Videos of racist incidents show bias against Asian Americans
Videos of racist incidents show bias against Asians
Professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University Russell Jeung says a pair of videos making the rounds on social media highlight what he says is a form of white nationalism, and an effort to cast Asian and Asian Americans as "other."
SAN FRANCISCO - A pair of disturbing videos are making the rounds on social media, highlighting incidents of anti-Asian and anti-Asian American bias.
Experts in the field of Asian American hate speech tell KTVU the incidents may be shocking, but they're not surprising.
One video begins with a man sitting at a restaurant table. "Trump's going to [expletive] you," he says.
The evening of fine dining in the Carmel area, disrupted when a patron goes on an anti-asian rant aimed at other diners.
The video proceeds:
"You [expletives] need to leave!
You need to leave.
You do not talk to our guests like that!
No, you need to leave!
You need to leave.
[expletive] Asian piece of [expletive]!
Get out of here! Get out!"
A restaurant worker eventually demands the man leave.
In another incident, a family walk through Muir Woods by an Asian American Bay Area family disrupted when a woman confronts them, apparently upset they were walking their dog, in the video the woman tells the family:
"You guys, you can't be in this country.
Can't be in this country?
Excuse me?
You can't break the law.
Did you say...
Yeah!
I can't be in this country?"
Professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University Russell Jeung says the videos highlight what he says is a form of white nationalism and an effort to cast Asian and Asian Americans as "other."
'The videos that we're seeing now are just examples of the hundreds of incidents we've seen in California that we've received reports on, and we have over 2,000 cases in the United States since mid-March," said Professor Jeung.
Doctor Joseph Woo from Chinese Community Task Force on COVID-19 says the videos display an ignorance. Woo said if he doesn't belong in America who does?
"It's very frustrating," said Dr. Woo. '"We don't belong here?" I've been here for five generations, my family. If I don't belong here, who belongs here?"
The danger is that what begins with words can escalate to violence. "It's clear hate speech opens up doors to physical assaults and hate crimes," said Professor Jeung.
Both of experts agree that rhetoric like that spoken by the president, like calling COVID-19 the "China Virus" and "kung flu", normalizes anti-Asian hate speech. They say the administration needs to change it’s tone to lead on this issue, otherwise there will likely be ongoing incidents of Asian American hate speech and violence.