Colleen Wang, 12/14/20, PD 8, Day C

Colleen Wang

Period 8

12/14/20

Day C

Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

“We love you. You're very special ... but you have to go home,” Donald Trump said to his extremist supporters when they stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. Stormed as in violently rioted, vandalized, and looted parts of the building (resulting in five deaths the very same day). This “protesting” was all in an attempt to prevent the confirmation of Joe Biden’s election victory. Baffled, I watch as these primarily white extremists proudly identify themselves to media outlets and take selfies with seemingly supportive white police officers outside of the Capitol building. 

But to the peaceful Black Lives Matter protests, Trump had tweeted, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” These protesters had been met with tear gas and rubber bullets as soon as they even walked up towards a police officer. The hypocrisy in these differing responses to social unrest strangely aren’t surprising to me, just frustrating. While the Trump extremists shamelessly streamed their siege on social media with no fear of retribution, BLM protestors had been tackled, arrested, and pepper-sprayed for a whole lot less this summer, not to mention history in general.

When BLM protestors are fighting for their basic Constitutional rights, federal and state police immediately prepare for unrest. But when Trump supporters attempt to overthrow the proceedings of democracy, Capitol police plan for peaceful demonstrations. These past events have shown me that there are two systems of justice operating in our country today. And despite the media attention these issues have received, the social and racial hierarchy is still being maintained and actively enforced. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Although I would rather avoid current events given the moral corruption exhibited and exaggerated by recent police response, I am attempting to be informed and to inform others. I am also working towards dismantling my own prejudices that I have subconsciously absorbed from my environment, namely the Asian “model minority” narrative that promotes the myth that non-white Americans can succeed and overcome racism by striving for success. In reflecting on the anti-blackness that exists in my own Asian American community, I have realized that I have been conditioned to ascribe to this systemic power structure by well-intentioned but misguided influences. While there aren’t clear-cut answers to the problems I am identifying, I am working towards educating myself and being intentional with pursuing improvement.