Hannah Soyer
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I overhear a negative remark made toward Asian students here at least once a week. These comments aren’t always outright — sometimes they’re simply a generalization or a stereotype that is being perpetuated (read: “I hate how the Asians are always walking in the middle of the sidewalk”). I distinctly remember one of my newly made friends telling me freshman year that she wasn’t racist, citing all of her friends who were black, only to talk smack about Asian students a minute later. Pro tip? The term “racism” includes all races.
A new photo album has recently popped up on Facebook titled “Xenophobic things on social media at the University of Iowa,” and it is slowly circulating among students. It includes screenshots of racist things towards Asian student said primarily on Twitter or Yik Yak. The creators of the Facebook page declined to comment for this column, but here are some of my favorites they’ve uploaded:
“I hate how the Asians here talk in the library and cheat on their tests. Like get the f–k out.” Let’s pretend for a moment I had run over someone’s foot with my wheelchair. Would it be OK to then say “I hate how people in wheelchairs here run over people all the time. Like get the f–ck out”? No. Generalizing something you may have experienced once to an entire group of people is wrong. Telling people, especially a large group of people based on their race, to “get the f–k out” is also wrong. I’ve heard students talk in the library that aren’t Asian. I’ve seen students cheat on tests that aren’t Asian.
“It’s so easy to pick on the international Asian students because they have nice things, assimilate poorly, and smoke, but … Where was I going with this?” Lots of people have nice things, and lots of people smoke. It doesn’t matter what color of skin they have. And “assimilate poorly?” The last time I heard the word “assimilate” was in high-school history class in a discussion of how the US government wanted to force Native Americans into colonial culture. This is one of the many things America did in its past that we feel bad about. Last time I checked, it’s 2015.
“I’m not racist but i have started to judge asians when I’m on campus. It’s the complete disinterest in at least pretending to respect the culture of the place they’re living.” You’ve started to judge and generalize people based on their race, and you’re not racist. OK. Also, I’m not sure how they’re disrespecting the “culture” of Iowa City. If we are going to talk about a culture that is being disrespected, is that of Iowa City really what we should be concerned about?
Sure, it’s easier to be mean when you’re completely anonymous, but these sorts of comments aren’t just made on Yik Yak. People throw this sort of hateful speech out while walking around campus or talking with their friends. Maybe people think because they aren’t making such comments around Asian people, they’re not being hurtful. But the truth is, by making racist comments (because that’s exactly what they are) even around people not of that race, you are only contributing to a culture in which being hateful to someone based on their race is acceptable, and even encouraged.
