This not a war between the African American and Asian American communities
Everyone’s calling it the big black elephant in the room. Why are so many of the attackers of the recent anti-Asian American hate crimes African Americans? Don’t be too quick to point out the “long simmering tensions between black and Asian communities”. And don’t be so “woke” and swallow the mental gymnastics of blacks attacking Asians as white supremacy by proxy.
Though those elements may exist, it’s important to remember that just as white supremacists are actually people with inferiority complexes who happen to be white, these black attackers are also people with problems first who happen to be black second. This not a war between the African American and Asian American communities.
Since racism is well, on the surface, about race, the attackers easily can blame their actions on a race war. And like idiots we believe it. But how well has that worked out for us in this long unsolved problem of race? Perhaps we’ve been diagnosing the problem incorrectly and therefore never getting to the right cure. A racist attack should not be blamed on “communities at war with each other”.
Moreover, it should not be swept under the rug only as an attack by a “person with mental problems”. Rather, it should be blamed on the combination of two concepts: race and mental disorder (particularly inferiority complex).
A RACIST ATTACK SHOULD BE BLAMED ON A PERSON WITH A MENTAL DISORDER WHO USES RACIAL INEQUALITY AS A WEAPON.
In other words, this is what to blame:
Part 1: the person (not the race they come from)
Part 2: their weaponization of race (not their race itself)
You do not want to say, “Blacks hate Asians.”
You want to say, “This dented person blames Asians for his shortcomings.”
In this way, we put the responsibility of a hate crime solely on the perpetrator, not their entire race. But we also recognize that they were able to use racism to facilitate the attack. Next, we can assign a punitive value for a racist-fueled attack. And, after the legal dust settles, we can point the finger back on ourselves as a society to question how we gave them a gun loaded with racist bullets in the first place.
Here’s an example. It’s not uncommon for Asian Americans to move into predominantly black neighborhoods. As fellow minorities, Asian Americans may assume that they may have an immediate kinship as oppressed minorities in a white America. But while we like to paint the U.S. as a melting pot and a salad bowl, it’s also a very thick layer cake. And in some bakeries, there’s chocolate frosting that wants to make sure the yellow cake knows that the chocolate cream gets spread on top first.
One Asian American girl I knew thought she’d be welcomed in elementary school by her black peers. But she was taunted, teased and had rocks thrown at her from second and third story balconies. It probably gave the bullies great relief. But there were plenty of other black kids who didn’t feel the need to be racist. It’s just that most of them didn’t really notice or care to help.
In other words, if you have an inferiority complex, you may choose to punch down at another minority group when you can make racial inequality work in your favor downward. You may be pressed upon by the whites at the top but you can hit the Asians at the bottom to feel comfortable.
But what would enrage a black person to attack a random Asian person? Again, we have to break it down to the individual. It’s a person with an inferiority complex who happens to be black who is enraged to see Asians get “ahead of the line” when they as blacks have “been in this country longer” and “suffered more”. Weak and entitled people who think this way are in all racial groups and conveniently put on and take off their race cap whenever it suits them. They live life according to a pecking order. In this case, a black attacker is blaming his or her perceived inadequacies on his race and the Asian race of their victim. The rage of “someone else getting what’s mine” can lead to irrational violence. It’s a universal source of evil.
So Asian Americans? Look to filter out those who are stuck in an inferiority mindset and will weaponize race. As a precaution, don’t be a “Woke Pollyanna” and assume all African Americans will embrace you. However, don’t be prejudiced yourself and assume all African Americans are not on your side. In my experience, most African Americans know how to build great friendships with anyone. Let the Asians and blacks who think they’re stuck in a race war be played like puppets by white supremacy and their own base desires for conflict.
Asian Black confluence is a beautiful thing. As a movement, it should’ve sprouted and flourished long ago from the 1960s, but the white supremacy assassination machine successfully held back social progress for two generations. Perhaps, it’s time for another shot. And not from an assassin’s gun this time.
