Week 5- Angela Moy

Angela Moy
A01
Week 5

Darrell Y. Hamamoto's, Empire of Death and the Plague of Civic Violence, highlights the strong bearings of violence in civilian life, post-war. The rise of the "serial killer" and these violent acts surged after the Vietnam War. Hamamoto especially specifies the military backgrounds of the killers, and the Asian backgrounds of many of the victims. He finishes his piece by concluding the point that these behaviors are not just of the killers' own. He implies the governmental and imperial implications these murders all fall into.

Upon reading this, I kept stopping and having to come back to it. it was extremely shocking and terrifying. I understand the problem of gun violence in the United States, but never really connected it with the war culture we have here. Now I see everything has a meaning to it, and you just have to look for the answers. Yes, these killers were cruel, cold-hearted people, but they are not solely to blame. The culture of violence that the government has perpetuated timelessly since imperialism has rung loud and clear throughout American history. From the Trail of Tears, to slavery, to the obsession of claiming black lives, America has nothing to blame but the remnants of imperialism and colonization. Eurocentrism runs deep—from white supremacy to even beauty standards. The figure of the white man/woman has the upper hand in several societies, and this belief runs deep in everything. It comes no surprise to me when white people feel no sympathy or label POC as "troublesome" or "ungrateful" when we protest the inequality in our systems, when nearly all systems have existed and to this day, exist, to benefit them. Education, careers, and opportunities are seen as their birthrights, but are "snatched" from the whites when we advocate for them.


Questions: Why does America continually choose to ignore its roots in white supremacy and violence? Why do we discredit POC and their accomplishments and contributions to the US?

References:
[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://images.memes.com/meme/142267
Boggs, C. (2003). Masters of War: Militarism and Blowback in the Era of American Empire. New York, New York: Routledge.