Asian American Studies 2 : Sally Tran, A01, Week 2

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Sally Tran, A01, Week 2

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been anti-Asian racism that is seen on college campuses, social media, and even public places such as grocery stores. There was one twitter post that even listed “avoid non-essential travels to populated areas with Chinese nationals” from a user claiming they were the department of health (Somvichian-Clausen). This is just one example of how false information spreads and causes fear and confusion. Andrew Yang’s response to the racism towards Asian Americans is to “wear red white and blue” and to show “our American-ness.” However, is that really a solution? By stating the need to demonstrate American-ness shows that he believes that others perceive Asian Americans as not American enough. Why must Asian Americans prove themselves to those that think of them as less than?

Many people have also expressed their responses towards Yang’s article. Japanese American leaders have stated that it “brings back painful memories” of how Japanese Americans were treated during World War II and that they had to demonstrate their loyalty even though they were Americans (Weik). Yang made it seem like the only way to stop racism towards Asian people is for the Asian people to step up and to show their patriotism. His solution isn’t going to resolve the issue. It will not change the minds of those that already have their ill feelings and racist thoughts towards the Asian community.