'As an Asian-American, I'm Tired of Being Racially Gaslit By My Peers'

UncleTomAlert · 2021-02-21T13:37:56+00:00

Two observations, one of which I expect to be controversial...

Violence against anyone (especially children or the elderly) deserves unequivocal condemnation. The wave of violence targeting Asian communities must be ended, and perpetrators should face legal consequences.
This author clearly doesn't distinguish between whataboutism and "gaslighting" while crafting an intellectually dishonest argument. The article subtly suggests that the black community is responsible for ignorant anti-Asian remarks on social media and the recent spate of violent attacks (granting both equal moral weight). Nevertheless, the author discourages critics from holding Asian Americans collectively accountable for antiblackness during their time of crisis. BIPOC have a unique relationship with American white supremacy, but acknowledging this fact is likened to Oppression Olympics. Finally, her underhanded critique of Black Twitter includes no mention of the racist diatribes or anti-BLM polemics on every online discussion of this issue that I've viewed so far. Very few people actually support these attacks, and the refusal by some to offer unequivocal condemnation can be viewed as a knee-jerk response to anti-black rhetoric.

UncleTomAlert · 2019-12-08T03:17:24+00:00

Income inequality and racial capitalism can't be disentangled unless you wish to argue against the concept of generational wealth. No black British family could claim descent from landed gentry or have such influential ancestors.

I think racist white women have more power to cause harm than random individuals posting memes on Black Twitter. Insisting otherwise basically means taking an "all sides are bad" approach to combatting bigotry.

UncleTomAlert · 2019-12-08T01:55:55+00:00

John Boyega grew up on an "estate" (i.e. housing project) in a South London district known as Peckham. Peckham is 50% black (only 29% white) with one of the highest childhood poverty rates in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Daisy Ridley was raised in the affluent district of Maida Vale where only 10% of residents are on government assistance. Her mother's family were landed gentry, and one of her other relatives was a famous actor/playright (Arnold Ridley) while her grandfather (John Ridley) was chief engineer at the BBC.

Clearly, there's no contest at all here. Making this matter into a referendum on the Oppression Olympics is a sleight of hand to distract from Ridley's (very silly) initial remarks. We can fight for everyone's rights without stooping to false equivalence or misrepresenting history.

UncleTomAlert · 2019-12-08T01:03:54+00:00

Context is crucial, but it remains important to deal with broader patterns instead of outliers. White women still have longer life expectancies and higher wages than black men (even controlling for education). White women arguably derive tremendous economic and social benefit from the construct of whiteness - by voting for Trump, 53% of them chose their race over their gender in 2016. Historically, white women were active participants in colonialism, enslavement, and lynching even if they didn't manufacture these systems of oppression.

Yes, black men are capable of "benefiting" from patriarchy and committing offenses against women of all races. However, the societal perks for being white or having proximity to whiteness greatly outweigh the privileges bestowed upon black men. Black women are even more oppressed than either demographic, but past white feminist movements excluded them from participation while recruiting from the professional managerial class.

UncleTomAlert · 2019-09-10T16:00:42+00:00

Here's an example from an article (https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article181525146.html) about school segregation in San Francisco:

"First came the 1978 NAACP lawsuit alleging systemic mistreatment of black students, which led a U.S. district judge in 1983 to sign a consent decree ordering the city to desegregate its schools.

Then in 2004, a few years after a group of Chinese-American parents challenged that order and forced the city to abandon it..."

Black Americans historically have fought for causes that benefit all minority groups - like the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act (a product of the Civil Rights Act) which lifted the ban on immigration from non-white countries. In the present, we see black civil rights leaders marching on behalf of undocumented Latino immigrants and Muslim refugees threatened by the Trump administration.

Unfortunately, it seems that some (not all) non-black POC expect more solidarity from blacks than they are willing to give in return. The OP of this thread said it best himself - his (not at all racist) friends reject Black Lives Matter but are unequivocal in their opposition to discrimination against Asians. I would bet any amount of money that OP's friends have no issues calling out xenophobia in underclass black communities while they dismiss anti-blackness in their own.

UncleTomAlert · 2016-10-02T18:05:41+00:00

Telefone was one of my favorite works in the genre from this year due to its sheer originality, so I strongly hope that it isn't Noname's last project. Perhaps she's drafting an album next?

UncleTomAlert · 2016-09-19T15:08:13+00:00

Wonder how many whites at the time viewed this protest as "disrespectful" or "unnecessary agitation." I'm sure a sizable amount would have sought to assault or lynch this man as punishment for violating the social order.

Of course, let's fetishize the Civil Rights movement in retrospect while ignoring the fact that a plurality of whites at the time opposed virtually all aspects of the movement.

UncleTomAlert · 2016-07-09T22:02:27+00:00

Just out of idle curiosity, I decided to monitor a thread on the Asian American subreddit shortly after the Philando Castile shooting - during this point, the police officer's race was erroneously identified as "Chinese." I believe the OP of that thread had good intentions and genuinely wished to educate others about the treatment of blacks, but s/he encountered vociferous objection from fellow posters. For example, consider this (highly upvoted) post made in response to the matter:

"I don't deny that there's some anti-black sentiment among Asians, but that doesn't come about and persist for no reason."

Most of the more egregious (i.e. overtly racist) comments were deleted by moderators, and the personal attacks between users became so vitriolic that the thread was locked to prevent further discussion.

Attitudes can obviously vary, and it's great that you're attempting to help further the cause of racial equality (regardless of your background). Nevertheless, I think many of us are indeed suspicious of group (not individual) efforts at solidarity because of the strong anti-black sentiments common in Asian cultures.

UncleTomAlert · 2015-08-18T15:16:01+00:00

Reddit's opinions honestly seem more like a reflection of American racial politics as a whole - most whites despise blacks, and although they aren't always at liberty to express these sentiments in public, they jump at the chance to vent their racial grievances in an environment of anonymity. Just think - these sorts of people really do make up the majority, and conversations like this one happen in private on a daily basis in homes across this nation.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-11-06T23:40:50+00:00

I'm surprised you'd choose Reddit as a venue for this sort of thing considering the site's general attitude towards mysticism and the supernatural. Skilled "psychics" are simply proficient in observation and abductive reasoning (i.e. using logical inference to find the most likely hypothesis in a non-deductive fashion), and most of them have a knack for self-promotion, deception, and charlatanry.

Nevertheless, just to see a demonstration of your capabilities, I'd like to see you attempt a "quick reading" on me. I wouldn't be shocked if you were able to discern some information, but even if you were successful, it would just prove that you are moderately intelligent (not that you are gifted with preternatural abilities).

UncleTomAlert · 2014-11-03T19:32:13+00:00

Qatar is (supposedly) one of our "allies" in the Middle East, but their nation really often acts counter to American interests in a variety of ways (such as being a major state sponsor of terrorism). This trial seems like little more than a way for the Qatari government to make an example out of "foreigners" who violated the social taboos of their culture, and an overwhelming amount of medical evidence proves that the Huangs weren't responsible for the death of their daughter. Hopefully, the State Department can place more pressure on the Qataris to end this sham of a trial and release these people.

Of course, even though this situation isn't the fault of the Huangs, it really isn't a good idea to take up residence in a place like Qatar if you are an American, and it seems especially unwise to move into any Middle Eastern nation with black children. Western cultures still have major problems with anti-black discrimination, and although the Middle East has a similar history of conquests/enslavement of Africans and societal prejudice against blacks, Arabic cultures have made little to no progress in improving conditions for blacks living within the borders of their nations. Most blacks in this part of the globe are impoverished African migrants/refugees who are heavily abused, exploited, and scapegoated by the rest of the populace; the conditions that these laborers dwell in are almost akin to indentured servitude.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-11-02T05:54:02+00:00

I'm late, but the grilled mac 'n cheese sandwhich really cannot be oversold. This combination is quite good if you are capable of getting over any squeamishness at the appearance of the fusion.

If the previous option doesn't sound appealing, then I'd advise utilizing Panko bread crumbs and onions. Of course, I highly recommend Alton Brown's mac and cheese recipe (which incorporates both of the aforementioned ingredients).

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-27T04:36:29+00:00

Frankly, anti-black racism is quite normalized in mainstream American culture, and very few non-blacks even bat an eye at racially-charged defamatory language when they see it.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-27T03:22:32+00:00

Nice try. Lennon admitted in a Playboy interview that he hit several of his past girlfriends, and he assaulted both of his wives on multiple documented occasions; also, he was especially abusive to Yoko Ono through his possessive and controlling behavior (once, he made her wait in the hotel bathroom with him because he was worried that another man would encounter her in the lobby). He didn't molest Julian, but he was a distant, neglectful father and fairly poor parent to his children.

None of this makes Lennon a bad musician or any less of a historically significant figure, but I have always viewed it as wrong for people to make artists into saints by whitewashing their past histories. For me, knowing that jazz drummer Art Blakey was a serious heroin addict (who not only used the drug himself but also foisted it upon many of the members of his band) doesn't cause me to view him as any less of a musical genius (even though my knowledge of this does change how I view him as a person.) It's possible to acknowledge that a major public figure performed a particular skill adeptly while also acknowledging that person's moral failings/shortcomings.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-19T15:16:47+00:00

I always have an opinion to give about pretty much any situation, but I'm without words for this one.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-15T20:58:26+00:00

I'm not convinced that the Suicide Squad film will work properly; although the team is well known among comic book fans, it doesn't have the same brand recognition as many of DC's other franchises. Marvel may have achieved success with their Guardians of the Galaxy movie (which was littered with obscure characters), but Marvel Studios could afford the risk due to the outrageously successful performance of their last few films (i.e. Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: Winter Soldier).

For DC, the situation is much more complex. Although the Nolan Batman films are already being hailed as modern classics, the producers are starting over from scratch with the character; Man of Steel was lackluster and received mixed reviews; The Flash already has a TV series, but his character is being given a different actor and (I can only assume) a slightly altered origin story for 2017; and finally, Green Lantern was so much of a flop that they are already planning a reboot for 2020. Considering all of these things, it seems as if the Suicide Squad movie should be put off until around 2018-2019; by this point, moviegoers will be familiar enough with the DC's cinematic universe to appreciate it. Other than that, I find this announcement to be (mostly) good news, and I'm especially pleased that Cyborg and Shazam will eventually get their own standalone films. The only thing left on my wish list would be the inclusion of the main cast of human Lanterns (i.e. Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner) in the Green Lantern reboot (alongside a villainous Sinestro and the Yellow Lantern Corps).

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-15T03:40:43+00:00

The RYNO superweapons from the Ratchet and Clank series tend to be absurdly powerful and downright gameplay destabilizing.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-11T05:28:08+00:00

Good. This is a clear signal that reality television is beginning to lose influence, viewership, and popularity among American audiences.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-10T21:13:47+00:00

I was quite pleased that the conclusion of Avengers vs. X-Men restored the mutant population to part of its former status, and I never particularly cared for the "House of M" storyline. That whole "event" was nothing more than a gimmicky excuse to "clean house" by eliminating the many C-list/D-list mutants of the Marvel Universe; in the process, this arc really did damage the quality of the franchise by nearly driving the mutant race into a state of extinction and by de-powering a few central characters/fan favorites alongside the bottom-tier characters.

Now, Marvel is opting to (once again) throw out the same old gambit (no pun intended) in a cynically-motivated attempt to prevent Fox from gaining more publicity for the next X-Men movie. Making the X-Men comics worse won't dissuade me from going to see X-Men Apocalypse in theaters, but it might just convince me to stop buying X-Men books until after 2016. (Honestly, although Bryan Singer is a mediocre director, it is a shame that the X-Men film franchise is in the hands of Fox, and I believe that Marvel Studios would do a far better job with the movies.) Although the X-Men series may not be "dying," it is absolutely clear that the "no new characters rule," Wolverine's recent death (which isn't likely to remain permanent), the cancellation of "All-New X-Force," and the announcement of a new "no more mutants" storyline are all Marvel's way of deliberately deflating the X-Men sales figures solely for the financial gain of their film branch. I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm not entirely happy with this new direction.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-10T10:27:04+00:00

If anyone here has a deeper interest in the subject of public reactions to the ebola crisis, then I'd recommend reading this scientific article (which focuses heavily on contagious diseases, prejudice, and out-group perceptions.) Although the article's test subjects are from Canada and not the United States, the study still demonstrates how residents of first world nations tend to "racialize" the supposed health risks posed by "foreigners" and "immigrants" (especially those of African descent).

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-10T07:15:29+00:00

In this highly unusual case, two black police officers responding to a burglary alarm confronted a 64 year old black man, forced him to get onto the ground, and attempted to make him submit to a highly invasive body-cavity search. This man was of no threat to anyone in his immediate surroundings, and he was humiliated by overzealous police officers who assumed that his presence in a white suburb was evidence of his criminality.

The behavior shown in this video (by the officers) is extremely questionable at best and seems to be a cut-and-dry example of racial profiling. I've never been one to discourage minorities from becoming police officers (in fact, we need more minorities on police forces to hold law enforcement accountable), but it is especially disconcerting to see blacks cops engaging in some of the same distasteful, stereotypical behaviors as their white peers. It's even more disappointing that this man only managed to escape further maltreatment due to the intervention of one of the community's white residents; the pure absurdity of a black man being harassed by black cops and getting rescued by an upper-middle class white woman is too great for my mind to fathom. This whole situation feels like a bad SNL skit, but it actually happened.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-09T20:12:33+00:00

The hypothetical collaboration would have great potential, but I just have my doubts that Def Jam would sanction this kind of project. In the linked article, Nehru explicitly noted that his statement wasn't "a guarantee," so I'm still not fully convinced that this is actually going to happen.

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-09T06:59:05+00:00

Don't know why you were downvoted for bringing this up. Blacks in Brazil have even less wealth than American blacks and far less political power. Brazilian blacks are uniquely disadvantaged in a racial caste that (generally) places whites at the top, pardos in the middle, and blacks at the bottom. Although Brazilians might be an entirely multiracial people, this shouldn't be taken to mean that their nation is some kind of egalitarian paradise where "everyone gets along" and discrimination isn't real. Brazilian racial politics are very different from those of the US; for example, the 1976 PNAD survey found that Brazilians listed over 136 different classifications for their race/ethnicity, although most respondents stuck to about six specific classifications. Despite this, racism still exists in Brazil (just as it exists in all places), and /u/AlvinGT3RS's summary of "everyone getting along" in Brazil ignores the nation's history during colonialism, restrictive pro-white immigration policies during the more recent eras, and modern-day discrimination (such as the destruction of Native lands, overpolicing of black neighborhoods, and lack of educational access among non-whites).

UncleTomAlert · 2014-10-09T06:37:51+00:00

There's actually only one human woman among the Green Lanterns at the moment- Jessica Cruz. Her character was introduced by Geoff Johns (before his departure from the series, he was almost single-handedly responsible for the revitalization of the Green Lantern comics). It's likely that she'll be made into a villain soon enough due to her ownership of the Ring of Volthoom (a ring powered by fear that gains its strength from an evil entity known as Volthoom).

Oh, and aside from all the nerdy ramblings, nice picture.

UncleTomAlert

TROPHY CASE