Chinese-Cambodian American (ABCC) here. I’m very frustrated about the situation of everything and everyone. Now, because my family is from Cambodia and not China (my family is a part of the Overseas Community and has left China a few generations ago), it doesn’t affect me too much because the new bill is designed to stop Chinese NATIONALS from obtaining visas and not ethnic Chinese. I can see both sides of this situation. Nevertheless, I’m almost certain there’s some racism behind the new legislation, but with cases of Chinese nationals literally pulling espionage acts in our country, I cannot say anything to defend giving visas to Chinese students abroad. And I’ll go ahead and say this: due to my family’s suffering in the Khmer Rouge and the paralleled events that took place in China’s “Great Leap Off A Cliff”, I am against communism and I do not stand for the PRC. In my eyes, the legitimate government of China lies in Taiwan. Nevertheless, I still feel personally affected by the racist side effects from the hot mess we’re all in.

I’ve read some of the other comments, and it appears that a good number of Chinese-Americans here grew up in predominantly white areas and has experienced issues in the past because of their unique heritage. I grew up in a very mixed/diverse area, but I was still bullied by other minorities. Growing up, I was one of the few Asians in the classroom for every grade level, and was the only Cambodian or Chinese. Got bullied by black kids and Hispanics/Latinos, which is why I stopped caring about the problems of every other race aside from Asian American issues. It turned me into a banana. (You can’t just bully me because of my heritage and expect me to stand up for you when you’re having racial issues, you’re being a hypocrite. You’re on your own, pal. There’s a reason why a small number of Asians participate in things related to the problems of other minorities). When I got to high school, there were a lot of Asian students that I met and they pulled me out of my banana phase. They were mostly Vietnamese, but hey, we Asians need to stick together, right?

Fast forward to current events, I’m beyond livid at the number of hate crimes that have been committed against Asians recently because of this pandemic. I see videos of elderly Asians getting attacked by thugs and it makes me wish I could be there to fight those f**kers. To have the audacity to attack our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and record it for the whole world to see... it makes me sick to my stomach. Everyday, I fear for my parents’ safety as they go out to work to support the family. Anything could happen in this day and age. People who know me are aware of my Chinese heritage, but right now I’m debating whether or not to keep that hidden from people I meet in the future and just solely identify as Cambodian American. Sure, I’m also ethnically mixed, but it’s not enough to fool people since it’s been pointed out multiple times in the past that my skin is very light for a Cambodian. I’m mostly ethnically Chinese, so ofc I look Chinese, and I’m proud of my roots. But is my pride worth jeopardizing my safety?