Week 2
Section A02
The connection between the Ferguson community and the Asian community is not just one of shared cultural stress and oppression as Soya Jung proposes it is—it’s more than that. She referred to “hen,” a concept of deep hatred and resentment towards an aggressor that could only be relieved through revenge. A blood-boiling and unlawful purge of rage however is the enemy of change. When violence propels a social and political revolution, the oppressed only become oppressors. There is no point in causing harm to the doers — its not going to change their minds, only encourage more violent thoughts. But inaction is just as bad as oppression. That’s why it matters for every human in the world. In fact, the real connection between these events is the lack of humanity and freedom for every human. I believe, just as MLK did, that every act of oppression affects us all. It is therefore our moral imperative to work for justice in the name of equality and peace.
But how? My grandparents would tell me that the best time to end a war is before it starts. You see, what this event signifies a failure of the U.S. education system. If compassion and empathy were taught as a subject worthy of study as much as science and writing and art, “oppression” would fall out of our vocabulary and cease to exist. A true commitment to education would imply an effort towards coalition building and cooperation.
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