Section A02
Reading Reflection #1
In response to: "Asian Pacific Americans' Social Movements and Interest Groups"
Reading "Asian Pacific Americans' Social Movements and Interest
Groups," one of the common themes that stood out to me was that in times
of ethnic-specific issues, the seemingly heterogeneous Asian groups united as
one to form a movement because of their common stakes. When the article
mentioned the ethnic-issue of the fatal beating of Chinese American Vincent
Chin, I recalled when I read about that case in ASA 3. This hate crime stuck
with me because its story showcased the reality at that time and what change
this crime brought to the Asian American community. Two white autoworkers that
were laid off from their jobs (due to competition with Japanese workers) sought
to relieve their anger by beating Chin (whom they had mistaken as Japanese) to
death. The sentence the two men received was probation and a $3,780 fine. The
light punishment reflects the position that Asians had during that time. Also, this
hate crime has led to the mobilization of the Asian American community as a
whole. The common grounds of hate crime have unified the community due to its
common stakes. At the end, the mobilization did not impose a harsher sentence
for the two men, but the unification for this hate crime did serve as a
stepping stone for further mobilization against racial discrimination in the
future of Asian Americans. This article makes me think that, as long as Asian
Americans are unified, they have the capability of establishing a movement and
creating a better future. Therefore, the concept of pan-ethnic movement seems
to be the factor that should be taken into consideration when looking into the
current issue concerning the Asian American community.
Question: Are the
stereotypes that separate the Asian groups (ie. model minority) purposely
created to impose a sense of separation so that the Asian American community
cannot unify and impose change or equality?
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