Ever since the covid happened I notice on the news that lots of people in America started to be really criticized Asians in general, such as the Asian(Chinese) virus, leave the country, and not to mention the attack on the subway this March. The racism on Asians suddenly rises at the highest the past year to now. I think this is serious for society now, lots of people tend to just blame others while they might have nothing to do with it. To be honest, I was really nervous about come to the U.S due to this issue. Luckily the hate and not understanding I received are way less than I expected.
Speaking on the not understanding, I think it is quite reasonable, lots of people only know the virus came from Asia and just make an assumption on Asian people are carriers. This creates fear and makes people start acting aggressively. However, these are pretty wrong, Asians are the victim of this disaster as well. I once heard a saying during the Black Lives Matter event, and that is “How can you like rap, our cuisine, and culture but hate us ” I think it can be used on Asian hate as well. For example, people like boba (btw Taiwan is the place that invented boba tea 🙂 ), sushi, and Kpop in the U.S as well. How can they treat us like a threat at the same time?
It is really important to understand other cultures before acting disrespectful. Even if you don’t like it at all you shouldn’t harm any other people. We should all think before our act, a lot of time the media and news are not giving 100% truth to the people. We must process the information ourselves in order to have our own perceptive of the world. I think the Asian hate behavior is also a sign of lots of people lack the ability to independent thinking. Of course, taking the information straight from news and Instagram is easy, but when we do that more often we are losing our own point of view and let others decide what we think. Think more, do research about the topic you see, and come up with your own idea is an important way for us not to be manipulated by people.
At last, I want to say that PSU is really an amazing place, people here are super friendly and treat me as one of them. I am grateful for everyone to provide a safe environment.
Hey Vincent,
I have to be honest, this post made me feel a roller coaster of emotions (in a good way, though). First, it brought back my disgust towards the alarming rise of xenophobic backlash, racial harassment, and violence against Asians. I’m so sorry that you had to feel concerned about this issue, but I’m glad that your experience here has been good. I fully agree with your statement that Asian hate behavior results from a lack of independent thinking. Research is fundamental.
Hi Vincent,
Thank you for sharing your perspective about the Asian hate crimes occurring in the United States. As an Asian American, I have felt a similar fear for my elderly family members that may be unable to defend themselves if someone were to target them. It is extremely frustrating and nerve-wracking to know that there are people that would berate fellow citizens for no reason other than their own ignorance. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying your time at Penn State thus far!