minority or the victim, unable to escape either. On one hand, they are the tool of oppression from white people to criticize other minorities. The model minority is used to uphold structures of oppression that others face by discounting their struggles. What’s worse is that this sentiment is often highly internalized within asian communities. As Dyson points out, Asians use whiteness as a supreme goal, dividing minority against minority. Racism within the Asian American community is internalized far too much. On the other hand, they are the victims. The model minority myth generalizes all Asians togethers and puts pressure on all of them combined. Asians are seen as weak, inferior, submissive: “They are the ones that can be pushed down if needed.” The stereotypes against them are malicious and lead to constant instances of hate crimes or microaggressions. From what I’ve seen, the stereotypes that are pitted against asian Americans are commonly ingrained in the youth of America: small eyes, being bad at driving, eating docs, etc. However, society has seen moves to increase solidarity between Asian Americans and Black Americans. However, these moves are sometimes futile because they attempt to match Black struggles with Asian American struggles. Without a doubt, both groups are important and need to be unified but as Dyson showcases the struggles of slavery and the Jim Crow South are vastly different and should not be treated as the same.

I think Asian Americans need to confront the communities they are in. Asian communities contain a lot of internalized racism against other Asians and against other minorities. We need to dismantle the model minority myth and stop grouping Asians together. Recognizing the diversity of the entire region is an important step towards understanding the harmful stereotypes that plague Asians. From there, Asians should question how to dismantle systems of oppression for everyone. Most of all, Asians should use this time of reckoning to speak louder than ever before. There is an opening for people to rise up right now and we should use it. Non Asian Americans should recognize the lack of discussion about Asian Americans. Even while the pandemic ravaged the Asian American community, there still hasn’t been enough attention to issues plaguing the community. It has seemed like we push Asian Americans to the side of discussion.

To answer the question above (@renassiance), I have definitely witnessed a double-standard in hate and privilege. My family and many others have adopted a very elitist world view: one that prides itself on competition and winning. Work hard or lose. We push ourselves up to downgrade others and that has manifested itself into the model minority myth being perpetuated in a multitude of ways. For a very long time, I internalized a lot of the racism between Asians and the African American community, especially when it came to things like academics and income. I’ve also seen friends confidently believe Asians are superior to others.

My question to the person below: What is one, specific, actionable thing people can do right now to address racism against Asian Americans.

How have Asians—who we already know are classified as “white” when it’s convenient (think of the example of the Boston School Committee) and are also classified as “other” or “POC”—confronted this othering? The latest version may be triggered by COVID but we know this has a long and sordid history.

- I remember when the Boston School Committee announced that Asian people would now be classified as white and ai remember thinking to myself of how problematic and tone deaf it truly was. they were basically stripping Asian Americans of their culture and placing them into a box for your benefit. Oddly enough they would be considered 'white' without the 'white treatment'. As in they would still be discriminated against because they're Asian but on paper they are white. It all becomes a confusing concept but can be summed up to them being considered white when it is convenient to white people but discriminated against as if they aren’t.

What should Asians as well as non-Asians do today to be allies in response to what these articles and the video clips chronicle?

-We can be allies by speaking up but not over Asian Americans. It isn't our place to speak for them but we can amplify their voices to get a wider reach and to gain international attention on issues Asian Americans often face in silence. According to

Question for the next person.

- How are you going to further you knowledge on discrepancies pertaining to the Asian American community before and after covid?

Why the hate? And why is this hate not new but is based in a long history of anti-Asian discrimination? And why are most non-Asians—and some Asians--minimally aware of this history?

Societal hatred is not a new concept, especially in the modern world. Given that the majority of hate stems from fear, it is not surprising there is so much of it in America. While the modern day example of the fear from the pandemic can obviously be used as a reason for anti-Asian hate, hate for Asian people is not a new idea whatsoever. When Asian immigrants first started arriving in America in the late 19th century, racism and xenophobia greatly limited their ability to assimilate. Later, at the end of World War Two, propaganda against the Japanese once again spiked anti-asian hate, residue of which still exists today. These events show that whenever people have reason to be afraid of a certain group, they lash out at people with nothing to do with the issue. The pandemic was a very scary time to be alive, and that fear transferred itself to anger towards a perceived cause. I think most people do not know this history because it’s a lot easier to live one’s normal life without worrying about other groups and what their issues are.

The reason that Asian people are sometimes viewed as white, and sometimes viewed as POC is because of convenience. I think some people both use them as an example of the “Model Minority”, but other times completely otherize them, and associate them with COVID-19. Unfortunately, I think the confrontation of these polarized identities has not always been positive. One sentiment I have noticed in Asian communities is the idea that if they manage to escape poverty in a new country, then any racial group, regardless of history, can too. This high-horse style of thinking does not properly recognize the racial boundaries put on certain groups, and the history of systemic racism in this country. Another way I have seen this confrontation occur is with self deprecating humor. As someone who onced used it to cover my own insecurities, it always feels very sad when a friend makes a joke about their own cultural heritage. I think that unhealthy ways of confronting these ideas of Asian people have been used by people across the board, and for the best outcome for Asians, these ideas must be rejected and destroyed.

As a non-Asian myself I sometimes struggle with the way to be an ally. While I don’t want to come across as a virtue signaler, I also want to show Asian people that they have support from other groups of people. However, on a personal level, I try to stop any instance of anti-Asian redirect that I can, usually in conversation or jokes with friends. I additionally think that as Americans we all need to make sure that our actions do not harm or belittle any other group. I think in this wave of anti-Asian hate, we must come together as a community of people of all colors and help those who need it right now, especially by dispelling any untrue stereotypes and stopping any racist incidents we see.

The hate has always been present in America, its just more apparent sometimes more than others. We saw all the Anti-Asian imagery in class. The imagery was meant to make Asians seem like a threat but also puny but never human. According to the images, Asians were like dragons, like lice, like snakes, like octopuses, a threat to America, a threat to the American family, a threat to American women, and yet small puny and helpless.A lot of people at the time saw the images before they ever met an Asian person. Though it may have been stronger then than now, too much of this hate been passed down and too much of this hate persists. What persists even more is the othering. Professor John A Powell is quoted in the Berkeley News article Coronavirus: Fear of Asians rooted in long American history of prejudicial policies: “‘It’s an assumption that the West, particularly Anglo-American Christians, should dominate the world,’ said powell, who is director of Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute. ‘So, somehow, Asians are seen as not real Americans and not to be trusted’”. So many Americans today make that assumption whether they know it or not. It’s going to take a lot for the effects of this history, as well as the hateful state of the country to disappear.

So many people aren’t aware of this history of Asian hate, because it isn’t taught well enough. Not enough people know the story of Vincent Chin. Not enough people know how persistent Anti Asian racism was throughout all US history. We need to make sure that all this history is taught at schools.

COVID made the hate so much more present and apparent. There has always been anti Asian hate, but more hate comes when you give people who internally other Asian people a “reason” to hate. In the Human Rights Watch article Covid-19 Fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide it says that “Several political parties and groups, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Greece, France, and Germany have also latched onto the Covid-19 crisis to advance anti-immigrant, white supremacist, ultra-nationalist, anti-semitic, and xenophobic conspiracy theories that demonize refugees, foreigners, prominent individuals, and political leaders”. Political figures seem to never stop using their influence to spread hate. The effects of the xenophobic ideas spread by politicians and groups can not be understated.

There are many vocal Asian Americans who express their anger and dissatisfaction through many platforms, but there should definitely be so many more. The PBS article “’I am not a Virus’: How This Artist is Illustrating Coronavirus-Fueled Racism,” tells the story of Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom’s works. “As a cartoonist and graphic designer, Sjöblom’s work aims to broaden the representation of people of color, with a particular focus on East Asians”. Despite great artists like Sjöblom, not enough is being done (by anyone) about the “othering” of Asians. Asian American kids learn to live with all the microaggressions and subtle remarks at school. Small things like being told your lunch smells bad, are far too common. It connects to eugenics and the word “Normal”. People in America have this idea of what’s “normal” and what isn’t, which makes a lot of Asians feel like they don’t belong, sometimes trying to belong by somewhat distancing themselves from their culture. One of the anonymous speakers in “The Myth of Asian-American Identity,” on the New York Times says, “But as long as these tragedies reroute the specific class, immigration and gender politics at play into the squishier problems of professional Asian Americans, the nation that’s built will too often ask, ‘Why aren’t we treated like white people?’ instead of, ‘What can we do to liberate ourselves and all other oppressed people?’”. I think a lot of Asian Americans ask themselves that first question, try to answer it, and end up not finding anything meaningful out of it. The second question is one that not enough people focus on answering. It is a much harder question to approach, but it’s the question that will lead to something powerful.

What allies can do is educate themselves, spread that knowledge, be vocal, and be outraged. There is so much history that not enough people know about, and not enough people understand how present Asian hate is in America. We need to learn about what happened, what happens, and what the impacted people have to say. We need to make the history known, we need to make the ugliness of our present country known. In the many stories we read from Asian Americans on their experiences, it was common that when the victims of hate crimes tried to speak out, nobody really stood up for them. Maybe some people acknowledged the wrongdoing, but nobody was ever outraged or did anything about it. Its so easy to get away with hate.

To answer Mylienta’s question, How are you going to further you knowledge on discrepancies pertaining to the Asian American community before and after covid?:

I’m definitely going to go back to standagainsthatred.org to learn more about all these real people’s stories. I’m going to keep up with whats going on in the news. I’m going to try my best to learn all that I can.

My question is:

Do you think this hate is just as present or more present or less present in our school environment?

It’s no surprise that there’s hate. There will always be hate towards groups and peoples who are different, and Asians are no different. Asian hate has always been present in America, ever since the influx of Chinese immigrants during the gold rush. From the Chinese Exclusion Act, to plague outbreak in California, the Japanese internment camps, and the coronavirus pandemic. Asian hate has always been present, just unnoticed. I think that one reason that Asians are so easily ignored is because of their general lack of representation in the media, or anywhere really. Growing up, the only prominent Asian characters I ever saw on TV, at least that I can recall, were London Tipton and Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb. Just the two. And whenever Asian faces did pop up, they were Asian. Like, not just another average American who happened to be of Asian descent Asian, but the straight A, broken English, strict parents kind of Asian who’s entire character was built around these Asian stereotypes. The kind of character who quite literally could not be defined as anything but Asian, the kind of character that just completely falls apart by changing their race. Asian peoples have never been treated seriously, including in discrimination, so any hate crimes that occur are just quietly swept under the rug. People only take notice when the crimes start to spike, like in the aftermath of 2020, when Asian hate crimes increased by an incredulous 73%. And as time drags on and the spike starts to flatten out, the general public moves onto the next public scandal, without ever seeking justice for the past. To the general public of American society, crimes aren’t crimes anymore, they’re trends. Not to mention, the general lack of focus on Asian history. Anything that has to do with Asia feels like it gets sidelined for some more important conflict in the Western world. For example, the atrocities of the Vietnam War and the genocides that followed, as well as the ramifications of Agent Orange, should be public knowledge, especially in America. Yet, the war is briefly mentioned in curricula in favor of other aspects of American history, like the Industrial Revolution. It really does imply that Eastern history, and by extension Eastern culture, has no place in the West.

The language barrier is another large reason for the neglect of Asian discrimination. We don’t speak Romantic languages, so it only makes our English seem more broken, more flawed. We can’t go to the authorities if we don’t speak the same language, so we’re forced to internalize it, silently carrying the trauma. In other instances, the world has become so black and white (literally) that it almost feels guilty to speak out. The idea of “oppression olympics” have made some people afraid of speaking out, because there are other people who have it worse. The model minority myth has harmed Asian-American integrity so much to the point where our stories can be immediately ignored as champagne problems, because of some preconceived notions that we’re secretly superior to everyone else. In the Teen Vogue article, one of the interviewees, Beth, talked about how xenophobia shaped her childhood, and how she felt like she was never enough because of societal expectations on Asian-Americans. When people feel this way about themselves, their self-worth plummets, and how are people supposed to seek help when they feel that they aren’t deserving of it? It just furthers the cycle of silence, furthers the trauma that the model minority myth has placed onto us.

Asians are classified as white when it’s convenient thanks to our generally paler complexion compared to other peoples of color, yet we have enough distinct traits to just as easily be othered. America loves to put us on a pedestal because we’re all miraculously and naturally gifted at math, and simultaneously shoot us down because our eyes are too small. It’s so easy to generalize all of Asia under one umbrella, yet every ethnicity has a different background that goes unheard of. Filipinos, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese; all of these ethnicities are culturally distinct, yet if one group has any reason to be prejudiced against, they will all be judged. Like how Vincent Chin, a Chinese man, was attacked because of disdain against Japanese car companies, or how all Asians are being attacked for a virus that’s supposedly only China’s fault. (Thanks, Trump) This special case only further isolates Asian-Americans from all others. We’re too “white” to be associated with other people of color, but we’re not actually white, so we can’t associate with the genuinely white people. We exist in a vacuum, unable to really reach out to others for help, and with no one being able to speak for us or relate to us other than fellow Asian-Americans.

One of the biggest things that Asians around the world can do is build a sense of solidarity with one another. The cultures of Asia are so distinct that there will never, truly be Asian solidarity, especially with all of the atrocities that Asian countries have committed against one another. However, as Asian-Americans and even Asian-Europeans experience similar racist incidents in the Western world, we should come together and make sure our stories are heard. I may not be Korean or Swedish, but I relate heavily to the experiences of Lisa Wool Rim Sjöblom, and by making her stories heard it’s like making my stories heard. Non-Asians can uplift these stories, and help make sure that they are heard by everyone. They can never speak for us, but they can help us speak out. As long as these stories are heard, people will start to take action, and changes can be made.

The person before me asked about the presence of Asian hate within Boston Latin School, and I feel that it definitely exists. We are one of the largest demographics at the school, despite being one of the smallest in the district, and this unique position isolates us from others. Even if Asian hate isn’t being actively performed in our building, you can still see the side effects of how Asian hate has impacted the Asian students of our student body. I remember telling my friend how I got a 60 on a math test, and the look of shock on her face that she failed to hide. We learned to mask our trauma, literally, and some of us still do so today. The amount of Asian prejudice in the building doesn’t necessarily stem from the environment of the school itself, but rather from American society as a whole. I’m sure we could host workshops to educate on offensive stereotypes against Asians, but those kinds of workshops only work on people who want to change, not people who are forced to go.

Although hate against Asian-Americans spiked during the rise of Covid-19, racism against Asians has always been a huge issue in the United States and has been for over a century. The pandemic only gave people an excuse to showcase their hatred behind a mask of concern for their safety. Supposedly, the main reason why white Americans were hated by white Americans was because of competition for jobs in the late 1800s-1900s. However, I believe it goes much deeper than that. As professor John A. Powell said in the Berkeley News article, this hate is “...not about trade or free-market competition, but instead about preserving white American dominance.” If the long lasting historic hate against Asian-Americans was actually about immigrants taking jobs, then European immigrants would have faced the same amount of hate, yet they didn’t. The Chinese Exclusion Act was made in an effort to preserve white purity (a topic also discussed in APUSH). I would say that the main reason why people are so unaware about the history of Asian-American discrimination is because it is not taught nearly as much as it should be in schools. America has a trend of trying to romanticize itself as the best country in the world, where everyone is treated equally and in order to build this facade, its dark past of racism and hate against many different minority groups is often shoved aside or made to seem not as bad.

One of the main ways that Asians have been fighting back against the spike in hate is by informing others of the history behind Asian-Americans, specifically the racism that they had to face throughout history. The main reason they were targeted as immigrants was not because they were immigrants, but because they were not white/European immigrants. Calling Asians “white” when convenient is utterly baffling considering their long history of discrimination (especially from white people). As for how they responded to the hate crimes during Covid-19, as Racheal Lama in the Harvard Gazette article said, “...this younger generation is coming together and standing up for their parents and their older family members.” As an Asian-American myself, it was very daunting to see news stories about Asian woman being attacked while my mom was at work. It was so very inspiring to see people my age (and a bit older) stand up and speak out against the hate in order to defend our elders.

In the face of hatred, the main thing Asians and non-Asians could do to better the issue is to spread awareness. Directly speaking out against these hate crimes (directly condemning it) would also play a large role in making people realize how horrible these events truly are. As said in the Time article on anti-Asian racism, people like Donald Trump referring to the Covid-19 virus as “...the ‘Chinese virus’ and more recently the ‘kung flu,’ has helped normalize anti-Asian xenophobia, stoking public hysteria and racist attacks.” Someone as popular as Donald Trump actively advocating for hatred against Asians (specifically Chinese people in this case) played a large role in making people more comfortable in expressing their hate; If the president approves, then what’s stopping them? The ignorance of people like Trump also feeds into the xenophobia that is very much present in American society. As John Sifton said in the Human Rights Watch article, “...Governments should act to expand public outreach, promote tolerance, and counter hate speech while aggressively investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.” Having those in power actively condemning anti-Asian hate could play a large role in changing society’s mindset. However, the responsibility does not just stop at those in power; anybody could play a role in stopping anti-Asian hate by spreading awareness. Be allies by standing with those that need support, and actively speak out against racist ideology.

To answer drakefan02’s question, I think anti-Asian hate is still very much present in our school environment, though it is less direct and more in the form of microaggressions. This indirect form of racism is much easier for people to express because it can easily be passed off as a joke. Chinese people and their culture are usually the butt of the joke as well (new jokes about Chinese people, particularly Chinese language, trend around once a month). People in our school are not immune from this hate. I’ve also met plenty of other Asians who make these racist jokes because they don’t think it’s a big deal, and it’s incredibly disappointing to see how the internet has shaped them into thinking these jokes aren’t actually racist and that people are sensitive for speaking out against them. Off the top of my head, I can already list two encounters I’ve had with other Asian students that have made anti-Asian jokes (such as the dog eating joke). Boston Latin School is not immune to this type of rhetoric.

My Question: Why is it so much easier for people to make jokes about Asians and then claim they’re not racist afterwards?

The hate brought to Asian Americans in this country, I believe is to be primarily brought by the influence of higher political figures on us. A prime example of this is Donald Trump’s use of the term “Chinese Virus”, as well as Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State), “Wuhan Virus”, and the contribution of political groups from Italy, the United Kingdom, and more, as said by “Covid-19 is fueling anti-Asian racism and xenophobia worldwide” by the Human Rights Watch. However, this trend is seen also all the way back in 1871, to a Chinese massacre that happened in Los Angeles, as well followed by the Page Exclusion Act in 1875, excluding Chinese women from the US, and the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. This drags on in 2020, with nearly 3,800 Asian hate crimes, as listed in the Stop AAPI Hate, as said in “The scapegoating of Asian Americans” by the Harvard Gazette. Asian people are posting instances on social media, and making music and art from this hate, showing the world what is really happening to them, which helps people realize that it's not only happening in cities like New York but in places like Texas. People are finally standing up for these things and reporting them to make a record of this, as stated in “An epidemic of hate: anti-Asian hate crimes amid coronavirus” by the Los Angeles Times. One of the artists documenting this hate is Korean-Swedish artist Lisa wool-rim Sloblom. She made a series of artworks under the title, called “I’m not a virus”, which has direct influence by the hate brought to her by the coronavirus. One that really sticks out to me is a painting of an Asian kid painting his own face white, which is sad because it reminds us that this is only happening because of the tone of people’s skin. Overall, this issue should be addressed more, and higher political people should stop thinking industrially and more about the well-being of their citizens.