Section A04
Week 9
This week’s reading on the history and future of Asian American activism, “The ‘Four Prisons’ and the Movements of Liberation” by Glenn Omatsu, brought up many points I found relevant when considering not only the current state of Asian American political activism, but about politics within the Asian American communities that I am personally familiar with. Omatsu’s section on neoconservatism, and especially Asian American neoconservatism. Though the attitudes that I have witnessed may not completely align with Omatsu’s definition of neoconservatism (especially the parts about being raised/having come to age under Reagan), similarities persist nonetheless, especially along ideological lines. The conditions that allowed for this conservative ideology to take hold within Asian American communities continue become further entrenched in the workings of daily life, resulting in the spreading of conservatism through largely Asian American areas, such as Orange County, and the rise of prominent Asian American conservatives like Young Kim. Much of this conservative mindset hinges on flawed ideas of meritocracy and ignores the very real mechanisms of institutionalized discrimination at work keeping disadvantaged populations from being able to access the same resources as advantaged populations. In turn, what the widespread adoption of a neoconservative ideology leads to is the consequent strengthening of the “model minority” stereotype and the practices that accompany it, as well as a widening gap between the most privileged members of the community and the least privileged. What further steps need to be taken to encourage more education about subjects like the history of the activism of people of color in the United States, as well as to foster the growth of solidarity between communities as a whole?
References:
Omatsu, G. (2012). The 'four prisons' and the movements of liberation. The State of Asian America, 19-69.
Image Source:
Yellow Peril Supports Black Power Retrieved March 3, 2019, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-truong/yellow-peril-supports-bla_b_7781586.html
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