Anti-Asian sentiments are everywhere and appear in every form. The speech and allusions made on Asians to signify them as an inferior race, as well as name-calling or using racial slurs, are nearly always swept under the carpet. These “jokes” have been so normalized and incorporated into everyday communications that even though they threaten Asians physically and mentally, many don’t think they are racially offensive anymore. Whether it is by educating oneself, calling them out, or holding people accountable, actions must be taken to stop this.
Politicians:
- Donald Trump, the former US president, has used terms including “Kung Flu” and “China Virus” in numerous press conferences and rallies.
- Mark Cole, a member of the Virginia state House of Delegates, ignorantly claimed that it is “silly” to say that the “made in China” joke will incite racist passions.
- Nick Freitas, a libertarian republican politician of the Virginia state House of Delegates, has used his personal website to sell masks with the text “COVID-19 made by China” printed on them.
Celebrities/Media:
In addition to politicians, Anti-Asian “jokes” have been used by the media to bind the Asian community with racist stereotypes through methods of ridiculing heavy accents, calling the community “dog and cat eaters,” as well as mockery of Asian names with sounds like “Ching Chong”.
- American television host and comedian Jay Leno has been perpetuating stereotypes such as “Asians always eat dogs” for over 20 years.” Dating back to 2002, he has made many “jokes” about Asians that are false and highly offensive. On one occasion, he jokingly said that the South Korean speed skater Kim Dong Sung had eaten his dog.
These labels are not only false but also extremely influential to how the general public sees and treats the Asian community. The profession of a comedian is also never a ticket for making comments that are racially inflammatory. No one, including people of higher publicity, should be making these prejudicial assumptions.
School:
On a 6th grade social studies test from one of Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD’s middle school, Blalack Middle School, a question related to Chinese norms was extremely problematic. The question asked “Which of these Chinese norms is true” with the following answer choices:
- A: “It's normal in China to cut off someone’s lips if they burp in a restaurant”
- B: “It's normal in parts of China to give children fifty lashes by cane if they stealing candy”
- C: It's normal in parts of China to eat cats and dogs”
Joy Lim, a college student, was sitting next to her 12-year-old sister when she was taking the quiz. Lim later posted the picture on twitter, which sparked widespread anger and thus gained publicity on the horrid incident.
Asian students suffer the effects of discrimination and ridicule everyday through these seemingly harmless jokes. The normalization of these hateful remarks is so prevalent that it has even become embedded into school curriculums. The education system plays an extremely important role in the next generation’s growth—however, with education like this, there will only be a growth of anti-Asian hate.
How to Help:
- Do not be a bystander when you see and hear these “jokes,” acknowledge the harms of them and step in to correct and stop them from continuing.
- If you’re asked to stop "joking", STOP.
- Educate yourself and others. Learn about the actual history and cultures of the Asian community to not fall into the hole of stereotypes and myths that have been tied with the Asian community.