So+W+L’s+2018+OpEd+Article


 * Racism Against Asians **

When we see blackface or white people wearing cornrows, it is clearly racist and cultural appropriation.

When we see white people stretching their eyes or wearing a kimono ”, we often laugh it off as a joke and see it as a new fashion trend.

We see one as cultural appropriation but another as fashion. We see one as a racist remark but another as a light joke. Are they both not inappropriate comments that attack an entire race?

Why are we reacting to racists remarks differently when they are targeted towards different populations? I am by no means saying the attention racism towards the African population should be minimized in anyway as it rightfully deserves attention if not more. However, the normalizing of racism towards Asians should also be addressed. It does not matter if you are African American, Chinese, or Mexican: racism is racism.



It is absolutely baffling when people think it acceptable to ask someone of Asian ethnicity if they eat dog meat. When I was younger and asked such questions, I laughed and answered “no” in a light hearted manner. In our society and culture, we are taught from a young age that to call someone the n word is not okay. But sadly, we’re not taught that to call someone a chink or to assume all Asians eat dogs is racist. This normalizing and minimization of racism against Asians, allows for discrimination against Asians to go unopposed.

I was astonished to learn this year from a close friend that there was a piece of legislation that completely barred the Chinese from entering the United States: the Chinese Exclusion Act. It lasted for nearly 60 years, yet despite its inherent racist underlying purpose, it is ignored in classrooms. However, this legislation was not the only one that banned an entire race from coming to the U.S. The Oriental Exclusion Act of the 1924 Immigration Act banned nearly all Asian races along with others from entering. Slapping Asians with the label “model minority” is awfully insulting as it completely overlooks the hardships and discrimination the Asians faced— and still do face!

If you think it's harmless to say something as simple as “Asians are so smart”, think again. It doesn’t matter if you say “all Asians are geniuses” or if you say “go back to China”. You are creating a culture that puts down Asians. You are a part of the reason some Asians feel the need to stereotype themselves to fit in and be socially accepted by their fellow white peers.



Discrimination of Asians is also seen frequently found in the college admission process. “Princeton sociologists Thomas Espenshade and Alexandria Walton Radford reviewed admissions data from 10 elite colleges and found that, on average, Asian applicants needed to score 140 points higher on standardized test than white students to compete for the same spot.” (Huffington Post) A student should not have to have a higher SAT score than their white counterparts just because they are of different heritage. This is inequality. This is unfair bias. This is racism.