Will StopAsianHate Have Same Impact as BlackLivesMatter in the World?
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. — NIV, Genesis 11:6–7
A few days ago, a cruel gun shooting happened in Atlanta which caused eight people to die, including six women of Asian descent. The murderer claimed that he is sex-addicted and carried out the shooting to eliminate his “temptation.” At a news conference, a Giorgia sheriff said that the shooter just “had a very bad day.” It was shocking but after people found that he posted racist Covid-19 T-shirts on Facebook earlier this year, we could understand why this sheriff would say so. I tried to look for his Facebook to prove what the media shared, but I only found many “shared” posters. (The shared post from the artist — Daniel Wu) Due to the controversial posters and conversation, the xenophobia of anti-Asians in America is emphasized at last.
The xenophobia this time derived from the Covid-19 in China since last year. It’s been a year, we still couldn’t understand the exact reason for the outbreak of the Covid-19. Our life of epidemic prevention still continues, lots of industries have been impacted until now, when will the economy thrive up again? When could we go back to normal life? Even though Israel has taken the vaccination for 75% coverage with a two-dose vaccine as a target in two months, and an analysis of 132,015 people 60 and older who received their initial dose in late December 2020 suggests the shots already started reducing the toll of the pandemic in that country 1 month later, as a good example in the world. More westerns countries have taken the vaccination since the end of 2020, even in Taiwan today, we finally start the first vaccination from AZ. However, according to Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker, the path to herd immunity might take 7 years at today’s vaccine rate. When you have lost your jobs for a while, closed your shops frequently due to the rules during the lockdown, it’s definitely a nightmare that you could never wake up. It will be easier for people to find someone or something to blame on.
So, why I want to compare people’s reactions to Stop Asian Hate with Black Lives Matter? The different cultures.
From my experience, according to people’s stereotype of Asians, we are “obedient” and “gentle.” Due to the “face” issue, we tend to resolve the issue quietly or in a complicated way. For example, when we discuss some issues in a meeting in an Asian company, most of us will choose to share our ideas privately with the manager, if we think the ideas are opposite. Moreover, I remember when I worked with my foreign colleagues, sometimes we would make some jokes about our working attitude, my serious and obedient working attitude would often become one of the examples. I don’t feel offended, but I would be a bit embarrassed but keep working without debating.
To the degree of my impression of the Black people, they are courageous and creative. The Black Lives Matter movement is founded in 2013 and it shook the world in 2020. Not just people in America stood out on the street, were the Europeans also went on the strike.
“God helps those who help themselves.” If there isn’t Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement, there won’t be an improvement for the black people’s rights afterward. If there isn’t a strong protest after the improper enforcement of George Floyd, not all the world will support Black Lives Matter.
Time to stand and speak out with our own voice. The anti-Asian doesn’t only happen in the U.S, but also around the world. I live in a small country, Taiwan, being one of the Asian members, I appreciate my culture which I learned gentleness, modest, and courtesy, but it doesn’t mean that these virtues would be carried out easily in other countries if they don’t understand. Will the Stop Asian Hate impact more as what Black Lives Matter brought to the world?
Yes, I deeply believe so. As long as you, wherever, whoever, or whenever you are, are willing to stand with us.
It’s a critical and harsh moment for all the people in the world. If we don’t try to understand each other, discrimination will exist all the time. The only way to fight against the virus and get through the difficulties is to unite together, even if we speak different languages and from different races. The world is beautiful because it’s varied.
(Reference: In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement shook the world, Atlanta residents respond to spa shootings with calls to end racial violence)
