Monday, August 26, 2013

Driven Out - An Asian-American Holocaust

The Forgotten War Against Chinese-Americans.

I bought the book "Driven Out" a couple of years ago, and tried several times to read it all the way through, but had been unable to because of the very harrowing nature of the work. The book - written by a Jewish-American academic - details the almost continuous barrage of racial attacks, pogroms, and riots, over a period of at least six decades, targeting the early Chinese immigrants to the US, beginning in the mid-nineteenth-century. I've finally, in recent weeks, made the decision of finish the book and I am now almost through it, but it is still not easy reading.

The book covers a period of American history from the 1850's through to the early decades of the 20th century, that has been completely white-washed from the mainstream and Asian-American historical consciousness alike. The first Chinese immigrants began to arrive in the US in the early 19th century following the forced opening of Chinese markets to the West. As is always the case, exchanges of products were accompanied by the transfer of people and communities, so, in part because Westerners began to colonize China and create economic and social disadvantages for the Chinese, many Chinese sought economic security and opportunities in foreign countries that were no longer possible at home. Many indentured themselves - the so-called "coolies" - and found work in far-flung places like South Africa, The Caribbean, Australia, and South America. The Chinese who came to America came as free men in search of opportunities and only a small minority came as indentured servants.

Since almost the beginning of the Chinese presence in the US, they were under attack - and it has to be said that even though it was white Americans who propagated the violence, there was some participation of other minorities. There were cases where Mexicans and Native peoples participated in the violence, and even some African-Americans took sides against the Asian immigrants in editorials in black publications (but it has to be said that other African-American commentators gave support to the Chinese). But the vast majority of attacks were initiated and carried out by whites.

The stories of violence and manifestations of hatred are almost unbelieveable - they are so savage, brutal, and sadistic, that the perpetrators and the violence that they committed sounds like little more than a caricature of a medieval warlord and his mob of rampaging peasants. If one were to write a novel - or make a movie - with these kinds of incidents, most people might find the characterizations to be too far-fetched. But these things did happen, and the sadistic brutality was real, yet, the entire episode has almost disappeared from the American consciousness. Certainly, I have heard people talking about the prejudice against the early Chinese, but it has always seemed to be strangely sterile in the telling - even Asians seem to downplay the sheer savagery of the violence. Even worse, this hugely significant episode in American, and Asian-American, history has been given no place in the consciousness of Asian-American cultural output, when in my opinion, it should form the basis for the ontology of Asian-American culture.

It is impossible to document all of the attacks against the Chinese in a single blog post - there were literally hundreds of episodes that affected thousands of Chinese - such was the level and degree of violent depravity of America's pioneers in the West.

Having come to America lured by the promise of work, or riches in the gold mines, the Chinese quickly established themselves as a more reliable and cheaper alternative than white workers in many of the West coast's fledgling industries. Fairly soon, small communities of Chinese - mostly men - sprang up throughout the West Coast. Almost just as soon, anti-Chinese sentiment began to emerge. Driven by labor movements, and local authorities, but legitimized by xenophobic politicians, the anti-Chinese sentiment played upon the sense of white entitlement to whip up hatred towards the peaceful Chinese. Significantly, then as now, the media played a huge role in galvanizing and promoting anti-Chinese feeling - using stereotypes, caricatures, and a general strategy of defamation, the media succeeded in dehumanizing the Chinese such that few people saw a moral contradiction between the brotherly love of their Christian faith, and the culture of murder and disenfranchisement that they allowed to occur in their towns, and in which many were happy to participate.

Laws came into being that made it illegal for the Chinese to own property, and they were "discouraged" or forbidden from renting near whites - the so-called "Chinatowns" were actually ghettos, that served as a means of racial segregation, in run down and decrepit parts of town, and in buildings often considered too dangerous for human habitation. Special "taxes" and "fees" were introduced with the aim of specifically targeting Chinese workers and business owners. Still, the Chinese endured. They made these areas their own, and soon Chinese merchants were in operation, providing services and products for the community. But this segregation didn't satisfy the bloodlust of the West Coast's white population. Anti-Chinese sentiment, given momentum by xenophobia of politicians, and fueled by a media campaign of dehumanization, stereotyping, and defamation, soon flared up into a full-scale ethnic cleansing that would last into the 20th century.

What is unsettling is how these actions of hatred and the methods and attitudes that drove them, seem echoed in the modern-day experience of Asian-Americans. Then, as now, American society exhibited a moral acceptance of dehumanization of the Chinese - most would not act on it, but seemed to be either apathetic about the moral dilemma at best, or at worst, willing to justify or downplay prejudice. Then, as now, Asians could build communities and businesses, and the mostly apathetic mainstream would go along with it without much fanfare. Yet, most often in the 19th century American West, a handful of determined people were able to galvanize public action, such that white Americans who had lived, worked, and become friendly with their Chinese neighbours in towns all over the west coast could either turn on them, or simply look the other way while mobs of angry white men burned Chinese communities, forced Chinese people to leave town, or simply beat and murdered them.

White agitators would protest the presence of Chinese communities in their towns, galvanize the support of the local community and its authorities, made businesses and landlords sign petitions promising to never employ or rent to the Chinese, made those who already employed or rented to the Chinese - through intimidation or simple persuasion - to promise to fire or evict them. Boycotts of Chinese businesses were used as a weapon (as it is today against Asian merchants and powerful Asian economies) to financially ruin successful businessmen. Once this base of support had been solidified, then the campaign against any given Chinese community would usually become violent and brutal. Mobs of men (but sometimes including women and children) would enter Chinatowns, forcing the Chinese out of their homes and businesses, they would be beaten (or killed) and then made to walk miles to the coast or railway stations where they would be forced onto trains and ships and removed from the town. Then the homes of the Chinese would be ransacked and burned. In some instances, Chinese homes and dorms would be set on fire with the Chinese men still inside, who were then shot at and murdered as they tried to escape the flames.

Often, local authorities would serve notices to the Chinese communities informing them of the decision to have them removed from town, and in some instances the Chinese agreed to leave, yet, sometimes, violence took place even when the Chinese agreed to leave town. By providing violent racism with the veneer of legalism, America made ethnic cleansing of the Chinese a respectable and justified endeavour. With only the most flimsy of justifications, Chinatowns throughout the west coast were eradicated, ransacked and burned, and the Chinese men who populated them were beaten, killed, or falsely imprisoned. In the six or so decades between the 1850's and the early 20th century, there were hundreds of such incidences, that drove Chinese communities out of dozens of American West Coast towns, killing many Chinese men and injuring thousands more. Following the so-called "dog-tag" laws in the 1890's that required the registration of all Chinese, the idea was floated that any Chinese who could not show that they were legal should be placed in "enclosures" - a disturbing foreshadowing of Japanese internment.

Yet, the Chinese were never passive in the face of this hostility, not only did they resist, they went on the offensive. They fought back with acts of civil disobedience, strikes, boycotts, and even used lawsuits and the legal system to win recompense for their material losses. Across the region, groups of Chinese men armed themselves with rifles and pistols, and defended their homes and properties. In some towns - such as San Jose - after repeated arson attacks that destroyed Chinatown, the Chinese community rebuilt in brick and stone, and surrounded their community with a high retaining wall accessible through a single guarded entrance gate. When local thugs tried to harass the local shop-keepers, the Chinese bought lawsuits against the perpetrators. These acts of self-defence and defiance sent clear statements of intent that they would not be intimidated into leaving, and that they were asserting their rights as American residents.

Lawsuits bought by the Chinese against local and federal authorities - several of which they won - served as the legal precedent for reparations paid to the Japanese for internment and to several native American groups. A lawsuit bought against the state of Califıornia by a Chinese family is considered one of the most important civil rights decisions in American history - it forced the states to provide public education for all of its children, regardless of their race or origin. Chinese resistance also tested the 14th amendment's provision for equal protection under the law. Yet, these civil rights precedents have disappeared form the American consciousness, and even worse, it has been forgotten or ignored in the Asian-American consciousness.

The experience of the early Chinese immigrants set the tone for America's attitude towards its Asian populations ever since. Subsequent populations of Asian immigrants - almost all male - like the Japanese and Filipinos, faced a similar campaign of violence. Both these groups faced segregation, violence, lynchings, and exclusion. Mobs attacked their neighbourhoods, and campaigns to prevent them from gaining employment and places to live were often successful. And even the big "Driving Out" - Japanese internment - can be viewed as simply a manifestation on a larger scale of the policy of excluding or driving out Asian populations from American towns.

It is almost a mirror image of the manner in which the Chinese were brutalized; agitation from local people, coupled with xenophobia from federal policymakers, resulted in notices being served that the Japanese would be driven from their homes and businesses, and their property would be basically ransacked and stolen by the white population. Japanese internment, violence against the Filipinos, and the driving out of the Chinese, reflect a single line of political and racial thinking that, because it has been forgotten or whitewashed from history, presents obstacles to any meaningful understanding of the attitudes and hatreds that lie at the foundation of anti-Asian racism that still inform America's attitudes towards Asians in the present.

It is eerie to realize that American culture still maintains this culture of dehumanization towards Asian people, that normalizes racism, and creates an attitude of low-grade resentment that can be manipulated to justify racist behaviour and violence. In this way, genuine engagement with the Asian community is never required, and society can distance itself from any moral consideration of Asian humanity, when political convenience, or economic resentments, necessitate the need for demonization of Asian people.

The latest episode in this decades-old cultural practice of maintaining moral distance from Asians, saw its most recent manifestation in the LA riots of 1992. America's cultural propagation of anti-Asian resentment of the 1970's and 80's, and the normalization of demeaning behaviours and dehumanizing stereotypes, created an environment in which a pogrom against Korean merchants and their businesses was largely deemed to be morally justified by the mainstream. There was little sympathy and almost no empathy for the Koreans, and they were even castigated for defending themselves. It is difficult to sympathize and empathize with a group of people about whom  that racial mockery, and dehumanizing resentments, are the standard manner of conceiving of them.

Understanding the experiences of the first Chinese immigrants, should help us to see how the attitudes that drove anti-Chinese violence were founded on a basis of low-grade, but pervasive, derogatory stereotypes that enabled communities to distance themselves from any moral consideration towards the Chinese. Although hatred drove the violence, it was the equally important culture of dehumanization that made possible the apathy, acquiescence and assistance of the majority. This culture of dehumanization of Asians is still going strong to this day, and the experiences of the Chinese shows me that even if you are an established community, this dehumanization leaves open the possibility for the kind moral distancing that makes violence inevitable.

I do  not think that it is coincidental that this early history of struggle by Asian immigrants has largely disappeared from the cultural consciousness of both Asian-Americans because these histories involved mainly Asian men, and in modern day America, it is the feminine voice that is the acceptable voice of Asian-America. As we all might agree, the feminine voice of Asian-America, generally defers to the importance the white male presence in Asian existence, whereas the facts of history of Asian-America implicitly marginalizes the white male as a vindictive, frightened, and violent savage, who attempted to murder, or persuade others to murder, his way to ethnic purity, and economic hegemony. This leaves no room for a history that not only shows that America engaged in ethnic cleansing against Asians, it also leaves no room for the preferred narrative in which Asian men are not the weak timid creatures who are easily pushed around. The early Chinese fought back in any way they could think of. That is probably why mainstream America prefers to forget, and Asian-Americans who strive for mainstream inclusion at all costs, generally acquiesce to pretending this history never happened.

20 comments:

  1. Ben,

    Really interesting review. I would probably give it a try. It's always amazing how strong we come back no matter we are pushed down hard.

    Maybe you could try Amy Chua's World on Fire. By artistic writing and educational stuff, I enjoy Amy Chu's books.

    You could also try Lee Kuan Yew memoir. I truly enjoy his foresight and vision. It's UNBELIEVABLE. Since your parents from Singapore, they can relate more.

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    1. Thanks for the recommendations - I'll check them out.

      I would really recommend reading this book - it will show people how casual anti-Asian racism of the present became so normalized out of past of murderous violence.

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    2. Just bought the book from Amazon. Will arrive on Friday, gonna be excited to read over the weekends.

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  2. Apollyon

    Welcome!

    Agree 100% - especially with your last sentence. I think that part of the problem is that if you want to contribute and participate in mainstream culture, then it seems like you have to tone down the truth.

    For example, David Henry Hwang recently posted a YouTube version of his play "Yellowface", and there was one moment where a WWII Nissei soldier seemed to characterize pre-war anti-Japanese racism along the lines of being made to feel like an outsider because he was always asked "where are you from?".

    I found this strange because pre-war anti-Japanese racism was actually just as bad as it became after Pearl Harbour - few legal rights, few property rights, ambivalent and difficult citizenship processes, and that's not even mentioning violence and segregation.

    That's the dilemma for Asian-American artists; the goal seems to be to "reach a wide audience", but if we tone down historical truth, then all we have really offered the mainstream is another telling of their own (whitewashed) version of our narrative.

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  3. Hi Ben it has been a while. Great post!

    My two cents, I have an ancestor who went to Peru as a coolie to work at the sulfur mines in the late 1800s. Reading this article reminded me of him thanks.

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  4. Thank you for the welcome Ben. I have been following your blog for quite a while now and have been very impressed with your work.

    I definitely agree with what you said has been happening with Asian artists. I think that the whole wanting a reach a wide audience is the crux of the problem though. Reaching a wide audience means appeasing a non Asian black, white, and hispanic audience since they vastly outnumber us. The form of appeasement will be to uphold and affirm whatever the popular perception/stereotype exists today. As you said people are afraid of rocking the boat and hence there is no progress towards empowerment since the status quo is silence and marginalization with only the feminine voice heard. The fundamental approach is wrong since Asians have been conditioned to be the house vs the field slave. Thus when Asians compete, our goal and all we can aspire to is win the silver medal instead of the gold.

    The solution to this should be the fundamental idea behind FUBU. Our entertainment, culture, art, etc that we create should be for us to consume. This is of course problematic since our numbers are small and Asians tend not to support each other. The reason for this is the legacy of self hate that has been ingrained into the Asian American psyche by structural racism. But this is our only way out. As it is now no matter how good Asians are at rap, hiphop, break dancing, country music, etc. we will be seen as interlopers and copycats not to be taken seriously. Historically Asians have created great works of art and culture, but the legacy of self hate has taught us to despise those very things that our peoples have created so that we can "fit in" and be american or Canadian and not the perpetual foreigner. Ironically though, if it is blacks or whites that consume, indulge in, or culturally appropriate those things, then they are seen as cool, edgy, or progressive. We need to take a look at exactly why that happens.

    So what I am saying is that we need our artists as much as our engineers, our filmmakers as much as our doctors, and our actors and actresses as much as our lawyers. But we need to create uniquely Asian American culture instead of importing our own existing culture. We have seen what happens. Americans simply consume and expropriate our cultures while ignoring, disrespecting, and marginalizing us. This is not to say the same thing won't happen again, but the culture we create now will (I think) be free of the legacy of colonialism and exploitation.

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    1. Apollyon

      That is a great comment.

      I tend to think that history - that is, the personal and communal historical experience - is fundamental to the development of any culture. That is why governments "shape" at best, or invent, at worst, a national or racial history. A common historical experience provides endless potential upon which cultural narratives - meaning the narratives about national identity, drives, ethics and so on - can explored.

      Asian-Americans - as you say - for various reasons, avoid (seemingly) their own historical experience and so it is no surprise that we don't seem to have an avenue of cultural expression that is perceptibly independent of narratives (often racist or xenophobic in nature) that have been established by mainstream America.

      I think also that it is important to consider the role that shame plays in separating Asian-Americans from their history. Any form of abuse carries with it a sense of shame that victims internalize. I haven't really explored this notion that much in my writing but I do believe that internalized shame plays a significant role in Asian-Americans wanting to distance themselves from the long historical experience of being culturally shamed in the US. It may be too painful for people to look at because mockery of Asians is such an integral aspect of present day experience, that may still be a raw wound.

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  5. This book was written by a jewish american academic. Why not a chinese american academic?

    That said, the material here would definitely make a good film.

    Heres another thought - have you ever wondered why Chinese tend to choose classism over racism? If you write an article on that, you may have the answer to why we have an apathetic Asian community overseas, and why asians will rarely fight back.

    The chinese that fought back tend to be working class, as you mentioned, a reminder of Koreans in the 90s Korean riot protecting their businesses. But again,these riots are monetary based - fighting for their rights to earn a better living - rarely for the color of their skin.

    Modern Asians are continuing this trend - but the right for respect, versus the right to start up small business is a new soft power war, one that demands that Asians ought to embrace racial definition, because that is the onus that has been put upon us.

    As Apollyon said above, our own media etc, but the high impact of mass quantity plus high quality targeted at an audience and used to all of the above , for free, on youtube is a high order. Having said that if those with money were to focus on such a charitable intent, with the intention to develop culture but more importantly cultural dialog, then asians would have more of a presence.

    that is, if they can look beyond the bottom line, as asians are trained to do. and start focusing to fund a way to on emulate the 100s of years of freeflow cultural renaissance and experimentation that Europeans had when Asians were stuck in the dark ages.

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    1. I actually think that Asians are too grateful because we see the US as haven, so to criticize is to be ungrateful. Plus, because America seems to view itself as being a nation inherently incompatible with Asia and its people, and has a foreign policy attitude that Asia produces potential enemies, Asian-Americans seem to have this burden of not seeming unpatriotic or un-American, hence, little oppositional thinking.

      I actually think that the Asian-American voice will be critical in this century - do we want to support an American cultural perspective of Asia that is xenophobic and simplistic, or should we be more oppositional and challenge these notions that have in the past, and probably will in the future, contribute to poor relationships with Asian cultures and possibly war? I see no reason why America should not view its relationship with the Pacific in the same way that it views its relationship with Europe, xenophobia is the only reason it doesn't

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    2. Its a tough one, Asians dont like to complain and as you say are too grateful, are peaceful by nature and only want to be accepted. That coupled with the extreme desire to fit in and not cause a fuss will only continue as 'gratitude' increases as more mainlanders flock into the west.The most predictable future is the most conservative one. Asians quietly increase, and xenophobia dies down, as America and the west is on its last legs to continue to denigrate an increasingly powerful economic giant and the core Asians it represents.

      Given the above however, I cant see any Asian activist rallying, and i dont see any asians getting any major position of power any time soon eg John Liu will not be voted mayor of NY, the guy is just too honest.

      Basically even if Asian population increases from 5 to 10%, asians will still be invisible, perpetual foreigners, and politically insignificant.Lack of any real social or cultural identity worth its salt is the trade off for having individual 'freedom' and escape from the east, for many immigrants I imagine.

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    3. What I meant in my other post about western born asians being significant as the pan-asia, is more cultural awareness - of the racism etc, however given the shell-like selfprotective attitude of China from the US might, western denigration of anything asian whether in the west or pushing western values in the east, itll continue to be unlikely that western born Asians will do anything, because we are a minority within a minority who as you say are too grateful to speak out against any kind of racial injustice let alone publicly acknowledge it enough to take action to create our own media. Again its the defensive nature that is the problem, its not defense we need , its attack. But it probably wont happen because its not in our nature.

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    4. Speak for yourself. I have always fought back and beaten up racist douchebags in streetfights before. And I will continue to fight back by spreading the message and obtaining a respectable position so that my views have a good solid platform to be expressed from, especially because I know a very high percentage of East Asian males agree with what I say.

      Disciples of Sun Zhong San AKA Sun Yat Sen and Malcolm X such as myself will be busy uniting East Asia and Asians as a whole and all Peoples of Color to take down the white supremacist system.

      As an Asian of Japanese and Chinese descent (with Chinese ancestors who fought against western imperialists in Northern China and Japanese ancestors who fought against the US in the pacific) born and raised in the USA and who thought he was a white guy in elementary school until realizing just how racist society is and having a rude awakening,

      then reading about the western imperialist white supremacist past of the destruction of our people and culture and mass rape of our women,

      as well as growing up to look more mixed-race due to East-European ancestors-thankfully female (but of course still not fitting in and being seen as an enemy Fu Manchu by westerners/whites/Americans), and thus realizing the insidious power of white supremacism and Hollywood media/social engineering.....

      I will be doing my utmost to educate my generation; the people in their early/mid 20s and late teens.

      I am composing a manifesto calling for the uniting of East Asia economically, politically, and militarily, and the destruction of white supremacism and the most important of calling out traitor Asian women and the Hollywood western media system that demeans and oppresses East Asian males and highlighting the western imperialist white supremacist psyOPs against us.

      I encourage Asian American guys to open their eyes to see that whites and Americans in general will never be their friends and they will never be truly American, because America is a country built on white supremacism, the genocide of Asian-looking peoples (the Native Americans) through backstabbing and intentional biological warfare/betrayal after the Native Americans helped the whites and received instead a dagger in the back, and slavery of black people.

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    5. Speak for yourself. I have always fought back and beaten up racist douchebags in streetfights before. And I will continue to fight back by spreading the message and obtaining a respectable position so that my views have a good solid platform to be expressed from, especially because I know a very high percentage of East Asian males agree with what I say.

      Disciples of Sun Zhong San AKA Sun Yat Sen and Malcolm X such as myself will be busy uniting East Asia and Asians as a whole and all Peoples of Color to take down the white supremacist system.

      As an Asian of Japanese and Chinese descent (with Chinese ancestors who fought against western imperialists in Northern China and Japanese ancestors who fought against the US in the pacific) born and raised in the USA and who thought he was a white guy in elementary school until realizing just how racist society is and having a rude awakening,

      then reading about the western imperialist white supremacist past of the destruction of our people and culture and mass rape of our women,

      as well as growing up to look more mixed-race due to East-European ancestors-thankfully female (but of course still not fitting in and being seen as an enemy Fu Manchu by westerners/whites/Americans), and thus realizing the insidious power of white supremacism and Hollywood media/social engineering.....

      I will be doing my utmost to educate my generation; the people in their early/mid 20s and late teens.

      I am composing a manifesto calling for the uniting of East Asia economically, politically, and militarily, and the destruction of white supremacism and the most important of calling out traitor Asian women and the Hollywood western media system that demeans and oppresses East Asian males and highlighting the western imperialist white supremacist psyOPs against us.

      I encourage Asian American guys to open their eyes to see that whites and Americans in general will never be their friends and they will never be truly American, because America is a country built on white supremacism, the genocide of Asian-looking peoples (the Native Americans) through backstabbing and intentional biological warfare/betrayal after the Native Americans helped the whites and received instead a dagger in the back, and slavery of black people.

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    6. America is an illegitimate country and its imperialist actions are a good thing because it will encourage East Asia to unite and perhaps ally itself with the Middle East, which has also had enough of western imperialism. Most Africans from AFrica and Disciples of Malcolm X are also well aware of western imperialism. They turned on Asians because of Asians' stupidity of hating on blacks and copying white supremacist behavior. Asians need to also realize that the black community is a gigantic untapped potential ally, especially if approached in the right way. You have no idea how grateful many blacks are toward me when they realize I see them as equals and do not discriminate them with the same white supremacist attitude lots of House-Negro-Asians do (the ones that kiss white ass).

      Also, the hundreds of millions of single frustrated East Asian men who are oppressed because of western imperialism/Hollywood brainwashing social engineering, as well as whites traveling to East Asia to pollute our women with STDs and take advantage of Asian women brainwashed by western Hollywood social engineering, will be a very poignant source of future soldiers who have nothing to lose.


      THat is hundreds of millions more soldiers than white nations will ever be able to muster. And in a war with the west where MAD is assured since both sides have nukes, numbers do matter.


      And the obesity and diseased state of many white nations means most of their soldiers will not be of good quality either. Their cause is unjust and evil and dishonorable, whereas our cause to liberate all Peoples of Color from white supremacism is just and has supporters in pretty much every non-anglo-non-European country. That would be a unification of the armies of most of East and SE Asia, some countries in Africa, the Middle East, and certain South American/Central American countries.

      Even just the unification of S Korea and N Korea into Korea, then unification of Korea, Japan, and CHina, would be enough to destroy the west.

      This is why they are so desperate to keep us separated.

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    7. Anonymous

      Those are strong opinions! I do think that there is merit in calling for Asia to be more integrated - the benefits to Asians and probably the entire world would be huge.

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  6. also to add apart from fighting back, asians need to be interesting. too many asians have boring outlooks - if your aspiration is classism and to be second rate white people, that cant be very interesting can it? the most interesting thing about asians comes on blogs and conflict and discussion and here our character is revealed.

    we also need to open up more to make things more acceptable, more swearing, more cussing, more rebellion ( i think you did an article on this once) and more outlandishness, rather than remaining the status quo voice all the time. practically, racial issues aside, if your media is going to be status quo voice without any conflict, you may as well settle for white mainstream media.

    even if our media is about ranting and bitching and piss-taking at least its 100 times more interesting than dross

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    1. Dang! I missed these comments!

      I agree that at present Asian culture seems characterized by needing to be accepted - there are understandable reasons for this - but it doesn't make for an interesting or dynamic culture.

      This is why I think - like I said in the other post - that we need to embrace our identity as outsiders. There is freedom in that.

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  7. Don't forget that the reason that the current state of Asia and Asian Americans today is because we lost a number of wars. The first thing we need to do is to reclaim our dignity and history. The west has always depicted Asian culture as bad and negative, unless of course others are appropriating it.

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  8. Ben,

    I'm half way through. Quite busy with work. What a revelation. It is a MUST for every Asian Americans (Male, Female) and Asians as well.

    The more Asians know their history in US, the better for Asian (Chinese in this case) ethnicity to unite and work our way through rather than kissing white asses.

    Thanks for the book review though.

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    1. Hey Bint

      It makes my blood boil when I think how this era of American history is has become so whitewashed - that is, the sheer barbarity of what white Americans did is truly on a par with the pogroms against the Jews in Russia. The US government at the time even contemplated "camps" where the Chinese would be incarcerated after round-ups whilst they awaited deportation, which could have been months since the US wasn't set up for such a mass-scale deportation.

      But this history is pertinent for Asians of all ethnicities - attacks on Filipinos and the internment of the Japanese, in my opinion, were made possible by the sentiment that drove this ethnic cleansing of the Chinese, and especially the laws that were enacted to make such a cleansing legal.

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