This is, like, the only picture on the Internet of an Asian shopkeeper and a Black customer. And I think it's from Europe.
I posted earlier this week about inter-ethnic tension between the Black and the Asian community. That post has garnered a bit of heat, much of it warranted. For one thing, I opened the post citing two examples of criminal violence perpetrated against Asians by Black offenders, and went on to quote a commentary written by a Black man who was raised to target Asians for petty theft. Although the intent of my post was to lay out some recent examples of conflict between the Black and Asian communities (and to go from there to describing how both communities are guilty of internalizing untrue racust stereotypes about one another), the post unintentionally left some readers with the impression that the tension manifests, almost exclusively, as violent crime perpetrated by Blacks against Asians, thereby perpetuating the very stereotype that Blacks are predominantly criminal. I certainly failed to balance the recent spate of Asian-targeted crimes with the murder of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins, who was killed by an Asian shopkeeper presuming Harlins to be a shoplifter.
Restructure criticized me, writing:
I understand the intent of this post, but I think it was poorly executed. I think you should have written this post while being hyper-paranoid about perpetuating stereotypes about black criminality/danger/violence.
Since I strongly value Restructure’s opinion on anything I write, this comment gave me pause for thought. On the one hand, Restructure is right that my post was perhaps a little too careless in its depiction of the problem, leading it to over-emphasize the importance of the outright criminal acts that have grabbed the headlines lately (and consequently to have it fall into the same tired tropes of Black criminality). And, for that, (and other weaknesses in the writing of my original post) I do apologize.
However, on the other hand, another commentor, jm, wrote:
I consider myself a liberal and a fair person. And so that means I won’t say the “safe” thing for fear of offending people. Yes, inter-ethnic tension is wrong as is violence. But in your attempt to address this issue, you’ve perhaps skirted the elephant in the room and instead, chose to bend over backwards to excuse VIOLENT criminal behavior of people who just happened to be black.
[...]
There MAY be interethnic tension between blacks and asians but the majority of the violent perpetrators are black and you cannot avoid that.
Other commentors dismissed the recent acts of violence as representative of anything more than kids thinking that Asians are fun to beat up on. Still other commentors (curiously) criticized the post for having too “kumbaya” a tone, and instead advocated that perhaps segregation is indeed the best course of action.
After having read all 22 of the comments on my first post, I have concluded one thing: many people didn’t like the post, but most people didn’t like it for different reasons.
Based on these diverse reactions, it seems that the issue of inter-ethnic tension between the Black and the Asian community is an exceptionally hot-button debate that promotes varied and disparate opinions. Clearly, than, this topic deserves more than a single post, written hastily in the middle of my work-day. Instead, this issue deserves a series of posts – a series that can hopefully encourage discussion about the complex, and apparently exceedingly controversial, relationship between the African American and Asian American communities.
In this post, I’d like to clarify a point that I did not make clear in my original post: we’re talking about the inter-ethnic tension between Blacks and Asians right now because of the assault spree in Brooklyn and the recent murder of Tian Sheng Yu in California. But, these are sensationalized, headline-grabbing crimes that are symptomatic of, but not literally representative of, the tensions that exist between the Black and Asian communities. For every Tian Sheng Yu and Latasha Harlins that makes the newspapers, there are one, two, maybe even ten daily examples of mistreatment and hostility that never makes the press.
More importantly, it’s these mundane, day-to-day interactions — not the headline-grabbing crimes — that are the root manifestations of the inter-ethnic tension between Blacks and Asians. While it’s tempting to conclude from the sensationalist stories of assault and murder that inter-ethnic tension between Blacks and Asians are exclusively represented by examples of physical violence, that’s like concluding from stories of hate crimes and lynching that all racism requires a pillow case and a burning cross. It’s also tempting to conclude from the sensationalist stories of assault and murder (which recently have involved Black assaulters targeting Asian victims) that Blacks universally target and victimize Asians for crime; yet interrogation of the day-to-day incidents reveal that both Asians and Blacks are capable, and culpable, when it comes to perpetuating the tension and hostility between our communities.
The mundane, day-to-day hostility and distrust is far more prevalent than the headline-grabbing crimes. They are also more sinister because they are rarely interrogated in the spotlight of forums like these, because they are so subtle as to exist only as an undercurrent between our communities, contextualizing inter-ethnic interactions without ever being challenged.
These day-to-day interactions can be so subtle that they barely register as a conscious affront even to the participants. Yet who is to judge the impact when an Asian grandmother refuses to hand a customer his change directly, but instead leaves it on the counter so as to avoid touching Black skin? Who is to judge the impact when the Black child openly mocks the Asian child for his accented English and not-quite-fashionable mode of dress? Who is to judge the impact when the Asian father clutches his daughter more tightly to him whenever they pass a Black man on the street? Who is to judge the impact when the Black veteran, unemployed, sees the same Asian faces he fought in Vietnam now taking the last dollars he has left, out of the community?
Most interactions are quick and unassuming; only rarely do these interactions become violent and criminal. Yet, it is these interactions that, left unchallenged, perpetuate the untrue stereotype amongst Asians that Blacks are rude and criminal — despite ample evidence to the contrary. And it is these interactions that, left unchallenged, perpetuate the unture stereotype amongst Blacks that Asians are disdainful and opportunistic — again, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
In a way, I feel like I stand at a crossroads between both communities (although, I confess that I have experienced far more anti-Black sentiment in the Asian community than I have experienced anti-Asian sentiment in the Black community). I have seen Asian shopkeepers follow my African-American boyfriend around a store, keeping a wary eye on him from the moment he walked in the door, as though he is liable to pocket every trinket on the shelves if they turn their back on him for an instant. And, I have seen Black girls mutter and insult me, behind my back and to my face, particularly when they see me arm-in-arm with electroman.
And, above all, I remember the words of my mother who was indoctrinated, from childhood, with the notion that dark skin equated with poverty, disease, laziness and untrustworthiness. I remember my mother who believed that we, as East Asians, shouldn’t mingle with anybody who had darker skin than us (although, ironically, I am half-Cantonese and am several shades darker than both my sister and my mother). I remember my mother extending that attitude to my Asian Indian best friend in grade school; I wasn’t allowed to be friends with him. Later, she extended that same attitude to electroman, shunning my relationship with him as though he was ‘beneath’ me, socially and intellectually.
But no one writes a newspaper story about these daily interactions, so small as to be virtually invisible to all involved, yet fueled by the most deeply ingrained of racism and misunderstanding. No one talks about how a simple insult, hurled by a Black customer in frustration or anger at being treated like a criminal by an Asian shopkeeper, widens the gulf between both communities. And the wider the gulf, the more ingrained our negative stereotypes of one another, and the more these hostilities become fodder for an enraged child (Black or Asian) to lash out against a member of the Other in a sensationalized (and completely unjustifiable) crime of violence. The violence, thus, is symptomatic – but not representative — of the inter-ethnic tension between Blacks and Asians.
Therefore, while it is easy to focus on the recent sensational crimes, we must not become distracted by them. I think the far more prevalent problem are all the incidents and attitudes we’ve encountered, and all the narratives we experience, that we don’t talk about because they never make the papers. But bloggers, unlike mainstream media, aren’t beholden to readership statistics the way the press is; so why is it that even in the blogosphere, we seem to eschew discussion of the day-to-day racism that exists between the Black and Asian community (and yes, I am guilty of this too), and are only now talking about it when it has become sensationalized?
Update: As I was publishing this post, I got this article in my Google alerts: NAACP Hopes to Diffuse Tension Between Asians and Blacks in San Francisco. Some choice quotes:
Human Rights Commissioner Linda Richardson told New America Media that the commission held a hearing Thursday in Chinatown and that their executive director also had private meetings with Asian-American leaders with regard to the recent violent acts.
“The commission will concentrate on education about this issue, and in bringing the Asian and African-American communities together to begin a healing process,” Robinson said.
African-American leaders are already working on “our own [black-on-black] violence, but they also don’t want these recent incidents to lead to a general castigation of the entire African-American community as perpetrators of these racial crimes,” she said. “It is only a minority of the population responsible for these acts, and that is unacceptable.”
[...]
Out in the streets of Bayview-Hunters Point, near the Muni stop where Huan Chen was attacked, long-time resident Bernard Robinson says the community “needs jobs for young students…That’s why there’s so much violence and robbery here because they have nothing to do. Parents also don’t look out enough for their kids and guide them.”
Robinson, 62, said he’s witnessed violent acts by African-American men on Asians, and he’s also seen black-on-black violence in his neighborhood. Robinson appealed to his neighbors to “live and work together to end the violence.”
[...]
Rudy Asercion, executive director of Westbay Pilipino Multi-Service Center, said the NAACP is primarily concerned with diffusing the tension between Asians and African Americans in the city so that there would not be any retaliation from Asian Americans and further violence from either group. Asercion supports the NAACP’s move and the belief of the convening group “that it will take a sustained and cooperative effort among all communities to stop the violence.”
Update II: Yikes. Don’t write your posts at 3 am in the morning, folks! I’ve edited some of the grammar in this post so it doesn’t sound like crazy rambling.
I like this post much better than the first one because you actually reveal more of the root of the problem. I completely agree. Nothing excuses violence but both communities need to work on the relationship.
the root of the problem lies within the black American social structure itself.
It will not, I repeat, will not improve until black Americans change themselves.
It will only get worse. Mark my words.
“Rudy” doesn’t want any retaliation from Asians against blacks but does nothing to stem black on Asian violence aside from cheap small talk.
The ball is now in the hands of blacks…and I do not agree that Asians need to work on anything but rather blacks need to work at everything to improve.
It isn’t just Asians…but rather Hispanics have friction with blacks, whites have friction with blacks….everyone has friction with blacks. It is just a matter of course and common knowledge. Does everyone need to coddle to blacks or is it time for blacks to take control of their subculture?
The article claims that black leaders are already working on black on black crime. Not so. No such thing is happening other than cheap jive talk around the perimeters.
Asian shopkeepers have plenty of justification to follow your “electroman”, whatever that is, around their store…statistically speaking blacks are inherently more likely to shoplift. It is all about statistics and in this case the numbers don’t lie. My in-laws struggled to make ends meet thanks to theft. Retail is competitive enough without having to deal with shoplifting…shoplifting hits the bottomline severely…much has to be sold to recoup the loss of a single item.
Quit being an apologist for blacks…the real cause of “inter-ethnic” friction in this case. The black vet who sees a Vietnamese take the last dollars out of “his” community. Well, the Vietnamese merchant is providing a service and/or product. Maybe a black should step up to the plate.
Mr. Robinson, long time resident, wants everyone to work together and and says jobs are needed. Right. And pigs fly. What is long time resident Robinson personally doing to generate jobs and “work together” aside from cheap talk?
Nothing.
With a tradition of carefully chiseled arguments which have been developped against “them”, it’s only reasonable that bashing on black’s very “bad” beaviour comes with such ease.
A criminal behaviour is expected from AA, that’s why Steveb think “Asian shopkeepers have plenty of justification to follow your “electroman””.
So any any good bevahour demonstrated by AA is futile since it’s only a matter of time until someone get wronged by an AA.
Like some giant demented prisoner ball, asians are just sitting duck for AA because “The ball is now in the hands of blacks…and I do not agree that Asians need to work on anything but rather blacks need to work at everything to improve.” by Steveb.
Steveb thinks :
“It isn’t just Asians…but rather Hispanics have friction with blacks, whites have friction with blacks….everyone has friction with blacks. It is just a matter of course and common knowledge. Does everyone need to coddle to blacks or is it time for blacks to take control of their subculture?”
It’s so easy to see there is pattern.
When black thugs do actually see targets of opportunity, others see racially motivated crime. In short, black thugs are color-blind while the victims are not.
Well, i must say i’m not impressed by this behavioural pseudo-science. I’m black and i’m afraid of black thugs as well, how fucked up is that, huh? we get no free pass, if you are a target , then you just are.
The mundane, day-to-day hostility and distrust is far more prevalent than the headline-grabbing crimes. They are also more sinister because they are rarely interrogated in the spotlight of forums like these, because they are so subtle as to exist only as an undercurrent between our communities, contextualizing inter-ethnic interactions without ever being challenged.
I agree. As Mark Twain said, it ain’t what you don’t know that’s the problem, it’s what you know that ain’t so.
Yet I am also confounded about how best to challenge these issues. My experience is that specifically calling out myths varies from useless to actively counter-productive.
Even when you have a small number of people who are meeting regularly in a very focused environment, are committed to acting in good faith, and have a skilled facilitator (or pastor, or elder, etc.) to guide them, it’s STILL hard to get past people’s guiding assumptions.
It’s immensely hard just to get people to agree on the ground rules of what is considered “respectful”. I’m part of a group right now in which a serious issue is that several members continually refer to political leaders by their first names. I cannot figure out how to communicate to my colleagues that their basically careless and unintentional (because in this narrow instance I’m satisfied that it’s not actively malicious) phrasing is severely alienating other members of the group.
If steveb is Asian, there’s a good example right there of something Asians have to work on. =P
First off: no one has justification to follow me around a store. Period.
As for this post, I think it’s possible to have a useful discussion that questions the biases and prejudices these communities have about one another – so long as we don’t excuse criminal behavior by individuals and/or assume that criminal behavior by individuals is indicative of ingrained cultural programming from whatever community with which the individual can be associated.
African Americans are no more culturally responsible for violent criminals who prey on Black or Asian citizens than Korean Americans are culturally responsible for Seung-Hui Cho, student shooter of the Virginia Tech massacre. What our communities are responsible for includes our general tolerance for anti-Asian or anti-Black prejudice. Jenn’s focus on the daily interactions with prejudice that encourage Black v. Asian tension proves admirable here. This is a useful starting point for dialogue.
So WHAT if there are many asian-black day to day interactions that create negative feelings in both communities? The fact is, violent crimes by blacks outnumber that of asians and most likely any other ethnicity in america. I’m all for supporting hard working black people who want to improve themselves but we’re NOT talking about hard-working blacks here. We’re talking about violence against asians which typically only happens at the hands of black people.
Of course I’m aware that there are many negative interactions between blacks and asians that never make the news but I don’t really care. I only care when violence occurs. I don’t care if so-and-so snubs some guy or another or if so-and-so follows a black customer around the store. These kind of “bad behavior” is certainly not exclusive to asians and at worse, only puts a person in a bad mood rather than the hospital or a coffin.
More importantly, it is my experience that asian-americans typically bend over backwards to assuage black people’s angst. We support affirmative action (which we obviously do not benefit from) and the vast majority of us are anti-discrimination.
Because most asian-americans REMEMBER the discrimination we faced and still face in this country, asian-american groups (specifically Japanese organizations) were among the first to stand with muslim americans post-9/11. In addition, asian-americans want to equality to be guaranteed for everyone, and so most of us (especially post 1.5 generation) support gay marriage.
Conversely, black organizations only care when blacks are victimized and even perpetuate discrimination against other minority groups.
I respect individual black people with achievements. I however do not respect the “modern black sub culture” that excuses black violence as a result of racism against blacks.
Believe me, I’ve experienced racism. But I don’t sit at home complaining of black people and white people and plot to go out and slug some white guy in the face just for the heck of it.
The biggest difference in black racism versus that of other ethnicities is the violence problem. If an asian or white guy doesn’t like you, he’ll probably either ignore you or be cold towards you. If a black guy doesn’t like you, you could get hurt or at the very least, verbally assaulted. I’ve been fortunate to mostly live in safe neighborhoods and the few times I’ve crossed path with danger, it’s always been at the hand of a black person.
In high school, a black guy threatened to beat me up because I stopped him from bullying another person on the school bus. I’M A GIRL! Imagine how shocked I was because the last time any guy threatened to hit me, I was in pre-school! Since then, no men of ANY race but black has threatened me with violence. I don’t know how that guy was brought up but in my family, we know violence against women is wrong.
Then there was the time I was in New York and two black men viciously cursed me out in public because I refused to buy their rap CDs.
Then there was the time in elementary school when a black girl came up to me and pulled my hair and hit my head against the monkey bars for absolutely no reason. I didn’t even know her name! When my mom called her mom, her mom had the nerve to get all screechy, finger-waving, and defiant.
If I can encounter these abuses when I live in a mostly white sphere, imagine how bad my life would be if I lived in say….Philadelphia (the area where anti-asian violence is especially rampant)
oh, then there was the time when my apartment near campus got burglarized.
Look, I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by white people and for the most part, it’s been ok. I’ve never had to fear for my physical safety before. Some white people may dislike me because I’m asian, but at least I’m not going to get any broken bones from their dislike.
How can I make it clear that I’m not condoning discrimination but rather condemning violence? And will I be ignored simply because I point out the violence is predominantly perpetuated by black people? Yes, you can always whip out the rare asian violent criminal but using outliers to justify an epidemic is ridiculous. Remember, I’m not condemning ALL black people. I have nothing against blacks. The sight of a black person or black features does not strike fear in my heart. Black skin looks normal to me and black hair doesn’t make me facinated. My only problem is with the part of the black culture that breeds violence and the larger part of the black culture that excuses the violence.
Here is another example of black leadership covering up their racist attacks on innocent asians:
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20100426_Pain_for_Asian_youth_didn_t_end_with_school_assault.html
PS
It is my opinion that asians will stop being “racist” against blacks when blacks stop attacking asians. And incidentally, white people will probably stop crossing the street when they see a black person too.
To assert that asians need to work more on their relationship with the black culture is like telling a domestic abuse victim that she needs to work more on her relationship with the abuser. Why don’t you ask the abused wife why she doesn’t work harder to reduce her fiction with her angry husband? Because if she did everything just the way he liked, he’d stop pounding her face.
And to all the people who claim “thugs are colorblind” I disagree. Some cases may be crimes of opportunity but what about incidences where no property is taken? Like the case where a group of black teenagers loitered around waiting for elderly asian women to attack.
I do not believe the vast majority of the so-called “racist behavior” on the part of asians are actually a case of racism. It’s more like fear. If your shop has a problem with shoplifting and 19 out of 20 shoplifers have been black, you’d be suspicious too. And if you’ve been burglarized 5 times this year and at least 4 of the burglars have been black, you’d be wary also. This is perfectly normal behavior, in fact, it’s probably a conditioned response-slash-self preservation.
There is nothing apologists can say that’ll change my mind because there is simply no validity to their argument. If today, violence by blacks were statistically as likely or unlikely as that of other races, we wouldn’t even be talking about this.
“No one talks about how a simple insult, hurled by a Black customer in frustration or anger at being treated like a criminal by an Asian shopkeeper, widens the gulf between both communities.”
Ok…I’m now confounded. Is it not normal among civilized people of this era to refrain from rude behavior even when frustrated? Most of us learn to deal with frustration and don’t unleash it on unsuspecting people.
The reason that whites and asians are afraid of black people is because we deal with anger in vastly different ways. MOST white and asian people try to remain calm even when angry. And for a lot of us, we become silent when we’re REALLY angry. And yet it’s not uncommon for us to see a black person get loud when s/he is angry. And when society at large label these behavior as “belligerence” black people become offended because they see these outbursts as justified.
Blacks accuse everyone of racism because conflict with black people are more likely to involve cops. But if black people remained calm during conflict, the situation would never escalate.
Of course I’m not saying ALL black/white/asian people act in a certain way. I’m talking about the typical situation here.
I’ve rarely shared this story because like most people, I’m very reluctant to point out bad behavior by black people for fear of getting labeled a racist. In fact, today’s society pretty much sweeps all the race problems under the rug because anyone who attempts to have a SERIOUS conversation about these problems will be tarred and feathered. Pretending black subculture is problem-free doesn’t erase the problem. We all know there is a problem but we simply can’t say it out loud without offending people.
Once upon a time, I encountered an “angry black person”. I had just gotten out of my friend’s car and we were about to walk off when another car pulled up and parked next to her’s. The driver of that car, a black woman, flung open her car door and slammed it into the side of my friend’s car. Very politely, my friend went to the woman, addressed the problem, and asked to exchange insurance information.
you know what the “angry black woman” did? She started screaming at me and my friend. She completely refused to acknowledge that she was in the wrong. She refused to even discuss compensating my friend.
My friend and I were so freaked out by her angry outburst that we literally did not know what to say to her. We simply exchanged looks with each other and stood there as the “angry black woman” stormed off. After she left, there was nothing we could do but call campus security and have them handle it. I have NO idea what campus security did afterwards but I find it appalling that we had to call security over such a little thing. Had the driver simply acted like a normal person, the situation would have never escalated.
I don’t know why a lot, not all, black people walk around with a chip in their shoulder. I really don’t get it.
@jm
Honestly, I see a lot of negativity towards blacks as a group from you.Asians bending over backwards for blacks, blacks have chips on their shoulders, black culture breeds violence, blacks deal with anger differently, we only support ourselves and not others, people will apparently stop being racist against blacks when there are no more black criminals attacking others, etc.You do a hell of a lot of stereotyping even if you claim you’re only talking about the criminal subculture.I can only assume you feel blacks are so much worse than any other racial group when it come to ignorance and hatred.Well, I’m pretty sure you’ll meet plenty of other asians, whites, or non-blacks who feel the same way as you.
blacks prey on asians because asian people don’t love them enough.
@Mr Guy
The fact of the matter is, I HAVE black friends BUT these friends are NOTHING like the type of black people that I avoid. And frankly, the black friends that I’ve mentioned ALSO avoid the aforementioned black people like a plague.
Indeed, people who behave in the manner I’ve mentioned in my earlier post are avoided by me regardless of that person’s ethnicity.
Black/white/asian/whatever. I’m very selective with my friends. My black friends are polite, funny, and respectable, like my white friends who in turn are like my asian friends in this respect. Whenever I meet a person who acts in an “uncouth” manner, I run for the hills. UNFORTUNATELY, it seems like MOST of the negative interaction that I’ve encountered, especially those that literally come out of the blue, have been encounters with black people. Maybe I’m unlucky but that’s the facts. It’s not that I disdain an entire ethnicity. It’s that I have the type of personality that makes me completely intolerant of people who can’t behave properly in public. I literally WINCE if I see a person make a scene in public. If I met a crazy asian person who was super rude, I’d avoid that person too. It’s not like I flee when I see a dark-skinned person. I really LITERALLY just cannot stand people who are in-your-face.
@ Mr Guy
Don’t you think it’s a bit lazy of you to denounce me as having irrelevant beliefs because I’ve pointed out the less than noble behavior of some black people? You can accuse me of having bigotry if you must but it doesn’t change the reality that such behavior by (some) black people IS something that society notices. Accusing anyone stating facts and observations as being a bigot doesn’t change anyone’s mind. Nor is it a very convincing argument for your cause. And no sir, I do not believe black people are subpar in comparison to other ethnicities. It’s not like complex behaviors are genetically determined. At the same time, don’t be coy with me. It’s time that blacks admit that there is SOMETHING wrong in the black culture that is producing problems for black people.
JM you make it sound like our problems are as simple as Black people attacking Asian people. I could list lots of Asian on Black violence but what good would it do. Friend our problems in America are far deeper than the violent acts against one another you can point out. Steveb you have such deep seeded hatred for Black people to the point that nothing anyone can do or say will change your mind. Far more crimes and public disturbance are commited in Japan by White westerns mainly American and Canadians than Blacks people or any other foreigner. Everything you say is so filled with hate, warped notions, and most of all RACISM. I highly doubt you know any Black people or interact with any on a social level at all. You’re just using your wife as a shield to yell your racism all over this blog. Hell you may just be saying you have an Asian wife to try and identify with Jenn and the other Asians on here.
I’m with Hugh Nguyen Black and Asians getting along isn’t a myth. When I went to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kowloon I didn’t see or feel any tension. Many Asian who migrate to Africa or to one of the many Caribbean islands don’t seem to be getting killed off for being Asian. Hell in St. Thomas I saw some Chinese kids with a St. Thomian ascents and they were treated like anyone one else. Maybe it’s island mentality. You know once you’re born on the island you a native no matter how you look. Or maybe this country has such track record for misery that the media like fueling tension because it sells. But hey I can only speak from my own experience.
I do think Jenn’s piece was a little one sided. Personally I’d quote Amanze Emenike as quickly as I’d quote Kenneth Eng, Glen Beck, or Rush. These guys are sociopaths and horrible tools for commenting on let alone representing a group. But this is an Asian blog. Few can judge a conflict evenly, even less so when they have a relationship with one of the parties. I think she would have responded to JM more and a lot more to Steveb’s crap if they were talking about Asians. I think our communities would get along a whole lot better if we quit trying one up each other on who screwed who the most. I think trying to get to know one another works much better. I personally think our communities get along better than you guys think.
Much as I appreciate the attempts to present an unbiased perspective, it’s difficult to see how you can go from acts of petty micro-racism to throwing old ladies of the train platform.
As most Asians reading this post will agree, we experience micro-aggression every day, but you hardly see that translated into violent acts. Asians aren’t going around lynching black people. It’s completely appropriate to call these incidents what they are – acts of racism committed by African-Americans against Asians. Why does saying that seem to enrage the entire black community?
And it’s not just a criminal element that is perpetrating these crimes. We all know about the attacks on Asian students in Philadelphia by black students, but even worse was the indifference of the school admins and security as well as fact that black teaching staff at the school often initiated racial baiting of Asian students. Clearly, these problems are much more profound than simple cases of looking for the softest target.
Furthermore, one perspective that Jenn hasn’t touched upon is the way that American culture presents violence as an acceptable method of dealing with conflicts with Asians. Most images one sees of Asians (particularly Asian men) will depict some kind of brutal violence being enacted against them. Why are we surprised that everyday people find it so easy to commit violent acts against Asians?
dei wong…statistically speaking, blacks commit more crimes in Japan than any other group.
For starters…rapes by u.s. military personnel of Japanese women. Guess who commits virtually all of the rapes?
Black American marines, sailors, airman, and soldiers.
Fact.
@ Koy – I was just talking to one of my friends about this.
Both of us are Black and we both have a whole lotta’ Asian female friends but only one or two Asian Male friends.
Is the problem over Asain women?
@ uglyblackjohn….
Your point isn’t clear. The only problem over Asian women is that they are getting thrown off of train platforms by racist black youths. We all know that Asian women are not immune to racist violence from elements in the black community.
Maybe you’re saying that your friendships with Asian women are somehow a causation factor in black on Asian violence? How do you figure?
steveb nothing you say on here is a fact just your warped opinion and racist opinion. I know now you have never seen any data on he subject or any of your own. Black people are at the bottom of the list when it comes to crimes committed in Japan.
So steveb…..if you have these statistics please show them to everyone.
You can’t really blame asians for fearing the black community. Why do other race “think” black people commits more crimes and rapes and are mostly free loaders ? Just turn on your local news and you see why people are afraid of blacks especially if you live in Los Angeles.
I am not sure if black people have a higher crime rate compare to other race but if that is the case then it has alot to do with their music and movies. I notice that most of black movies and music glorifies violence and justify crime and present women as trophies. PLease don’t sugart coat it too. I can list a couple example, but it will be off topic.
I read the article posted by the author and I don’t see any problem with it. Crimes against asian community usually not get as much air time on US media. So I am glad someone posted. There is one that happened in Oakland I believe where this chinese guy was robberd and murdered by 2 black teenagers in Oakland CA i blieve.
CHANG why would you comment on a group of people when it’s brutally honest that your only source of contact with them is through the television. I highly doubt you know, or interact with any Black People at all. What person would come on here, spouting TV as their source to comment on a group of people? You speak about Black music and movies as a mirror image of the community. Do you feel that way about White people? Look how violent, misguided, misogynistic, satanic, narcissistic, and filled with nihilism their music is. Funny how you have no reason or need to paint them in such a broad and sweeping stroke. Do you really think a community’s movies is a mirror image of them as a whole? Should someone think they know you or Asians in general based on them watching Asian and Asian-American movies?
Everyone commits crimes against everyone. the media just likes to keep each group in its little niche. They love painting Black people as drug users, violent criminals, thieves, and whatever craziness they can think of to get ratings. When in truth it’s done by only a small part of the community. The media would have you believe it’s the majority. When in reality, drug use by White People far exceeds any other group in the US and are busted far more than anyone else, but for some reason. Their charges aren’t as steep as others who are busted for the same crimes. When it comes to violence 98% of the mass murderers and serial killers are White.
They paint Asian in two ways as the model minority or the yellow menace. You know how many people think the majority of Asians here; mainly Chinese are sleepers secretly working for the Chinese government. They also think the remaining few are loyal to China not America. People with that kind of thought, who don’t get to know people and get the info from TV may see Asians in the warped way you see Black people. People with your warped stereotypical view Chang cause Japanese to be locked in camps. Visual media and hearsay isn’t a way to judge a group of people.
//Is the problem over Asain women?
Asian women cause inter-ethnic tension???
@ DEI WONG:
I think you need to read the comment again. I am not refering to the stereotypes in movies. I was talking about how music and movies produce by the rappers has a great influence among the black teens and that is what’s causing the crime in the black community. I never said people commit crimes because of their skin color. I think the key is education and social class. You can’t have tons of babies when you’re not ready. You cannot achieve success without hard work and skipping class. You can’t just rap your way to riches (in most cases). The problem is that the music and movies by black people are teaching the kids these tyope of values.
As for asian stereotypes such as yellow menace and model minority, we are the minority base on the census. I don’t see the problem with asians been the minority in the US. Most of asian people’s goal is not to become the majority. Every citizen here is protectred under the constituion and no one is above the law regardless of the population. As for wokring for the Chinese government, I am not sure where you get that from. US is still in progress.
I think its simple as what the bible says. Treat others how you want to be treated..
dei wong….statistically speaking blacks are at the top and you know it. The number of blacks are low in Japan but percentage wise…crimes per black…it is higher than anyone else…Chinese, Euros, Koreans, Arabs…everyone else.
Quit the name calling….yours is the typical knee jerk reaction of a person living in denial.
You obviously possess zero concept of statistics.
@ Jenn 3:07 – I don’t know. It was a question.
While reading Chang’s reply that Blacks are to be feared – Is Chang an Asian male?
Do Blacks think of Asian men as short skinny whimps while Asian women are to be desired?
Do Asians view all Blacks as violent beasts to be feared?
I think a lot of it has to do with exposure.
My Asian male friends are those with whom I’ve shared some type of common interest (Sports, cars, clubs, etc.) while my Asian female friends were those with whom I’ve shared a social interest (clubs, looks, similar neighborhoods, etc.).
But the same could be said of all my male friends.
I’ve become friends with guys who do the same things as myself.
I’m friends with women that I find to be attractive or good at something.
But then this causes another problem for Asian women with Black women.
Many Black women feel that Black men favor Asian women over Black women and they my treat Asian women poorly because of this.
@ Dei Wong – Stereotypes and stats are a funny thing for those who have had little or no exposure.
“America’s Best Dance Crew” threw a lot af Blacks, down here in the South, for a loop when the Asian crews kept winning.
But this has been true in the dancing world for years. Even the O.G. Rock Steady Crew was largely Latino/Hispanic but many Blacks thought that everything Hip-Hop was Black.
But one point I’d like to make – Most crimes against certain groups are commited by those within the same group.
Whites harm whites,
Blacks harm Blacks,
Asians harm Asians.
This is because these are the people who most people are around most of the time.
@ steveb – Most Blacks in Asia are from the lower classes who’ve joined the military.
Added to this are the limitations on social enculturation and a low view of Asian worth among this group.
They probably had those issues to start with.
@Chang
“I was talking about how music and movies produce by the rappers has a great influence among the black teens and that is what’s causing the crime in the black community.”
This comment is bull. Do you believe that the Columbine shooting and all these other school shootings in violent acts is caused by white hard rock and metal? Is Marilyn Manson to blame? This sound like the morons trying to blame him for kids acting up. What do you know about what’s causing problems in the black community? It’s really obvious that you don’t know or interact on a regular basis with any black people.
“I never said people commit crimes because of their skin color. I think the key is education and social class. You can’t have tons of babies when you’re not ready. You cannot achieve success without hard work and skipping class. You can’t just rap your way to riches (in most cases). The problem is that the music and movies by black people are teaching the kids these tyope of values.”
Again more generalization of a group of people, you know nothing about. You claim not to judge people by skin color yet you claim that an entire community gets its core values from a form of entertainment that is warped to suit the masses. The majority of people who buy rap music are white suburban youths. Stop getting your info on black people from TV and coming on here preaching like, you know Black people or have or want to have for that matter any contact with that community.
“As for asian stereotypes such as yellow menace and model minority, we are the minority base on the census. I don’t see the problem with asians been the minority in the US. Most of asian people’s goal is not to become the majority. Every citizen here is protectred under the constituion and no one is above the law regardless of the population.”
What are you on? Why would I think or say any minority in US cares to be the majority? How could you gather that from anything I said? Yes, every citizen here is protected under the Constitution. No one has ever treated anyone unfairly because of race or religion. Xenophobia, racism, and other things don’t exist. This is all a fantasy made up by crazy people of each minority group.
“As for wokring for the Chinese government, I am not sure where you get that from.US is still in progress. Government, I am not sure where you get that from. US is still in progress.”
LOL okay man, I’m not even gonna touch that one. If you feel it’s a fantasy, feel free to do so. The Japanese who went to internment camps didn’t think it was a fantasy. The innocent Chinese who are charged Of espionage and other treasonous acts don’t think it’s a fantasy.
@ uglyblackjohn
“Dei Wong – Stereotypes and stats are a funny thing for those who have had little or no exposure.
“America’s Best Dance Crew” threw a lot af Blacks, down here in the South, for a loop when the Asian crews kept winning.
But this has been true in the dancing world for years. Even the O.G. Rock Steady Crew was largely Latino/Hispanic but many Blacks thought that everything Hip-Hop was Black.”
What does anything you say have to do with anything I said?
Stereotypes are things that people fall back upon when they have no knowledge or interaction with a certain group of people.
Stats are good deterrent to stop people from moving forward with ill-conceived notions and out the ass opinions presented as facts
Are you trying to say that somehow, because everyone loves and enjoys hip-hop? Because everyone is a part of the hip-hop community? It is in its core black?
With all the dojos in America teaching watered down versions of martial arts originated in Asia. No one questions the culture and origin of those arts.
Rap, which is rhythm and poetry have been a part of African culture for centuries. Rap is just the American version of reggae chanting. It is the exact same thing, no different . Why do you think, a rapper and someone chanting can do it over the same beat.
The bass beat, which is in all the rap for you to rap over comes from reggae.
The ground game in hip-hop break dancing is a combination of Capoeira moves, which people would mimic from watching the Brazilian Capoeira troops, which would come to Brooklyn in the Bronx, which they still do. Plus, moves from the West Coast Pop locking, and electric slide, and funk dances. Some ground moves also came from watching kung fu movies, which were huge and still is in the black community.
These are two of the three Main core components of what is called hip-hop.
As for as Black people being surprised that Asians and other people love and are good at hip-hop in general. That is just insane. You can look at all these hip-hop magazines, which are black owned and see the diversity in the staff. You can see in the diversity of the sound crews, and people who make beats. Why don’t you read a magazine about all these rap parties and see how diverse crowd is. Hiphop, hasn’t been all black since the 70s. Plus in the late 70’s and 80’s Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Dominicans were there too.
Who do you see dancing anymore in rap or R&B videos? Other than Usher and Chris Brown nobody dances anymore. Never heard the song people don’t dance no more?
@steveb
“dei wong….statistically speaking blacks are at the top and you know it. The number of blacks are low in Japan but percentage wise…crimes per black…it is higher than anyone else…Chinese, Euros, Koreans, Arabs…everyone else.
Quit the name calling….yours is the typical knee jerk reaction of a person living in denial.
You obviously possess zero concept of statistics.”
You obviously are pulling stats out your ass. Like I said, present, these stats you supposedly have. I don’t want to hear your silly opinion. From the crap you just said, I know you haven’t looked in any stats or have any in your possession. All you’re doing is spewing your racist bull.
As for as crimes by the military but has a habit of enlisting criminals of multiple races. That still doesn’t disprove that, statistically speaking, white people, mainly Americans, Canadians and Russians are a lot more likely to commit crimes in Japan. Then black people or anybody else save Chinese, Korean, and Japanese citizens.
Plus if you have any facts. You would know that when it comes to foreigners, Japanese lumps crimes which they classified as other with violent crimes and crimes of theft. A crime that can be classified as other could be something as simple as overstaying your visa or getting a parking ticket. This is something that is starting to change and be cracked down upon by the Japanese government. They did things like that, because they have problems with illegal immigration and they pump up crime statistics on mainly Chinese, Korean, Blacks and Southeast Asian to make them look bad to the public. Even without these pumped up stats Black people are still at the bottom of crimes committed in Japan.
So like I said and have proven you don’t have any facts. You just make crap up so you can spew your racist venom.
I agree with Dei here. Steveb, if you’re going to accuse others of having no understanding of statistics, while quoting out-of-your-ass statistics, please cite your sources and provide a discussion of why you think your understanding of statistics is better than those who use statistics to make a living.
@ Dei – I was just pointing out that many group have unrealistic views of other groups.
Mine was an example of how many Blacks view Asians as being a ceratain way even though empirical evidence shows otherwise.
My reply about who harms whom should have been directed at any of the previous comments on this thread which tried to tie one whole group to the actions of the few.
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=7a54346b5af80c001d6b899dd2598f55
But this was merely echoing what you’d already said.
@uglyblackjohn
Cool.
Hey, is anyone else wondering why steveb, who is spam commenting other threads, is suddenly conspicuously absent once he’s asked to provide actual statistics?
How strange…
“It’s completely appropriate to call these incidents what they are – acts of racism committed by African-Americans against Asians. Why does saying that seem to enrage the entire black community?”
Koy sweetie, I could tell you why, but I don’t think you’d get it unless you were put in the same position.
@bitbm
First of all, no need to be patronizing.
Secondly, I do think Koy raises a good point: if we call these incidents acts of racism against Asians, does that necessarily generalize to the entier Black community. In other words, do these examples require that we stereotype the entire Black community as being racist against Asians (or vice versa)?
What is it that we could only get if we were in the same position?
And do you really think that argument — that Asians (or at least Koy) cannot possibly “get it” — is truly productive when it comes to resolving inter-ethnic tension between the communities?
IMOHO – The actions Koy protests ARE racist acts by these Blacks – not ALL Blacks.
“Koy sweetie, I could tell you why, but I don’t think you’d get it unless you were put in the same position.”
bitBM, sugarpie, why don’t you try?
@ uglyblackjohn
Thank you! Yes, that’s exactly right. We can condemn these attacks without condemning the entire community.
I was going to call Chang on his b.s. but Mr. Dei Wong broke it down better than I ever could kudos baby.