Selina Chen, Period 7, 9/29/2023

Selina Chen, Period 7, 9/29/2023

Socio-political Consciousness

     Although we have progressed far as a nation, the issues of inequality and oppression are so deeply rooted into our society that it is impossible to fully get rid of. Through the last centuries, figures of history have stood up against the normalities of society at the time and stand up for change. All of these instances should have led us to a better world than before it, but sometimes it feels as if we are moving backwards and depreciating instead. Over the last few years, the number of hate crimes have soared like never before, especially after the worldwide pandemic. As the whole world was suffering from the same disease, we should have been united as one but instead, the prejudices buried within were displayed in the most violent and vile acts. During this time, I would look at the news everyday and more often and was disheartened by the hate that was happening more often than not. In some instances, it was named “The epidemic of hate” because of how widespread this was. I recalled a lesson about “Nature vs. Nurture” in my English class in middle school and puzzling events like these reminded me of it. Race really only has meaning because we give it and it's not anything close to the physical construct we often make it out to be. No child is born racist but they are incredibly malleable by their surrounding environment especially at a young age. A study conducted by professors in 2015 showed that at three years old, a white child would be equally likely to befriend a child of any race, but by the ages of 4-5, they were more likely to befriend a white child. They may not notice what they are doing at such a young age but as the bias could deepen and eventually lead to more severe acts. 

      As a kid growing up, I did not understand the severity of the racism so instilled in American society because I was mostly surrounded by Asian peers. For the most part, it would be the other students making fun of our eye shape, skin color, language, etc. I would like to say none of this affected me but in reality it made me hide such an important part of my identity, or at least want to. As I grew up, I’ve grown to love this crucial part of me as I started to see the hate crimes against Asians. Many people blamed the worldwide pandemic on the Chinese, calling it the “China Virus'' or “Kung Flu”, started by our president at the time Donald Trump. As people began to see a person of power and status targeting a group, they followed suit because after all, he is the one who is supposed to lead the nation and unite us all. This was incredibly testy because of the geopolitical tensions between China-US already happening and this just threw China as the scapegoat. These prejudices are rooted in a long history of xenophobia and exclusionary acts such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, and even the Japanese Internment during the second World War. Another phrase I have heard continuously throughout my childhood is the term “model minority”. This stereotype displays Asians as highly successful, well-behaved, and overachieving minority groups in areas like education, employment, and socioeconomic status. I could recall the number of times I would get a good grade on a math test and it would be dismissed by my peers because “Asians are good at math”. Some may not think this is necessarily a bad thing (I thought it was a good thing) but this phrase was used to downplay the struggles and systemic racism that Asian Americans still face on a daily basis. It also dismisses the diversity of  socioeconomic status and experiences that this group faces and even pits minority groups against one another. Addressing all of these aspects of society that needs change requires a greater spread of awareness, education and commitment to dismantle the race biases instilled so deep in society.