Asian American Hate

I. Foreigners When my grandmother immigrated to America in 1956, there were one million Asian Americans living in the United States. Now, the country is home to about twenty million Asian Americans. But as the Asian American population grew, so did racist perceptions. Ever since Asians began a mass wave of immigration in the 1800s, they have been depicted as diseased, yellow-skinned foreigners—images that have increased in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what makes Asian Americans so ostracized? I was born in Hong Kong. I came here when I was 3 years old, and my family immigrated here for the same reason most families immigrate to America, which is to seek better economic opportunities. However, cultural differences have often estranged immigrants from the rest of society. Many often assimilate, or adopt Western customs, to fit in. We tend to think of cultural identity as something that’s fixed, which isn’t, and westernization and assimilation as a loosening or shedding of cultural identity. Historically, it's the minority population that's had to do the hard work of assimilating to the values of the majority. Still, cultural divides inhibit many from seeing beyond this “perpetual foreigner” stereotype, which is only reinforced by the media. II. Media I think the root cause of xenophobia and racism toward Asians and Asian Americans is a great poverty and failure of the imagination. By that, I mean high art, popular art, media, movies, advertisements, sports, the fashion industry, the list goes on. From the model minority standard to the dragon lady trope, these portrayals have formed a limited view of Asian Americans. They have a thick accent, they are subservient, obsequious, inscrutable, and they all live in Chinatown. They work in Chinese restaurants or as delivery drivers or work in the laundromat. Or they’re extras in the background. During the pandemic, former President Trump’s referral to COVID-19 as the “China virus” has only increased the animosity toward all Asian Americans, not just those of Chinese descent. Oftentimes, the term “Chinese” lumps together many ethnic groups, with the assumption that “all Asians look alike.” Historically, there's been a stereotype of Asians being dirty, vermin-like, subhuman, so when you throw in the terms and connect them—China with virus—it’s not a descriptor anymore. It becomes a very loaded and racially charged term. III. Hate Crimes My reaction to the uptick of Anti-Asian hate crimes. Well, it was anger, disgust, fear, sadness, but I think the saddest reaction of all would be… That it was predictable. Aside from physical violence, Asian Americans regularly face microaggressions such as others mocking their eyes or dialect. While often passed off as “teasing,” these actions are not harmless but rather a form of estrangement, which eventually incites violence. IV. Solutions Well, first I don't think you can ever eradicate hate crimes, because you can never fully eradicate racism, tribalism, provincialism, provolkialism, ignorance. It’s endemic. We need to actively discuss discrimination in America. Prejudices against Asian Americans did not end after the Webb–Haney Act of 1913, which prohibited “aliens” (or Asian Americans) from owning agricultural land in California. Reparations for the Japanese internment camps of World War II did not solve the lasting suspicion of Japanese people. Chinatowns in America, now popular tourist sites, were historically created to isolate and separate Chinese immigrants from American society. So one way we can help with anti-Asian sentiment and xenophobia in America is if more Asians are allowed in levers of power that affect change, in politics, and also in culture. So right now, it’s the struggle of black and white America seated at the table, engaged in conversation and heated debate about who gets to write the narrative, who gets to tell the story of America. Maybe it’s time that Asians should also have a seat at the table and help in writing that narrative.