Category: Discussion Board 13

Phi discusses how conservative Asian-Americans are about conflicts with police and black issues. Asian-Americans themselves are often victims of police brutality, and when we (Asian-Americans) understand the wrongdoings of history and our people and side with those who oppress us, it tells us that this is not protecting us. Phi says Asian Americans should stand on the side of the community fighting against systemic injustice and oppression and fight together. Jen’s article “Chinese conservatism” also discusses the conservative stance of Asian-Americans in favor of discriminators(police officers). The purpose of these letters is to show that Asian-Americans should understand, help and strengthen the struggles faced by many black people.

Phi’s point is that conforming to the model minority and essentially identifying with tone’s oppressors doesn’t grant them immunity to discrimination and violence. They will always be the immigrant, the other. The goal of his article is to call out the racism against black people that is present in the Asian American community and bring to their attention that they need to work together to bring lasting change. That police brutality does not care where your loyalty lies, racists cops will shoot the first chance they get.

I learned how anti CCP Chinese Americans can become right wing conservatives. This actually something I have been wondering about for some time now. The way Zen explains it makes sense and confirmed a theory I had that living in a communist country would encourage an immigrant to cling to what is popularized as (for lack of a better phrase) the “democratic American way.” The idea of what America should be as often described by older conservative WASP politicians and their constituents. In Phi’s article, the author talks about police brutality and how a shocking number of Chinese Americans supported a racist murderer cop. In Zen’s article, the author talks about how some Chinese are led to believe they are being targeted by Black people and that police presence would make them safer. The relation is that they are attempting to choose the side of the oppressor in hopes that the law will protect them if the assimilate enough and conform to “whiteness.”

The letter’s goal is to appeal to an older generations sense of compassion in hopes to open their eyes to pain and suffering they are causing or contributing or perpetuating. I don’t think the message reached all of them yet, because people are still being discriminated against. This is something that will take a long time to reconcile. But if we keep speaking out and standing up for marginalized groups we will be heard, even if it takes more than one generation.

According to Phi, his point about the relationship between Asian American’s to the police and police violence is one of complacency. As long as their own people do not get attacked or disturbed by the police, they will keep silent. From my reading of his article, Phi wants us to support other communities that are affected by the police and not just people who put on a mask. “Chinese conservatism” according to the article by Zen is that it seems like conservatism and specifically white conservatism which is basically acting in your own favor or interest. An example pointed in this article is how Chinese people were mad when they found out one of their own was attacked by a black man. This one experience led to them jumping to the conclusion that they needed the police’s protection. Just like Phi’s points, this goes to show how Asians only bat an eye when one of their own is affected, and while I get this community aspect it is important that we rise above this and think about the bigger picture. The bigger picture is how we can protect other people in our community from the brutality and abuse of the police. The goal of this letter is to get people to see how blacks need to be supported and are being discriminated by the police, being killed by the police every single day without remorse and unfortunately this has become a daily thing when it shouldn’t.

In Bao Phi’s article, he pointed out police brutality, and many Asian Americans are facing issues such as the “Black Death”. But this means that they belong to the weak side. This will not have any protective effect at all, and the police will not protect Asian Americans like white people.

According to Kate Zen’s article, he pointed out that what Chinese conservatism has learned is white conservatism, which defends a wrong person. Because Chinese conservatives are mainly on the side of the victims.

The main purpose of this letter is to support the black people who were innocently killed by the police without being treated fairly. Everyone’s life is equal.

Phi discusses Asian Americans issues such as police brutality.  They  are worried about their own lives, which is why they try to stay on the good side of the police, even if it means that they are supporting their oppressors.  Lastly, it shows how no matter how hard we try to take sides with the oppressors, the system will never be in our favor. We hope that they would protect us the same way they protect their white Americans. Zen similarly mentions how many Asian Americans have taken a conservative stance on such issues. She shares how anti-Asian attacks  have pushed Asian Americans to side with the police.Phi’s objective is to encourage and discuss with conservative Asian Americans as to why they should be taking sides with minority communities and Black Lives Matter activists.

The goal of the letter is to make everyone realize that we need to support people of different ethnicity groups that are facing racist attacks and are killed by cops like it’s an regular thing. Everyone should be supportive of each other.

According to Bao Phi, it seems that the asian american community supports cops, as long as they do not attack their own kind. Siding with cops who kill innocent black people is basically siding with certain racist white people, who are also like the Ku Klux Klan, White Supremacist, Neo-Nazis, Anti-Semitics and Skinheads. Asians only hate the police if they shoot another asian, they do not care about other races, What’s messed up is the two asian cops who were shot, were being victim blamed, as they are no better than any other race besides white, it’s convenient and hypocritical. I think Phi wants to teach us is that we should support other communities who are targeted by police as well, and not support someone who will turn on you in a second, or at least put on a facade.

According to Kate Zen’s article, what I learned about Chinese conservatism, is that it seems like white conservatism, defending someone who is wrong, and only acting when it is in your favor. Chinese people seemed angry when on of their own was attacked by a black man, and because of that experience they feel they need police protection from all black folks, asians are the least discriminated against among anyone that is not a white person or what is properly deemed white. It’s very similar to Phi’s, seems shameless

The goal of the letter is to make everyone realize that we need to support black people, they are killed by cops like it’s an everyday exercise. Everyone should be an advocate for BLM

Phi points out that many Asian Americans lean conservative regarding issues such as Black Lives Matter/Police conflicts. He also points out how Asian Americans themselves are often victims of police brutality, so it seems odd that they commonly support pro-police activism. I think the overall objective of this article is to encourage Asian Americans to take a step back and recognize that they too are being harmed by police brutality, therefore they should be aligning themselves with Black Lives Matter activists. 

Zen similarly mentions how many Asian Americans have taken a conservative stance on such issues. She discusses how various anti-Asian attacks perpetrated by Black people have pushed Asian Americans to side with the police (such as the incident of someone spraying an Asian man with febreze on the subway). She also brings up how talks of affirmative action have pushed Asian Americans conservative, due to them feeling like they would be negatively impacted by such policies. Like Phi, her objective is to encourage and discuss with conservative Asian Americans as to why they should be taking sides with minority communities and Black Lives Matter activists. 

The goal of the letter is to reason with Asian Americans and to help them understand the struggles that many Black Americans face. I think it does a good job because the author acknowledges and empathizes with struggles that Asian Americans have faced. Through common ground, the author believes, we can all unite to make a fair and safe society for all.

It’s important to note that Asians can face racism as other cultures even if it is not as bad or as bad as other cultures. As proven in “Unprotected by Assimilation: Lessons from the Case of Duy Ngo” by Phi he explains how an Asian cop got shot by a white police officer. The cop was “mistaken” for a gang member and was shot by a fellow comrade which left him paralyzed. Shortly after this the Asian cop decided to take his own life and the punishment that the white cop who shot him was given was 3 days off paid leave. Phi points this out that Asian should be fighting with the minorities, not against them, rather than trying to fit into white standards. The article “Opposing Chinese American Conservatism” by Zen also showcases how the recent pandemic has caused a spike in Asian related hate crimes. This article talks about the way many Asians have been supporting police during the “Black Lives Matter ” protests due to them experiencing racism from that group. They felt that they were victims but their experiences were never publicized or never given any attention, so they felt like police were the ones who were protecting them. This is a slight contrast with Phi because he talks about how Asians and Blacks should come together to fight off racism while this one explains how Blacks were mistreating a lot of Asians because of COVID. In the letter “Mom, Dad, Uncle, Auntie, Grandmother, Family:” It explains how both communities should come together. The writer expresses their deep concern for the mistreatment of Blacks and how they have to struggle against all odds in society. They always fear what could happen just simply because of how society sees them and treats them. The writer also conveys that even though Asians have had their own struggles for the lives they live right now that doesn’t mean that they should ignore another’s community cry for help. All communities that face injustice should stand together to fight it for an equal opportunity with all communities and that is perfectly shown through this heartfelt letter.

Phi discusses how conservative Asian Americans are when it came to societal issues such as police brutality. He talks about how Asian Americans support the police and how they supported a petition for the NYPD, but then won’t show the same support when one of their own community members was murdered by the same police. Also,there were many  that stated they were tired of being pushed around especially when politicians who are suppose to represent them did nothing to the effect of protecting them as people. Phi explains no matter how hard we, in this case (Asian Americans) attempt to assimilate into American culture, we simply cannot fully be accepted because of transgressions against them. Chinese conservatives often take the side of the oppressors. This is because they are conditioned to believe that other minorities such as the Black community are “lazy criminals” and are responsible for “all the hate crimes towards Asians.” For example, as we all have seen, the violence and xenophobia against Asian populations have been on the rise since the covid-19 pandemic here in America. Many of these crimes have portrayed the perpetrators as Black Americans as a threat to Chinese businesses in particular. Because of this, the surge of Anti-Asian hate crimes have sparked protest in favor of NYPD. They always support the police, and are in favor of times when the police is unjust to the black community. And unfortunately many Chinese Americans don’t care about the lives of black peoples due to this hatred that they have towards them. The goal of this letter is to make the author’s family understand that Black Americans aren’t their  enemies and that it is wrong for Asian Americans to be siding with the law enforcement aka their oppressors because, their support of NYPD doesn’t guarantee  protection.Instead Asian Americans should be more accepting towards the black community, understanding  that they too are minorities who also struggle in a society where the system wasn’t made to favor them.I think this person reached their goal with this letter because  it not only addressed their community directly but, addressed a common issues we have been hearing between Asian Americans and Black Americans.

• What is Phi’s point about Asian Americans’ relationship to police and police violence? What is the goal of his piece?

Phi discusses how conservative Asian Americans are when it came to societal issues such as police brutality. He talks about how Asian Americans support the police and how they supported a petition for the NYPD, but then won’t show the same support when one of their own community members was murdered by the same police. It shows how conservative  Asian Americans are worried about their own lives, which is why they try to stay on the good side of the police, even if it means that they are supporting their oppressors. The police are the oppressors as law enforcement tends to go against Asian Americans quite often, especially white policemen. For that reason they would rather show support for them, and not when their own people are victims of police brutality. Overall it shows how no matter how hard we try to assimilate into American culture and take sides with the oppressors, the system will never be in our favor. We can only hope that they would protect us the same way they protect their white Americans. Phi also encourages that Asian Americans should acknowledge that it’s wrong to take sides with the oppressors, as regardless, the system is against us, so instead we should rather stick together as a community and fight oppression.

• What do you learn about “Chinese conservatism” from the article by Zen and what are the responses from other Chinese community members? How does this piece relate to Phi’s writing?

Chinese conservatives often take the side of the oppressors. This is because they are conditioned to believe that other minorities such as the Black community are “lazy criminals” and are responsible for “all the hate crimes towards Asians.” Unfortunately yes hate crimes do occur, but it is very wrong to put an entire racial community at blame due to the faults of a few. Since Chinese conservatives have a wrongful view on black people, they often tend to side with law enforcement when it comes to issues dealing with black people. They always support the police, and are in favor of times when the police is unjust to the black community. For example, anytime a material possession or property such as store is destroyed by a black person, they are quick to blame the entire community, or even when it wasn’t a black person, they somehow try to put the blame on them. And when law enforcement responds to these issues, there are times when black people lose their lives due to how anti black our law system is. And unfortunately many Chinese Americans don’t care about the lives of black peoples due to this hatred that they have towards them. Why is it that people care more about material possessions that can be replaced than the lives of a person? My opinion is that the anti blackness that is rooted in the Chinese community is a result of conditioning and propaganda that is spread to make the black community look like the enemies of the Chinese Americans, which only divides the communities more and more.

• What is the goal of the letter? Do you think this letter meets the goal? Why or why not?

The goal of this letter is to make the authors family understand that black people aren’t our enemies, and that it is wrong for us Asian Americans to be siding with the law enforcement aka our oppressors, because regardless, our support of them doesn’t guarantee our protection. Instead we should be more accepting towards the black community, understand that they too are minorities who also struggle in a society where the system wasn’t made to favor them, and to stop believing propaganda that is spread about them. At the end of the day, black people are humans too, and they too deserve the upmost support and respect that we give to others. Thus, I do think this letter achieved its goal because not only did the author call out his family for their anti black beliefs,  it it also addresses how Asian conservatism doesn’t guarantee our protection by the law, and at the end of the day, we all are minorities living in a system that is against us. We should be supporting each other rather than hating on each other due to blatant propaganda.