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The Spin on Anti-Asian Hate
The spike in anti-Asian violence is real — but we need facts, not moral panic and politicized narratives
Amidst ongoing concerns about an apparent spike in violence against the Asian-American community, a horrific killing spree that seemed to primarily target Asian-American women erupted in Atlanta on Tuesday. Robert Allan Long, 21, has been charged in the fatal shootings of eight people, six of them women of Asian background, at three businesses: Youngs Asian Massage Parlor, Gold Massage Spa, and Aromatherapy Spa. Long has told investigators that he was seeking to eliminate the “temptations” he saw as causing his sex addiction.
That’s not the final word, obviously, and doesn’t rule out a racial motive. A killer’s words can provide useful information, but he could be lying, trying to spin his actions in a way he thinks is positive, or fail to fully understand his own motivations. Even if his primary motive turns out to be misogyny, or disdain for sex workers, he chose to attack Asian spas, rather than other locations, and his so-called “temptation” could involve racialized fetishization. Motive doesn’t have to be only one thing.
Whatever the investigation ultimately shows, the outpouring of sympathy and solidarity with the Asian-American community was more than warranted…
