Kevin Zheng, Period 6, 11/1/2024

Socio-political Consciousness

The United States is often described as a country of freedom and diversity. It is a country that is founded on the principles of freedom, equality, and liberty. It is also one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world and home to people of different races and cultures. So, what possibly could I be afraid of in this country? It is racism and hate crime.

Racism has been an existing issue that began hundreds of years ago. It continues to have an impact on people today and is still a major problem that people are facing. This conflict worsened during the recent years when the pandemic started. At the time, the entire world was affected and suffering from the disease. I had thought that everyone’s priority was to ensure their health and safety, until Donald Trump, the current president of the United States at the time, began to blame China for the start of the pandemic.

I was completely speechless. Rather than focusing on the current issue, Trump decided to continuously address the cause of the issue and direct all the anger at China. When I heard him call the disease “Chinese virus”, I couldn’t bring myself to believe that he was the president of the United States, a significant figure who leads the country. Up to this day, I still don’t know if he considered the consequences of his actions. Simply by calling the disease a “Chinese virus”, he has fueled racism and hate against Asians in the country.

Every often, I would find news of Asians being targeted in the country. Some faced verbal abuse and were called with racial slurs. Others were assaulted and beaten up in the public. According to ABC7 News, on July 31, 2022, a 70-year-old Asian elderly was approached by four juveniles and was beaten up. I couldn’t believe what I saw when I looked at the captured footage. Not only were four males attacking one elderly woman who could barely resist, but they even decided to kick her head and rob her of her property. Three of them were under 15 years old. I even asked myself, “Is this really America?”. Just what kind of education had they gone through that has made them believe that what they did was morally right or justified? When I looked at all the news, I really felt fortunate that none of my family were victims of the ongoing hate crime. My family are my most precious ones and I can’t imagine how I would feel emotionally if I found out that they were assaulted.

Now that I think about it, could it have been education? Is there a flaw within the education system in the country? From personal experience, it shouldn’t be normal for an elementary schooler no older than 8 or 9 to be calling out racial slurs from the school bus, while everyone else laughs. There must have been factors that changed the people in the society as they grew up.

When I reflect on myself in this topic, I understand very well that my beliefs and opinions are due to bias as an Asian American. However, although I have been looking at the issue through the lens of an Asian, I believe that my judgment should be no different than a regular person. Like everyone else, I simply want everyone to be safe and healthy. I want everyone to feel like they are a part of the community. The ongoing conflict right now has made me lose a bit of trust in the society outside, as outer appearance can be deceiving and you never know what someone thinks about you from the outside. Despite this, I continue to believe that as long as there is time, we will be able to get rid of these social issues. As long as there are those who share the same belief and goal in the problem of society, there is hope.


Source:

Pena, Luz. "Suspects' Ages in Elderly Woman's Beating Are 'shocking,' SF Police Chief Says." 15 Aug. 2022, abc7news.com/asian-woman-beaten-in-sf-attacked-by-four-people-sfpd-arrests-attackers-elderly-kicked-head/12127820/#:~:text=SAN%20FRANCISCO%20(KGO)%20%2D%2D%20San,Francisco%20Street%20on%20July%2031. Accessed 30 Oct. 2023.