The Killing Fields
For context, the Killing Fields of Cambodia describes the genocide of nearly 1/4 of Cambodia’s population by a totalitarian regime led by Pol Pot. Nearly 2 million people were senselessly slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge. While the regime claimed to be communist, their senseless acts of violence were based on the need to remove any potential opposition to their power, and to ensure that their nation was tamed into submission through fear and violence.
As someone who’s family was murdered in the Khmer Rouge killing fields, I’m disgusted by Elizabeth Heng’s misrepresentations history. Pol Pot practiced a bastardized form of communism that demanded everyone leave the cities to live a life of farming. In reality his ideal “communist” society was an excuse to use the population of Cambodia as slave labor for his regime, the Khmer Rouge.
The Khmer Rouge blatantly executed anyone who’s skin wasn’t the right tone, who had a college education, or who was a scientist, or scholar. They targeted ethnic minorities, immigrants, and religious minorities as well. Anyone that was different was subjected to torture and death. My family was enslaved and murdered for being ethnic Chinese immigrants, and for being educated. The Khmer Rouge would even imprison and execute those that wore glasses for fear that they may be well read and educated.
This wasn’t socialism, it wasn’t democratic, it wasn’t even actual communism, it was pure unadulterated totalitarianism, based on fear and ignorance and the flaming of hatred towards populations that could either challenge Khmer Rouge power, or who were different.
In Heng’s advertisement she fans the flames of ignorance and hatred, to support a regime that advocates for the imprisonment of undocumented immigrants, who removes protections from the LGBTQ, women, and people of color. By tying Democratic candidates to socialism, she attempts the same divisive fear mongering that was so well known to Pol Pot. This is done in service to a President that openly admires and meets with the totalitarian tyrant running North Korea.
In truth, the people she targets are Democratic Socialists who are akin to New Deal era Democrats. Their polices fall in line with Roosevelt era “New Deal” policies, using government regulation and democratic principles to help the people of the US. The same principles that carried the US out of the Great Depression, and led to our victory over Fascism in Europe.
There is only one party in the US that denies intelligence and science. One party that openly pushes for hostility to immigrants, and other disenfranchised groups. There is one party that uses religious bigotry and fear to motivate their base, and it’s not the Democratic Party. As a person of mixed heritage (Latino and Asian) I know how the polices of the GOP, and Trump in particular are dangerous and damaging to vulnerable immigrant communities. I also realize that part of Heng’s ad is to drum up bigotry against Latino communities in order to support family separation and unlimited detention of people who are guilty only of seeking asylum and who would add to the beauty of the American dream.
It’s a dishonor to the victims of the Killing Fields to use their tragedy to support a regime that is already separating families, and who turns a blind eye to the violence committed by hate groups. I’m personally disgusted by Heng’s ad, and morally outraged that the Republican party considers this “outreach”. This shows their total disregard for historical facts, and their continued use of rhetoric that could well lead to further tragedies.
