Reading Reflection #4
Melody Ly
Section A01
April 16, 2015
As described in this article by George Koo, I would be more classified as an “old Chinese.” Albeit, that does not mean I am absolutely oblivious to some of my country’s, the US, practices. When the government and media of the States convicted Wen Ho Lee of committing espionage for the Chinese, it seemed they had done so ignoring ethical judiciary practices. By racial profiling Lee and assuming he was guilty of his allegations, the government had set the tone for the next generation of ethnic scientists in America.
For a while now, I have heard America’s sciences are no longer up to par compared to those internationally. Koo's analysis that “the direct aftermath of [Lee’s] case is shattered morale among the staff of the national labs” is a logical reason. Positions at labs are left vacant because Asian Americans and foreign scientists are afraid to be put at risk of discrimination and racial profiling should another incident of leaked government secrets occurs. Due to Lee’s case, Asian American and scientists of other ethnicities do not feel safe exploring all of their professional options. This also puts America at a disadvantage because there are incredible minds in the world that could, given the right circumstances, perform outstandingly and excel our current scientific limit.
Perhaps Koo meant to characterized Lee as an “old Chinese” because people today are more involved. They are knowledgable of injustices by companies and governments. Thus, “new Chinese” among the rainbow of other colors, are limiting their own potential. Do you think we can come back from this negligence so that scholars can practice what they have studied for without fear of prejudice?
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