Asian Racism and charged w/ assult...

Parent Cafe
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<p>I understand your anger and frustration, and you were right to post here in Parents’ Cafe. Parents do care about things like this.</p>

<p>She certainly was wrong, and you have had a lot to deal with with the racial slurs that have been said against you. You, however, were wrong to push her. That doesn’t help things (and I say this as a black woman who each day has to deal with my anger due to some kind of racism ).</p>

<p>I strongly suggest that you get together with other Asian students, discuss what has been happening to you, and then meet as a group with the administration. Get your parents involved, too, if they will support you, and reach out to other students and parents who would care. Yes, there are students and parents who would care even if they aren’t Asian or even people of color. If I had been made aware that such things were going on at S’s school, S (who has many Asian friends as do I) and I would have been doing what we could to show support. Racism or prejudice against anyone is unacceptable.</p>

<p>If students feel free to express racism against Asians, trust me, they are doing the same to other groups. The issue isn’t just about Asians. Anyone who is perceived as different or vulnerable is at risk.</p>

<p>Also take people’s advice here and contact the Anti Defamation League for support and assistance.</p>

<p>When you approach people for help, stick to the facts and state your case with grace. Drop the profanity. Take responsibility for the fact that you pushed her. Admit that you were wrong, which you were. Her actions don’t justify your pushing her. Admitting you were wrong will also make it easier for others to focus on the root of the problem: The racism that you and other Asians have been subjected to.</p>

<p>Check out this web site for more info and support. It has info that teens and schools can do to promote tolerance and stop hate: <a href=“http://www.tolerance.org/teens/index.jsp[/url]”>http://www.tolerance.org/teens/index.jsp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You and your supporters can advocate for adopting some of the ideas on the tolerance.org site. That can be a legacy that you leave at your school so others don’t have to experience the pain that you experienced.</p>

<p>I also think that once all of the facts come out that you won’t get the severe punishment that you’re fearing would hurt you with your college acceptance.</p>

<p>Please continue to post here for support.</p>

22

<p>I don’t think you were wrong to push her and I’m glad you did. This isn’t going to hurt you a bit for college, so don’t worry. Just deal with it according to some of the advice you have been given. Don’t second guess yourself. The first thing you need to do is have a lawyer write a letter to her parents explaining exactly what happened in the incident and “suggesting” that they back off on filing any charges. If you were in TN, I would do it for you. :)<br>
You go, girl.</p>

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<p>"If I acted up and did take action, then people in my school might wake up and realize that not all asians will put up with this. "</p>

<p>While I agree that passivity is not going to stop the kind of racist behavior you and other Asians at your school have been experiencing, I disagree that violence is the way to handle those kind of incidents. </p>

<p>I do think that speaking up, going to the administration, school board, media, lawyeres and organizations designed to stop racism are the way to end the kind of sitaution that you describe.</p>

<p>I agree with Gandhi who said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” I also look to the history of the civil rights movement in the U.S. If African Americans had tried to get their rights by treating whites the way whites were treating blacks, we wouldn’t have gotten the world on our side.</p>

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<p>Here’s some info you will find useful. It includes info on how Asians and others have addressed incidents of antiAsian racism in the U.S.</p>

<ol>
<li>In Facebook: "When a close friend of University of Virginia sophomore Patrick Giesecke began teasing him about having an “Asian fetish,” Giesecke logged onto thefacebook.com and created a new group to catch the attention of his friend, who happened to be an Asian female: “People for the Propagation of the Asian Fetish.”</li>
</ol>

<p>According to the facebook group, “Asian women are truly the most scrumptrillescent delicacy abroad.” The group’s purpose was “to bang out Asians. Bang hard or go home. Yes, even the ugly …”</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.campusprogress.org/features/311/facing-up-to-facebook-racism[/url]”>http://www.campusprogress.org/features/311/facing-up-to-facebook-racism&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<ol>
<li><p>"Student groups and bloggers forcefully criticized The Daily Princetonian for a column published in the paper on Wednesday, which they claim expressed anti-Asian bigotry.</p>

<p>Part of the ‘Prince’s’ annual joke issue, the column was written in broken English and drew on several stereotypes about Asians. It ran with the byline “Lian Ji,” referring to Yale freshman Jian Li, who filed a bias complaint against the University last year, alleging that the Admission Office discriminates against Asian applicants." <a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2007/01/19/news/17134.shtml[/url]”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2007/01/19/news/17134.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
<li><p>"The study investigated Asian American students’ perceptions of racial climate in comparison with those of White counterparts at a large public university. It also examined students’ reporting behaviors upon encountering incidents of racial harassment as well as their awareness of reporting procedures, the Student Code of Conduct, and civil rights. The results indicated that Asian American students were more likely to report negative perceptions and were found to be less aware of their rights and procedures. The study included several implications for student affairs practitioners in order to better understand and serve this population of students. "<a href=“http://publications.naspa.org/naspajournal/vol40/iss3/art3/”>http://publications.naspa.org/naspajournal/vol40/iss3/art3/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
<li><p>"Although Asians are the largest minority group at the University, making up approximately 12 percent of the student population, many students and faculty say they are oftentimes marginalized in the typical dichotomy of black and white race relations. …</p></li>
</ol>

<p>"Rodriguez also said that the racial discourse at the University tends to have a black and white dynamic because it is easy to buy into the fact that Asian students are not discriminated against. </p>

<p>Many Asian students expressed the need for a centralized location where they can go to report racial incidents…"<a href=“http://www.modelminority.com/article1013.html”>http://www.modelminority.com/article1013.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<ol>
<li>"I take public transportation to and from school every day. As I walk to the bus stop, I hear kids in the school bus call me “chink” and many other things that are negative about Asians. When this happens I feel a sense of non-belonging. [1]</li>
</ol>

<p>There were always those kids that called you names or tried to put you into that (pause) if you’re not white you’re not American. [2]</p>

<p>AAPI students are the targets of both overt and subtle forms of racism. These experiences with racism—from the overt acts of anti-AAPI violence to more subtle instances of exclusion—are often informed by stereotypes. Numerous studies highlight the fact that AAPI students are stereotyped by their non-AAPI peers and by school staff… "<a href=“http://www.modelminority.com/printout1075.html”>http://www.modelminority.com/printout1075.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<ol>
<li>"TEMECULA ---- A racy performance Friday at Great Oak High School used racial jokes, slurs and ethnic stereotypes to make its point that bigotry and intolerance can be hurtful and demeaning.</li>
</ol>

<p>This is the third time in as many years a traveling troupe of teenagers, dubbed Socially Together and Naturally Diverse, or STAND, has performed in the Temecula Valley Unified School District.</p>

<p>The performance was developed by San Bernardino County teacher Brian Jeffrey, who created the drama with his multicultural student club 13 years ago at the behest of the California Department of Education in the wake of the Los Angeles riots of 1992.</p>

<p>Since then, high schools across the nation have started up STAND student clubs, and students from Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, where Jeffrey is an English teacher, travel around the state to get their message out about the importance of accepting people’s differences.</p>

<p>The performance uses the real-life experiences of students and teachers who have felt or perpetuated prejudice on their campuses and melds those stories onstage into poetry, scenes depicting school settings and testimonies.</p>

<p>The multicultural performers repeat racist jokes about whites, blacks, Asians, Latinos and American Indians in what Jeffrey describes as “rehearsed improvisation…”
<a href=“North County”>North County;

<ol>
<li>Coalition for Asian Pacific American Youth:
“In November 1992, two weeks before the Thanksgiving Holiday, Vira Douangmany, a Laotian American student who was then a senior, organized a student walkout to protest harassment against Asians and to call for greater vigilance against racism at her high school. The walkout was met with disbelief and fierce opposition by the school administration who threatened to suspend any Asian student and summon their parents for a disciplinary hearing if they participated in the walkout. The walkout was cancelled, but in its wake, Vira and other students formed a multiethnic coalition and met with the school administration. Receiving support from community organizations such as the Asian American Resource Workshop and the Massachusetts Asian Educators Association, they demanded cultural sensitivity workshops for students and school personnel. Again, they were met with strong resistance by school authorities. …”
<a href=“http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/capay4ever/Capay.html[/url]”>http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/capay4ever/Capay.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
</ol>

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<p>If there were other people watching the fight, NOW is the time to reach out to them and get them on your side if you can. If you think their testimony can help you, then you could get them to testify for you. They could end up hurting you though since everyone acknowledges you hit someone. I would ask your lawyer that question.</p>

<p>But one of your focuses should be to get the fight watchers on YOUR side. Even if you don’t plan on having them testify in your defense, you still want them on your side. You wouldn’t want them to testify against you for the other girl, would you?</p>

<p>If you can find other people who have witnessed other racial slurs made by the same person, they would be good witnesses of the person’s racist tendencies. </p>

<p>Also, keep a log of all the times this person called you racist names. Go back as far as you can in your memory and write down the dates she did so in the past, too.</p>

<p>I’m glad you are contacting an attorney and are thinking about contacting charges. You are making the right choice. If your parents won’t pay the attorney’s fees, some of the civil rights groups other posters linked to might be willing to help you (I know some activists groups do in some cases).</p>

<p>Again, good luck! Keep us posted on what’s happening.</p>

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<p>I just want to thank you all for the advice. I am afraid of getting the others to testify becuase I don’t think that they will be on my side. My brother says he will help me get a lawyer in the meantime. The truth is that my parents feel uncomfortable when racism crops up becuase they don’t think that everday people middle income people like us can do anything about it. They are positive it will back fire.</p>

<p>Bt on a related note…
. I was recently reading Time Magazine (the most recent one has an article about the Imus situation) and I caught something that really struck me in a painful way. It was talking about racial and derogeratory slurs and how bad they were, but gave a free pass to people using the word “chink,” which is waht people in my school call me and other asian kids all the time. Basically, Time Magazine (which I alway thought was an unbiased news source) was saying that it was okay to call someone a chink! After what happened at my school it really made me mad. </p>

<p>In the Imus controversy article on the page with a large picture of Sarah SIlverman in in black dress, on theh second column, thrid paragraph it talks about how the author of the article agreed with Silverman (a white comedian known for using racist language) that her material wasn’t rasicist, but ABOUT racisim. The front cover of the article has the words “I love chinks” in big bold letters. SInce when is this ABOUT racisim instead of BEING racisit? Sarah SIlverman does NOT use her comedy in a way like Chris Rock! She basically degrades Asians and does nothing to put sociological and hisotorical context into it! (which is waht chris rock does) It is bascially inferring (since the only quote by silverman is with the word chink) that this word is perfectly ok to say and to degrade people with. They also only gave her an outrage level of 3, which makes people think chink is a perfectlly fine word when in fact it didn’t cuase as much of an outrage only since the american asian poplution is very small. People don’t realize how bad a connotation this word has since asian-amer. history is not taught at the k-12 level anyways. So people think we don’t suffer racism, which is totally not ture. I get called this only a weekly basis. </p>

<p>I am part chinese (I’m chinese, viet, Fillipina) and a descedent of a chinese railroad worker who helped build the transcontinental railroad. They would put in the metal spikes to hold down the wooden ties/railroad tracks, there would be a large metal “clink” sound when the hammer hit the metal and forced the tie to go in. Soon this “CLINK” sound turned into the work “CHINK” since the chinese were seen as half-humans only fit for the sweat labour they produced buliding the railroads. It was a word they would use when they brought them over in very harsh conditions in the ship, and when they were prohibited from movies theatres and lynched in the LA area (most people lynched in the Los Angelos area were actually asians b/c CA had a large asian poplutation at that time) I know this from stuff my great-Uncle told me but I am sure that this is down in some history books somewhere, just not high school textbooks since they don’t include asian-amer. history anyways. (My theory is that people aren’t educated about asian-amer. hisotry and so they don’t think that asians get discriminated agasint. It’s only at the college level that they teach you about it and never at high school levels)</p>

<p>I think racisim needs to be kept in the closet becuase if people say it, or the enviornemnt says it’s okay to say it, a little like the Imus situation, then people will say it more and more and create a enviornemnt that gets more and more racist. </p>

<p>Ok, so should I write a letter to the Time Magazine Editor? I have alot of things on my hand but I hate to see TIme Magazine get away with something as blatant as this. WIll they even print it?</p>

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<p>Face it, asians are a “safe” target for slurs. Not too much of an uproar from asians nor anyone else occurs when that happens to us. As a result, we remain a safe target for such slurs and will remain so until things change. Sure, you should write Time magazine. I don’t know what good it would do though. I would be good if more asians would stand up and not take sxxx from others, like you do.</p>

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<p>Yes, you need to write an eloquent letter to Time magazine. Write it at the length of the letters that Time prints, don’t use profanity, give specifics from your own experience about why the word “chink” is unacceptable when used to designate people of Chinese descent.</p>

<p>Your letter will be taken seriously. When I was in college, I had a letter published in Time or Newsweek. I also know that print publications want very much to attract young readers, so the fact that you’re in high school will be a big plus to your letter’s getting editors’ attention.</p>

<p>I also think that you should write a column in your school newspaper or a column for your local newspaper about the kind of racism that you’ve experienced in school. Take the time, too, to read some of the articles that I posted links to, and cite some of them in your article. Usually newspaper columns are about 500-750 words long.</p>

<p>I have heard some very good talks by Larry Yang, a Chinese American, who describes some of his experiences with racism and how he copes with it. Larry is a social worker and diversity expert. He also is Buddhist, but you don’t have to be Buddhist to appreciate or learn from what he describes. </p>

<p>Here’s a link to some of his talks. I think the one called "anger’ is where he describes how he has reacted to some anti-Asian racism that he has encountered. <a href=“http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/LarryYang.html[/url]”>http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/LarryYang.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Just started to follow this thread. Couple of comments. The first couple of replies from parents were no help to you. They gave you no encouragement at all ( …agree you were in no-win…ya ya ya ). In fact the respondents were complicitious in telling you you were helpless. You are far from helpless in this case and in this day and age. Also I think your parents were the stereotyped asian parents by blaming you for standing up for yourself. I would watch the anger and not let it get the better of you, but it’s never wrong to stand up for yourself. The school administration sounds racist too but while you are still a student there, I would make the school work for you instead of antagonize it like name it as a defendent. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I’m sure you are sick of it and I was pleased to read that you had the courage to stand up to the bigots who have been bullying you. However, clever girl that you are, you could have used a verbal sword to much greater effect–as you are now thinking about doing with ‘Time’ magazine. I think you might be surprised how effective words can be.</p>

<p>There is bigotry and racism and sexism and all sorts of nasty behavior meant to keep power in it’s historical place–right or wrongly. To effect change, it helps to perfect an aggressive and clever use of words and abstract strategy–over fists.</p>

<p>Thanks for writing the original post, sickofit. It is very illuminating and thought provoking. Well done to you. You should think of putting that in the student newspaper.</p>

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<p>Awesome how you stood up for yourself! It is unrealistic of people to assume somewhat physical measures never “solve” anything – you DID make a strong stance when provoked and without excessive use of force, and thus broke the invisible asian female stereotype. All my hats off to you. Don’t back down now!</p>

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<p>I am an African American student and at my school it seems that Asians are made fun of the most. At my school black kids are like the loud cool kids that everyone wants to be around and be like. And yes, I do feel as if asians don’t get as much attention this area. My sympathy goes out to the OP.</p>

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<p>To be honest, I’m a bit taken aback by some of the “you go girl” type comments that are supportive of the OP’s actions in initiating/escalating a violent confrontation. Granted, I engaged in a few bouts of fisticuffs myself during my teenage years, but with age (should) comes wisdom and maturity, and we as adults should not be encouraging violent responses to mere words, no matter how hurtful. I’m not saying that the other girl was “in the right” by any stretch of the imagination, but the harsh reality is that when you lay a hand on someone in anger, you have to expect consequences.</p>

<p>I guess I am a little concerned about what type of message we are sending here. People do/say horrible things to one another all the out in the real world, but as adults, we are expected to behave in a rational manner in response. Say a boss or coworker belittles your performance on a presentation or report… are you going to respond by punching him/her in the nose? Of course not. Moreover, violence outside of the (semi-)controlled environment of a school building is just asking for trouble. Who knows if the person you shove or strike is packing a gun or knife? It has happened to me before (got thumped with brass knuckles by two dudes), and it is easy for one’s temper to write a check that your butt can’t cash. </p>

<p>Anyway, I’ll step off the soapbox now… return to your scheduled programming.</p>

34

<p>I agree with Art Vandelay.</p>

<p>The OP and some of the posters IMO need to realize that when confronted with racism, one’s choice isn’t ignoring it or engaging in fisticuffs. There are many assertive, proactive and effective responses that one can use that aren’t violent and won’t land you in jail.</p>

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<p>Well, I think that while shoving may not have been the BEST way to handle the situation of the OP, it did send a strong message of “I may be an asian female, but that doesn’t mean I can’t pack some clout”. </p>

<p>Personally I or she may have wanted to respond by saying EXCUSE ME? very loudly, moving closer and having a very confident body posture, etc - however, in responding to situations of deep disrespect and humiliation, doing the right thing may not be as easy a decision to make within that split second one has to either act or see one’s self-esteem slip away in the face of racism (yet again).</p>

<p>Again: it is easy to speak of rising above racist insult and/or assault. In reality, there are times when one simply feels enough is enough – and, yes, I suppose one also has to deal with the consequences. Hopefully the OP herself feels pride rather than regret at at least trying to stick up for herself in the (admittedly ineffective) way she did. I’m still behind ya.</p>

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<p>Art Vandaly offered no real advice. And you confused OP. I could tell you haven’t really suffered humiliation of the kind OP had, and the measured response does not work in every case. This other girl had done it times before.</p>

<p>No I am not advocating violence. I did say not let anger get the better of you. A get-in-your-face response maybe appropriate. If the other girl starts pushing, scream and say touch me one time time I am reporting you to the principle’s office. We are talking about high school here, not the work place. Yes, high school is adult in trainning. Those are bridges we cross when we enter adult hood. Go girl!</p>

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<p>edvest, </p>

<p>I wasn’t offering advice to the OP, per se, but rather commenting on some of the responses, which were themselves encouragement, not advice. Honestly, I don’t care if I confused the OP, but I don’t see how that was the case. </p>

<p>Evidently my expectations for HS students, including my own daughter, are much too high with respect to behavior if they can’t be held to standards at least approaching that of an adult. I will be sure to inform her school’s administration tomorrow so they can modify their code of conduct accordingly; I’m sure they’ll be happy to comply. And I am glad that you are able to discern my life history from one internet posting. You should really look into marketing your psychic services - I hear there’s a big market for that now that Miss Cleo is out of business.</p>

<p>Hugs and kisses, AV</p>

38

<p>AV, please understand that for other young females that’ve had to endure a lot of similar crap in their lives, it’s extremely refreshing to see some kick-ass stand-up-for-yourself from other girls. However misguided, immature, etc we intellectualize it to be, it strikes a very powerful and empowering chord.</p>

39

<p>As a middle aged woman who has endured a lot of similar crap in my life, I don’t find it empowering that someone chose to respond to racism by pushing another person. I would find it very empowering if the OP chose to respond by taking her concerns to the school system, including the school board if necessary; publishing an article about her concerns or getting the media to do a story on her concerns; getting legal representation; leading a boycot, etc.</p>

<p>What I fear is that the OP’s actions may end up causing her to get into major trouble or even physically hurt while the bigots continue to express their bigotry.</p>

40

<p>Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but I would not have found the bureaucratic route as a way of acting “strong” at all. I’ve personally found physical confrontation with neo-nazis to be both effective and a way to break down ideas about gender. To each his own, perhaps – I do not believe the normative liberal-democratic response is always the best, the most informed, nor the most proper and “civilized” in the long run.</p>

<p>And, frankly, in my home country kids whooping each other’s asses (within limits) is considered a good way of toughing up and learning to shake your opponent’s hand when all is said and done instead of, well, ending up in a false sense of plastered-on diplomacy.</p>