Asians & the Problem of Normalized Racism

by Harseerat Mann, Opinions Editor

MARCELA/Flickr

In our society today, racism towards Asians has been so normalized that it’s frequently ignored in spite of its blatancy. Anywhere from TikTok dances to songs that brazenly mock Asians, racist stereotypes are painted beneath the pretense of it being “simply jokes.” The phrase “ching chong” has been used for years to mock the manner that Chinese people speak, but is used to mock all Asians as well.

The normalization of racism towards Asians and Asian Americans has created a stereotype wherein each Asian who stands against using the racist jokes being made out to be a “snowflake” or “soft.”

“Before my high school closed down in March, my classmates joked that they had coronavirus and coughed on their friends in the halls,” reporter Amanda Zhu said. “These jokes soon moved to TikTok, where students expressed their annoyance at ‘the guy who ate the bat’ and hoped that ‘the Chinese learned their lesson to stop eating dogs.”

People regularly view Asian Americans as the “model minority,” which is a generalization that announces that Asian-Americans are hardworking, intelligent, and obedient. The "model minority" myth creates a stigma across the Asian network that they may be continually a hit and could in no way struggle.

“I was reminded that the recent attacks against Asian-American communities due to COVID and the murder of George Floyd are connected and rooted in racist histories,” Chinese-American Jay Koo said in an interview with Time Magazine. “We can never truly be free unless we are all free, or as Dr. King states, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Asian-Americans are capable of asking for assistance or communicating their struggles. For example, Asian-Americans are much more likely to encounter burnout or pressure in college than their white counterparts, however are much less likely to seek a counselor for assistance.

The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AA/PI) community is the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that it had the lowest rates of mental health utilization compared to every racial group. One study found that only 28% of Asian Americans sought mental health services compared to 54% of the general population.

“Racism is so normalized to Asians. Due to this pandemic, racism against Asians has been going even more up,” Kennedy junior Shellah Gabasan said. “Asians are always getting mocked either due to facial features, what they eat, or typical stereotypes on assumptions.”

Casual racism toward Asian-Americans ought to be addressed with equal severity that different sorts of racism are treated. It is incumbent upon everyone, no matter race, to call out racism once they see it.

The next time an Asian individual tells you a “funny” story is offensive, be aware of that and no longer write it off as them being sensitive. Asian-Americans additionally have to address what they see or say a casually racist “funny” story or remark.

Hold every person responsible and deal with human beings with kindness.