It’s our responsibility as humans to debunk all stereotypes, myths, beliefs, and stigma confined in minorities to hopefully – just maybe – create genuine relationships with one another to prevent any vexatious sentiments.
This past year has undoubtedly been one of the toughest times. As the world was plagued with COVID-19, the transition and adaptation to a virtual world challenged society. Although there were progressions made to alleviate the burden of patients and stress of the virus for individuals, it would be remiss to not cover the violence that ensued.
Harsh rhetoric like “Kung flu” or “Chinese virus” used by our former president only added to the insensitive environment surrounding Asians. Consequently, violence against Asian Americans has soared up to almost 3,800 reports in every major city in the United States marking a 150% increase.
The model minority myth that has been upheld has had consequential ramifications. I, as well as other Asian Americans, have been subject to this problematic standard.
First-year journalism major Kevinjonah Paguio described this phenomenon.
“We’ve bottled up a lot of things because we’re positioned as the model minority,” Paguio said. “We’re put into a mold of being upright individuals that follow the rules and not cause any disruption.”
Even at a young age, Paguio emphasized the importance of respecting those who are older than yourself, discerning when to speak up or not because they’re honorable people.
Paguio also mentioned how the pandemic has resulted in racism being “emboldened by people to show their true colors” and it’s gotten worse. However, he’s not surprised by this outcome.
“It was shocking at first when I initially heard it, but it was kind of expected considering the history of anti-Asian sentiment in the states,” Paguio said. “It’s blatantly a hate crime, for example, the shooter in Atlanta passed by so many other venues and so it’s obvious that race had to do with this.”
Third-year medical studies student Jihan Fajut responded to the recent Atlanta shooting.
“It was targeted toward Asian women,” Fajut said. “Once you see their names, it really gets personal.”
Although Fajut oftentimes feels scared of what could occur if someone’s having a “bad day,” she’s more concerned for her loved ones.
“I’m not too worried about myself but rather my family like my Lola [grandmother],” Fajut said. “And because we’re Asian, we can be targeted anywhere.”
Along with the Black Lives Matter movement, she shed light on both issues.
“I think solidarity is what is needed right now. Although we’re from two different groups, we’re fighting for the same cause – we’re simply humans.”
Third-year medical studies major Van Dexter Calo stressed that this was a life and death situation and although social media is a powerful platform, it should not be taken as a “trend.”
“This issue is important no matter what race is being targeted to but the attacks are even more concerning because the elderly community is getting attacked,” Calo said. “It’s definitely enraging and sad to see people we respect in our households be a target of any source of violence.”
Racism and discrimination are not unfamiliar issues for him since his mother works in the healthcare field.
“Asian American remarks have been prevalent where she works even before the pandemic hit,” Calo said. “It’s not anything new.”
For Calo, he finds himself being cautious now more than ever.
“I’ve realized I try to put my head down when I’m in public like shopping, so people don’t see that I’m Asian. It’s the little things that I do to even put myself at ease, which is crazy to think about and it’s pretty sad.”
As the Director of Safety, Health and Wellness for USG, he hopes to pass around booklets created by a Korean American woman that informs what to do if one experiences hate.
Terry Tang is a race/ethnicity reporter for The Associated Press and the President of the Arizona Chapter for Asian American Journalists Association, originally from San Francisco. Tang has seen even non-Asians showing up at rallies, marches, posting on social media and think the “key” point is allyship.
“When these attacks started at the beginning of the pandemic, I thought it would only occur in some middle America, predominantly white towns or cities,” Tang said. “I was really surprised and shocked when they were happening in these major cities like San Francisco or New York City – like they should be used to seeing Asians everywhere.”
Tang commented that violence to a degree is racial bias because people see Asians as vulnerable targets, especially the elders.
“There’s an inherent bias that Asians don’t fight back and that goes way back to pop culture and even anti-immigration policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act.”
The ongoing hate crimes targeted toward people of color are a symptom of the real problem of racism that runs rampant in our nation. Productive discussions and steps in the right direction for a world in which diversity can prosper unapologetically need to be at the forefront in our day-to-day lives.
Contact the reporter at yhan99@asu.edu.
Yoori Han was the politics editor at Downtown Devil during fall 2021 and part of spring 2022.
