Week 5

Riyan Lacara
ASA 002 A02
Week 5

Darell Hamamoto's piece, "Empire of Death and the Plague of Civic Violence" displays how a nation during wartime can hurt its citizens, even after the war may have ended. Specifically, this piece shows the victimization of Asians and Asian-Americans in the United States, during and after the Vietnam war. Different people singled out their victims and did a variety of things to them, from raping them to genital mutilation, but there seemed to be a common theme of hateful sentiment towards the Asian and Asian-American communities.

I couldn't help but be disgusted by the acts that were shown in this piece. There are so many sick things a person fueled by hate can do. And, this piece just serves as a testament to that.  I was especially horrified to read the case of Konerak Sinthasomphone. Just the fact that the police officers were so nonchalant about what they saw is sickening in it of itself. However, the family was hurt by the system that was supposed to help them. When the Sinthasomphones moved the US, they were probably expecting safety, since there were living in the war-torn areas of Southeast Asia. But, just over a decade of immigrating to the US, their child gets caught in a killing spree that lasted 13 years.

Question: Why is this the first time I'm hearing of these crimes that were perpetrated against Asian and Asian-American citizens, in this era of the United States?

References

1. Boggs, C. (2003). Masters of War: Militarism and Blowback in the Era of American Empire. New York, New York: Routledge.
2. "Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans in L.A. County Triples in 2015." You Offend Me You Offend My Family. N.p., 5 Oct. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.