j. m.
j. m.
Aug 24, 2017 · 2 min read

I want to share a few ideas that I had when reading your article.

I think it’s important to remember that while East Asian identities are complex, in general East Asian communities are more collective, more hierarchical, and strongly favor harmony over conflict when compared to other communities. To criticize these communities for not being angry enough or active enough flirts with being insensitive and belittling. While I do agree that East Asian people are largely absent from protests and want to see more of us at protests, I don’t think one-sidedly criticizing East Asian people will get them to show up. If anything, it discourages them. I would hope finding out why East Asian friends/colleagues don’t show up/interact more is your next step. It is mine. I’m Korean Mexican and didn’t grow up in a Korean community, so I don’t know either.

But as Korean-Mexican woman going to a university, I have seen that there is very little public space for East Asian people. At least from my experience, whatever space is there for East Asian people is usually for cultural appreciation. This is problematic since it pigeonholes people. American society largely pigeonholes Asian people. A reason why Asian/East Asian people don’t show up at American rallies or protests might be because they don’t feel seen or welcome.

I also think it’s important to keep in mind that having the ability to show up and protest is a privilege in itself. For many people, devoting time to protesting is impossible because they have to work or stay away for their mental health or other reasons. Please don’t stop encouraging others to show up, but I would add some dialogue to let others know that whatever they can do is better than doing nothing.

I hope we can talk more!

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    j. m.

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    j. m.

    reflections on social issues, society, and growing up