repost: Why is this not the same for the Asian American leaders and analysts in a situation involving an Asian American? When Seung-Hui Cho, a Korean American went on a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, the news media did not consult the Asian American community. There was certainly the issue of mental health involved, but there were also issues of racism and marginalization, which also played into the mental well being of Cho. Since the case of Kenneth Bae is a Korean American issue, wouldn’t the news media want to search out prominent Korean American leaders who can address this issue intelligently, insightfully, and critically? Instead, Asian American voices are not included in the commentary and reflection. They are silenced. This silence reinforces the invisibility of Asian Americans within the media, society, academia, and culture. This deafening silencing may be due in part to society’s acceptance of Asian Americans as the “model minority.” This concept of “model minority” is a myth based on the faulty misconception that since Asian Americans work hard and have succeeded, they must not have suffered the difficulties or hardships of racism, prejudice, and stereotyping as the other ethnic communities. As the model minority, the plight and hardships of Asian Americans are not recognized by the wider society. Asian Americans are also understood to be “honorary whites,” which indicates they are viewed as almost like the dominant community. As such, they do not need a specific Asian American voice or leader to share their thoughts on the release of Kenneth Bae. Furthermore, the dominant culture, and news media views injustices endured by Asian Americans as not including a racial dimension because Asian Americans are “honorary whites.” As a result, the fight to free Kenneth Bae has not been framed as a civil rights issue.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 17:32:10 +0000
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