Trigger warning: racism, anti-Asian racism, xenophobia, racial violence, hate crimes.
What is the situation?
The AAPI community are facing increased violence fuelled by racism and discrimination. Recent events suggest that Asian hate is on the rise in the Western World.
Anti-Asian racism isn’t new. However, there have been many violent attacks recently against people of the Asian community. These attacks have gained attention on social media.
Much of the focus of social media outrage is on attacks happening in the US, where there have been thousands of reported cases of Asian hate in recent months. Anti‑Asian hate crimes in the US are said to have increased by nearly 150% in 2020.
This surge of abuse against the Asian community is thought to be linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the attacks are connected to rhetoric blaming the Asian community and individuals for the spread of Covid-19.
These attacks occur in many ways, from verbal abuse to severe physical violence. One 89-year-old Chinese woman was violently attacked by two men in Brooklyn in July 2020. The men slapped her before setting fire to her clothes.
This anti-Asian hate is not new. Korean-American Sue Yun (@hisueyun) recently took to Instagram to create an educational post addressing the history of anti-Asian racism in the US. In this post, Yun expressed how there is a dark history of anti-Asian racism in the US which has contributed to the recent hate facing the community. On her Instagram, she stated “The history that has led us to the disgusting use of the phrase “China virus,” the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, the attacks on Asian elders, the mass shooting in Atlanta. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum.”
The situation on social media
Many have taken to social media to express outrage about Asian hate. There has been a lot of sharing and posting of material calling people to do better in the face of racism towards Asian people.
Celebrities have been taking to social media to express their condolences to those affected by the loss of people killed in recent attacks.
Megan Thee Stallion took to Instagram stating “I am heartbroken by the loss of eight individuals taken from their families on March 16 in a senseless, violent attack against Asian Americans.” She also partnered with journalist and Asian activist May Lee to donate fifty thousand dollars to Advancing Justice Atlanta, the first legal advocacy nonprofit dedicated to the civil rights of AANHPI (American Asian, Native Hawaiin and Pacific Islanders) in Georgia and the Southeast of the US.
What is virtue signalling?
However, there are concerns about the intentions behind some of the posting occurring on social media, and some people are being accused of virtue signalling.
Virtue signalling, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is “the popular modern habit of indicating that one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or favour for certain political ideas or cultural happenings.” It is performed in “an attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media.”
There is more to allyship than simply posting or sharing on social media. Arguably, some people share or post but don’t carry that activism with them outside of social media, leading people to question the nature of their ‘allyship.’ With more and more of our lives being online, responding to humanitarian crises, such as AAPI racism, can become a sort of ‘trend.’
Whilst posting and sharing on social media can be great to spread awareness and get people thinking and talking about important socio-political issues, people must do more than simply post and share. Allyship must go beyond this.
How can I be a good ally to the Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Community?
Awareness and education is an important part of being an ally, and sharing and posting on social media is a great way to do this. Speaking out on social media can help to amplify important stories and get voices heard, and social media holds some great resources that can be used to educate.
However, other things can make a big difference, such as donating, signing petitions, volunteering and supporting the movement. Buying from local Asian owned businesses, promoting the work of AANPI individuals, eating at local Asian-owned restaurants and takeaways. All of these actions can be part of your allyship.
@intersectionalenvironmentalist on Instagram has a great post about being an ally to Asian Americans.
Great organizations:
Great educators:
Books to read:
- Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
- We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang
- The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee
- The Myth of the Model Minority, by Rosalind S. Chou and Joe R. Feagin
- All You Can Ever Know, by Nicole Chung
The Takeaway
As a white woman, I will never truly understand the struggles, experiences and perspectives of those in the Asian community. Therefore, my opinion is limited. It is so important to listen to and try to understand the thoughts and ideas of people from within the Asian community.
However, I think it is clear that virtue signalling is something that should be avoided. Ultimately, it is vital to ensure that your social media presence is backed by substance in your real life. Are your posts reflective of your behaviour and allyship? Are you being actively anti-racist? Are you listening to your Asian friends/colleagues/family? It is not the job of the Asian community to educate you. However, it is important to be open to trying to understand the experiences of people in the Asian community. This is essential in order to recognise your own privileges.
There are countless ways to be an ally to the Asian community, and this article states only a few.
Article written by Jessamie Rattray.
Twitter and Instagram: @jessamierattray
Featured image courtesy of Tim Mossholder on Unsplash. Image license is available here. No changes were made to this image.