Thank you so much Heather. As a Chinese American, I can not thank you enough for tying everything together in you message tonight. I am going to be 70 next week, born in the US, and have been putting up with out right racism or micro-aggression my entire life. In my memory, 2nd grade, boys cornered me and threw stones at me. I never told anyone. The boys that lived on the corner of the street of our suburban house, used to yell slurs when we drove by. When people say oh, we all faced discrimination, but y'all could blend in. We, like our black sisters and brothers can not. Hate does not happen often, but when it does at this point in my life, I get mad, I get sad, but no longer surprised. I am hoping this is the turning point. However, when you see the likes of Chip Roy, I wonder.
Sadly, Representative Chip Roy represents my district in Texas. I contacted him through his website this evening calling for his resignation. With free speech comes responsibility for what you say. I will work against his reelection for the next two years. I'm absolutely disgusted by him.
I was appalled (but not surprised) by how much of his white privilege he chose to display at the hearing. How much of a dolt can one be to re-start Chinese blame and be pro-"lynching" (connotations!) at a hearing about anti-racism?
That made me angry as well as his words. Not wearing the mask effectively was just another indication of his narcissism and having no concern for others.
I kept thinking how much I'd like to introduce his face to something he wouldn't like. Repeatedly. A perfect example of "the only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies." He used to be Chief of Staff to the shitbird Cruz.
Yes! The way he wore his mask was an in your face smack down to President Biden. They need to start enforcing the rules regarding mask wearing in Congress. It isn’t ok to simply hang one on your ears and not cover your nose. 😡
Reach out and get as many organizations and businesses to actively support the passage of the For the People Act. Our strength is in large numbers. Stay nonviolent always.
The best thing we can do is to get the For the People Act passed. I'm convinced that is the key that opens the most possibilities for a true movement. Write to you members of Congress to say why you support the bill and for them to vote For it.
I´ve posted with a link to the bill and am writing to representatives to encourage all I know to take up oxygen and be part of growing a try democracy.
"When you see something, say something. Even if it's just verbal comments, racist jokes, lend your support. If there's an incident of discrimination (at a business) speak with a manager... ...potentially file a complaint, or help the victim to file a complaint with state agencies. And finally, I think what we also need now is for all of us to urge action from our elected officials."
Let us know who ends up running against Chip Roy in Texas's 21st district. We can send "thoughts and prayers" (code for donations and likes) to his challenger.
Ted, In 2018, the first election after Lamar Smith retired, Chip Roy got 50% of the vote to Joseph Kosper's 48%. That's very close especially in Texas terms. As the incumbent in 2020 Chip Roy did a bit better - 52% to Wendy Davis's 46%. So with a strong candidate I think it very possible to unseat. I think one thing voters liked about Kosper was he is a veteran. I personally like to vote for veterans because they know what is means to fight for America, not just a party.
Susan, thank you for sharing your experience. It reminds me of the fallacy of the saying, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" Experiences of racism are cumulative trauma.
We have so much work to continue on anti-racism--individually, among our friends and families, and as a country. May all the causes of justice take hold more and more throughout our lives and with the up and coming generations of younger people.
Then with the figuring out cumulative trauma comes figuring out ways of healing. I’m glad you shared your experience with this group and are connected with Stop AAPI Hate. I hope they are helpful to you. As you noted, everyone has to step up to call out racism in the moment and to take preventive measures of both learning ourselves and teaching younger people about anti-racism.
Susan, you have my deepest sympathies and respect. It is apparent that ignorance is equivalent to breeding certain types of dogs. That’s what has been done in our country. It is very sad and maddening that people feel they can do or say what they want without thinking how they are affecting others.
This just happened in San Francisco and kudos to the woman who fought back!
"She was a frustrated, angry woman...The woman said she was hit and she attacked back." Um, you mean she was defending herself? Sorry, but that eyewitness' choice of words just rubbed me the wrong way.
Yes, words matter, Lynell. Attacking or defending are very different actions. Bravo to her.
America has the stranglehold of racism in our very roots and twisted around our flag. All white people need to be humbled as they step out of deep denial to what our indigenous peoples, our people who come from slavery (including natives and Asians) and all POC have endured from our inception. And thrives today.
My Vietnamese sister-in-law was raised in Seattle. On one of her visits back there to be with her family, she entered an elevator with two older women already in it. She pressed her desired floor number and turned to face the closing doors. As the elevator rose, the older women behind her derisively said, "Go back to your own country." "You bitch." I was so appalled when she told me this story, my heart felt broken. I had tears in my eyes to hear this. She was surprised and told me that is common and she has experienced this her entire life.
It is achingly painful to discover the quiet, and not so quiet pain, our peoples of color have endured and continue to endure. And as vile as it is, we have T***p and the tr**plicans of today to thank for forcing us to smell that stench of white supremacy. This is our history, America. This should be very humbling for all of us to face and break through our deep denial or ignorance. To "Act For All People." Step out of by-standing and stand up for one other. We have to be better this time. We have to take all of us forward. It is our generations of today, who are being called to undo all the "isms" before us. That will be our history to be very proud of in America, one day, and may turn out to be the True American Dream. The one MLK envisioned for all. Americans have to be carefully "un"-taught and face our fears of what is different. Whether it is religion, color, sexual identity, socio-economics or misinformation, lies and projection about everything, it is our time to stand up. I think we can help one another to remember to do it with as much love as possible. When we speak to someone who is ignorant, pretend it is you. What words would you want to hear to help you to wake up? (I have to face my particular anger and exhaustion of the past five years—this is not an easy task—but I am told: "We were built for these times." CPE).
You are right! Word choice is everything. "She was cornered and attacked by another 20 year old Republican thug wallowing in the hatred nurtured by Trump's racism. This 70 year old woman had the courage and ability to defend herself against a despicable coward." That would be a bit more accurate.
Thank you Marlene. I am a lifelong advocate of nonviolence, yet even I will say "Good for you, dear madam."
It seems likely that this SF attack was prompted by the Atlanta mass murders. If not, there's still the pervasive stench of white supremacy, never far away in the last few eyars.
There have been repeated physical assaults on Asian Americans, increasing even beyond the previous level, linked to failed45’s scapegoating for the virus he claims elsewhere is no big deal. These are consistently cowardly attacks, often younger men punching old women.
On Facebook, I saw on one of my high school pages what might have been one of the brothers. I confronted him about what they did. It turns out, it was one of the younger brothers, and he and his sister were mistreated by those brothers too. After that, I realized it was not about me. Those brothers were horrific.
I hope that was some consolation, and perhaps dulls the impact of their behavior toward you. We all respond as the individuals we are, but there were a handful of events/traumas in my youth that have never left me, they recede now and then only to return unwanted, unbidden, unrelenting.
Susan, thank you for telling us your own story: the demonizing and Othering of Asian people is a shameful and horrible spect of American culture that very few people address.
Othering is a great word to describe the process of how one group latches onto differences of another targeted group to dehumanize them to promote political and economic dominance, exploitation, and/or genocide. As in against Jews, LGBTQ, Roma, and political dissidents during the Holocaust; the history of European colonization worldwide; the history of European colonists against Indigenous Americans; the history of enslavement and labor exploitation, particularly of Africans as the largest and most systematic of targeted groups; anti-immigrant discrimination, legislation, and terror...
The list is too long and still a work in progress of making it past tense history.
I'm in a Blue part of Maryland and feel pretty safe here. A few years back, a guy followed me into Trader Joe's and called me a Chinese bitch, then went to the back into the storage area. I told the management, and they said there is nobody here as I described him. Now I wonder if I should have pushed back harder. I wondered if I cut him off with my car or took a parking space. Very mixed area population wise.
Hi Susan I’ve been retired from teaching for five years—my Asian students were memorable and some of my favorites. It’s late in the day for us here on the east coast. I’m very glad our President and Vice President are making a trip to the Atlanta area today. With your past situation that you shared, I’m glad you didn’t put yourself at greater risk with this racist. Stay safe!
Thank you so much for telling us your story. Welcome to the 70s! It is my hope and dream that you will see this new decade to be one where hate shrivels from lack of support. Happy birthday!
Great comments everyone. Thank you for your support. This does not just apply to Asian Americans, but for all people.
This is how to help ->>>
Manjusha P. Kulkarni of @StopAAPIHate
"When you see something, say something. Even if it's just verbal comments, racist jokes, lend your support. If there's an incident of discrimination (at a business) speak with a manager... ...potentially file a complaint, or help the victim to file a complaint with state agencies. And finally, I think what we also need now is for all of us to urge action from our elected officials."
He truly is a twit - a prejudiced, intolerant, ignorant twit! Sorry if that offends anyone, but there are moments where you have to call it what it is. And frankly, there are far too many of them elected (imagine!) to be our representatives in Congress.
If you didn’t watch yesterday’s White House Press Briefing, do yourself a favor and take a peek.
Jen Psaki introduced our new HUD Secretary, Marcia Fudge. Secretary Fudge took the lectern and greeted the room. She was met by total silence.
She then lowered her mask and gave a look I cannot describe, and said, "I was wondering if I was in this room by myself?"
That prompted a chorus of greetings from the assembled members of the Press and initiated a very polite line of questions. It appears our new HUD Secretary does not stand silent in the face of poor manners.
thank you. It's a pleasure to learn from a highly competent government official dedicated to doing her job on behalf of "we the people, all of us this time."
Perfect. I remember grade school teachers who used the same technique to let us know how to respond and set us at ease at the same time. Glad I watched this- she is indeed impressive in both her manner and in how she presents touchy topics. It was interesting to see the reporters relax as she responded to them with a friendly tone and smile.
She is great! And I hold her as a beacon of hope that my Ohio might, just might, be able to at least get a bit purple instead of being three or four pockets of blue cities surrounded by deep red.
I didn't see this, but it makes me wonder if the non-reaction to her greeting the room is a symptom of 4 years of utter disrespect and disparagement of the press by the prior administration and its press staff?
As an Asian American woman in California, thank you, Professor HCR. It all gets so exhausting. Reading your Letters has taught me so much of import, that I just didn’t know before, about the historical intersections of race and oppression in the U.S., across the spectrum. My heart breaks for the lives lost in the attack, and aches over the stubbornness of the hatred that remains in our nation. A little clarity in the long view is helpful. I sure hope we can pull it together, to treat all of us with dignity and respect.
We the People, ALL of us this time. It is time to deal head-on with the racism and misogyny and the intersectionality of all of it. We saw people from all races and genders protesting the death of George Floyd. We need this to turn into a movement. “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ― Benjamin Franklin
Our hearts go out to you and yours, Angela. "It all gets so exhausting" is just what Ayanna Pressley and countless Black Americans said after we lost George Floyd. POC are at greatest risk from white supremacists, but not even whites are safe if they are openly anti-racist. No doubt there will be more casualties all too soon. But tragedy, like defeat, is a bump in the road to victory. I do believe that.
Racism is obvious, but pathological guilt about sex also seems to be a motivation for the crimes. Investigators should look into what’s preached in the killer’s church.
Daria, You seem to have gotten to the nub of this. I'm wondering how long it will take for the blame the victim(s) to begin? You know, 'well they were sex workers (I'm using the polite term here) and they knew the risks'.
There is some real deep, ugly stuff here. Calling Dr. Freud, stat. 3 -2 -1 ...
Daria, you have more information than I, who live in Atlanta. Guess I'll have to read today's newspaper, and hope that it has more information. Independent counseling might have been more helpful. I can only imagine that fundamentalist advice could have been part of his problem. It makes me think of a friend who went to her priest for advice about sexual problems with her husband.
Pathological guilt about sex as a motivation for violence against women sounds too much like a get out of jail plan. I am not buying it. What purpose would be served by investigators searching for answers in community churches? Just another way to blame someone else. Too many people in life have suffered unspeakable abuse that derails their growth and well-being, from family members, from religious leaders, from hate groups, etc. Too many people have suffered from life in cults. But most abused people do not resort to massive acts of violence.
Correct— the description of the very young white man —he had a terrible day and he was at the end of his rope — but if he couldn’t go to that store and buy the gun we wouldn’t have the ugly incident.
Just so you are aware, the Southern Baptist Convention has very deep tentacles embedded in the fabric of our country. I would not call them community churches. They are hotbeds of intolerance and bigotry. Long was a member of an SBC church which promoted far right leaning beliefs, politically, socially and personally.
Congregations. 47,530 (2019)
Members. 14,525,579 (2019)
Weekly attendance = 5,250,230[1]
A look at the list of politicians who are SBC is informative, it will give you a sense of how and why our politics of intolerance is thriving. The body that supports the abuse you cite is very powerful and influential in every aspect of ALL of OUR lives, not just the lives of adherents. It has derailed and continues to derail the entire nation.
and there are thousands of smaller sects, equally or more fundamentalist in nature throughout. This rabid fundamentalism (misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, racism, etc) poisons beyond the SBC.
We should look at the cause of the pathological guilt if we want to follow our better angels. No it should not be a license to kill and definitely should not be used to blame the victims. That is exactly what the pathological patriarchy hopes for. But we need to look deeply into the pathology if we want to do better as a society.
Using sex as a weapon or an excuse is not fundamentally about sex. As the saying goes - if you hit someone over the head with a spade, it's not called gardening.
Wait a minute, Southern religion? What is Southern religion? And all churches south of the Mason-Dixon have as a goal teaching hate, misogyny, and racism? I have lived in the South most of my 71 years, attended many different churches and never witnessed poisoning through the teaching of hate. Let's not make far-thrown condemnations based on our own limited knowledge.
"Southern religion" is Southern Fundamentalism. Most prominently the southern Baptist Church. And very definitely NOT "all" southern churches. I had the privilege of knowing the late Presbyterian minister Rev. Jim Thompson of Alabama, who came home from the Korean War and from his experiences decided to enter the ministry. In the first year of his posting to his first church, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. He was one of only a very few Southern white ministers who supported that. He worked with Martin Luther King in the rest of the civil rights movement. People like him meet my definition of "saints" - i.e., those who are moral guideposts and measuring sticks for the rest of us to see if we actually "measure up." But I have also defined the problem of "Southern Religion" when I said he was "one of very few Southern white ministers to join..."
I find here in the main part of Atlanta, at least with Episcopal churches, they are very welcoming to all and are very careful not to offend and fully support everyone.However, I found when I went to a neighboring suburb, that was not at all the same story. They tried to hide (sugar coat) their prejudices but it was horribly evident. The more rural the area, it certainly gets worse. The area where MTG comes from has long had a terrible dark reputation, but now they have succeeded in getting one of their own in Congress.
TC, while fundamentalist religion flourishes in the South, it is not the only source of toxicity. Religious intolerance abounds everywhere. For every person who is comforted by religion, there are many more who are stunted. As human beings, we must be able to see through the fog and understand what we have to do to survive and flourish.
Let's not overgeneralize about "the South." Its religious heritage also embraces the Revs Dr King, King Sr, William Barber, Warnock, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, and many profoundly spiritual laypeople like Fannie Lou Hamer. Black Southerners are Southerners too.
Exactly right! It's why I talk of "Southernism." It's a state of mind, not necessarily a region. Like HRC points out, "The South won the civil war" socially.
Well, my family and friends know exactly what to expect from me, and while I try not to share all of my thoughts with acquaintances, it would be wise for them not to try to force their ideas on me. Unfortunately, racism and white privilege are everywhere.
I am not sure what is preached about women in church, but I DO know what is depicted about women in our entire culture, the internet, video games, sitcoms, movies, our advertising, etc.. Sexualizing women is pervasive. Access to sex scenes all over the internet is unhealthy for men and boys. Unhealthy for young humans who are not developmentally ready to deal with sex at young ages. And I have a growing population of young males addicted to internet porn. I do not blame churches, I blame our society that condones a lot of things that are harmful. Clean it up, America and the world. Let media moguls know that they can raise the level of our people by raising the intellectual level of what their media puts out into the world. They are responsible and need to be held accountable. And we need to boycott them as well. While we are at it, we might want to make sure to raise the level of who is able to run for elections from now on and what they are role modeling to our youth. Liars, white supremacists, men who brag about sexual assault and then attain the highest position in our land. We have some problems. And women and POC are the ones who end up usually having to fend off or deal with it. We need men to step up to the fricking plate to change the world.
A further demonstration that Fundamentalism is The Enemy, whether it masquerades as "christian," "muslim," "jewish," of "hindu." Terrible, sexual women are the "downfall" of poor "innocent" men, so they have to be controlled, dominated, and if necessary the 'uppity" ones must be killed for their trangressions against the godly men. They all believe and spout the same bullshit, regardless of which religion they're "purifying."
A friend shared her experience with me some years back, after her abusive then husband put her in the ER (again). She asked to see a priest. When the priest arrived, hours later, he told her that 'this wouldn't have happened to you if you'd been a better wife to your husband." This was in the 1970s, I believe.
This attitude was prevelant in law enforcement at the start of my career. I recall an incident in the early 90's where a woman, who had a restraining order against her husband (who was prohibited from coming into her house, which was not the "family home"). She had an emergency plan set up with a friend (had her on speed dial) who would call 911 if she got a non-communicative call from her. Another deputy, a good friend of mine, and I responded. Her soon to be ex had broken into the house through a bathroom window and raped her. Per our policy, we requested the sergeant call out detectives. Sarge refused, saying that "a man cannot rape his wife". Well, we more than likely crossed the lines of insubordination, got detectives out there (detective said the same thing, by the way), and ended up doing most of the investigation ourselves. It culminated in the arrest of the ex (by us, not detectives as would usually happen) and culminated with a successful prosecution for Rape I. My fellow deputy ended his career as the Captain of our division, after a very successful stint as a detective and a patrol and detective sergeant. By the time we retired, that "philosophy" was grounds for a termination of one deputy. Times did change.
you're a diamond. I hope your influence is still being felt through the ranks. also I know words matter and I have often wanted to ask you if you have any particular thoughts on the words we choose to identify "peace" officers. who decides that they are called law enforcement officers?
Thank you. I like to think I have had positive influence in my agency. Our Sheriff and Chief Deputy (Undersheriff) both rode with me when they were explorer scouts, as did our future Patrol Captain. Over half of our current sergeants are former recruits of mine, and I spent 15 years teaching use of force department wide, so I like to think my influence extends still.
Regarding the naming of names... Peace Officer vs. Law Enforcement Officer is an interesting one, and I think that the opinions we have of ourselves is that we protect people, and keep the peace by enforcing laws. Just who is protected and what laws are enforced upon whom is not an area of common thought. (One of my favorite HCR Tuesday talks was on the history of the founding of law enforcement. It certainly made me ask myself some hard questions about my profession and my belief structure around that.
I wish I had listened to that one! I have learned about the power of words over my lifetime and just the frame of "peace keeping" over law enforcement leaves more room for the use of words to disarm? and truly keep the peace? I wonder if there is a way to know what day that talk was on.
I believe that there is (maybe in process) a catalouging of those talks by topics discussed. I can tell you it was during the summer, but not much beyond that.
HCR's talks are on her FaceBook and YouTube. And a moderator from the Unofficial Heather Cox Richardson Discussion group on Facebook has been transcribing HCR's talks. Within the past week, she posted a link to all of HCR's talks in 2020.
I ditto your kudos to Ally. Also, just this week I said the same thing to a friend, about the language we use to describe police and policing. I had sent her an article about the 'defund the police' issue, and said police shouldn't be called out for mental illness issues, rather we should have dedicated, trained mental health professionals at the ready, just as we have police for actual CRIMES. I said the choice of 'peace officer' and 'law enforcement' should mean just that, and we shouldn't task them with everything from serious crime to mental health crises.
Spot on, TC. Fundamentalist religious men who demand complete control over women, and who blame women for every perceived wrong, slight, or bad thing that comes their way.
Chinese workers were brought in to California to build the California leg of the transcontinental railroad. The buildings built to process them still stand on the east side of Angel Island, the west coast's Ellis Island, in San Francisco Bay. It seems the Chinese were considered better workers than the Irish workers who also worked on the project.
Mark Twain wrote about the unjust anti-Chinese laws passed in California in the 1800's. Among them was a law that stated that a Chinese person could not testify against a white person in court. A white citizen could abuse a Chinese person any number of ways without fear of legal consequence. Jim Crow for Chinese immigrants. Anti-Asian prejudice is but another racial bias institutionalized by US law, a prejudice that has survived long after the laws have been repealed.
Perhaps in the end, the former president will have done the nation a favor by bringing to light all that is hateful and unjust in our history that survives and, with his help, even flourishes today.
He enabled the KKK, et al to take off their hoods. No, wait, he emboldened them to parade in the streets, assault and murder our other than white male citizens. And, run, and get elected! Yeah, lots of work to do to clean our house.
I wonder what religion preached what he practiced?
This must have been a hard letter to write professor, it was hard to read, but thank you. Shining your light on our history and current events, the only way forward through this hellhole we've been witnessing.
A friend who is a former southern state assistant AG wrote this yesterday on his FB feed. “The murder suspect's Southern Baptist church belongs to Founders Ministries, which claims that “white fragility is pro-racism,” refers to critical race theory as “godless and materialistic ideologies,” and equates women preaching with abuse. White supremacy is anti-christ, and white supremacist terrorists are being radicalized in white supremacist organizations masquerading as churches. Don’t be afraid to say it, and don’t be afraid to walk away from the white congregation you attend. It may the most faithful thing you can do.”
The south and rural areas are soaked in white “Christian” nationalism which is successfully capitalizing on white grievance there. In a conference last night with The heads of UCC and Episcopal churches, and some local clergy from Williamstown MA, the take away was just what has been said in these pages: You cannot convince White Christian nationalists to change. Better to spend our time getting HR 1 passed and electing people who are for democracy and the common good rather than those who are seeking to establish a “Christian” dominion in the US (which is anything but Christian). If you are new to this subject check out Tom Edsell’s column https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/opinion/christian-nationalists-capitol-attack.html
Yay. I'm so happy to read someone who is looking at the solution. 'You cannot change white christian nationalists' Yes Yes! We can only vote them out of power and then bring in systematic change. We cannot do this in 4 years regardless of who is president and especially not if the midterms loose the senate. This can only become a movement if it is given breath by the For The People Act and we can only pass that by reforming the filibuster. That is the path to a solution!
Repeatedly voicing the problem in its many, many forms is important but connecting it to the solution each and every time is the reason for voicing the problem. Saying we have to clean up racism is true but it isn't a method. The For The People Act is the method to move forward. Crisis is opportunity but lamenting all the layers of the problem can squander that opportunity it by consuming all the energy. Those of us who most value community also love to talk, which is all Ok as long as long as we end the discussion on a focus toward specific action.
I'd like to see someone more knowledgeable about politics than I say something about how to get the For The People Act passed. How is it most effectively pushed into visibility? Writing to my NC senators, again, is relieving one's self up wind.
Here is what I have done: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. This is my letter. feel free to use any or all of it to write your own letter.
Mr. President I would like to do what ever I can to encourage you to support the For The People Act. I know this is in process but I cannot personally tell you how important I feel the passage of this act is. There are many details to your day as president, I’m sure, but I feel that passage of this act relates to all, ALL, of the details of what is happening in our country from racial violence, to international trade, and to bringing our population towards more involvement in its government.
I am writing because I feel that without your visible leadership on this issue no matter what else you may accomplish it will be dust in the wind of a history that is further sustained by minority power in the US. This would simply be a tragedy of enormous proportion. I feel that this requires frequent, clear, visible leadership from the top.
What I understand now is that you are not speaking out visibly and frequently because you feel that this is the proper functioning of our government where you allow the house and the senate to ‘do their jobs’ and also because you feel that it would bring you into a position of having to decide for or against the filibuster in its current form and you “believe in unlimited debate” in the senate. I submit to you that we, the People, were just barely able to deliver you to the White House with an even split in the senate. We, the people, need your leadership in bringing the For The People Act through the senate. The filibuster in its current form doesn’t, from my perspective, encourage debate at least not the public, visible debate on the senate floor that I would like. In its current form the filibuster ends debate, empties the chamber and stifles even the process of bringing potential change forward.
I strongly urge you, as I did with my personal vote, to become loud and visible on this issue. We need this as a country and I need it as an individual if I am to maintain faith in our system of government.
Where are you in NC? I’m in New Hanover County. My federal representatives are all Republicans. SIGH!
In place of the word “filibuster,” use the word “sabotage,” as “filibustero” was applied to pirates. The theory of the filibuster was meant to sabotage legislation by the minority. How does that encourage debate? Without the filibuster, would civil rights legislation have been passed sooner? What about anti-lynching legislation? Mitch “scorched earth” McConnell would have made an excellent pirate, given his ruthlessness.
I'm out on Hattaras island town of Waves. I clearly agree on the Filibuster. Interesting to note that it is just a simple rule of the senate, not a law or anything with real authority, just a device. And, why has it survived previous times when the democrats could have gotten rid of it? I have met a few Dems who are afraid of what might happen when/if the Reb's gain majority again.... but truly that is living by fear. Never a good place.
Yes! I will also send a copy of your excellent letter to the WH and a version of it to my senators, who I thought, foolishly, that I didn't have to worry too much about as they are both Dems, but their recent lack of support of the minimum wage part of the Rescue Plan has made me realize I need to keep a closer eye on them. Thank you for this!
"Repeatedly voicing the problem in its many, many forms is important but connecting it to the solution each and every time is the reason for voicing the problem". Yes.
Excellent interview last night (on CNN I think) of an expert on the filibuster who is very optimistic that it WILL be altered, and that the For the People Act will pass. He based it on his years as a congressional aide, saying that what we won't see is the good ol' wheeing and dealing that Dems can do from their leadership position now.
Thank you for this very informative link. So, we do know the names and "churches" of these crazy preachers. I do hope our regulatory agencies are paying attention, as we all know, words matter, especially to crazy cult followers. I was heartened to see the reference about "Christians against Christian Nationalism". Finally, and not a minute too soon. These crazies are like cornered animals, we know they're gonna bite, we should be smart enough to know how to contain their violent tendencies before they do go off.
Boy, did I pick up on that right away. So many "sayings" have their origins in abhorrent beliefs. "Rule of thumb" is one of them. "God willing and the Creek* don't rise" is another. I have read that "picnic" is derived from packing a lunch to watch a lynching/hanging of a Black person.
*Denotes the Creek Nation, not a small body of water that might flood.
"The word comes from the French word pique-nique, whose earliest usage in print is in the 1692 edition of Tony Willis, Origines de la Langue Française, which mentions pique-nique as being of recent origin. The term was used to describe a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine. "
The murders in Atlanta and the arrest and statement of the admitted murderer are the murky, fetid whirlpool of what is feared and hated about racism in our country. The Atlanta police spokesman sounded as though he was sympathetic toward the white killer, being deeply religious and suffering from a mental disease, not being racist and having committed a hate crime, "he had a really bad day...". Heather note, "That seemingly cavalier dismissal of the dead while accepting the words of the white murderer seemed to personify an American history that has discriminated against Asians since the California legislature slapped a Foreign Miners’ Tax on Chinese miners in 1850, just a year after they began to arrive in California. Discriminatory laws and violence from their white neighbors plagued Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Koreans, Vietnamese, and all Asian immigrants as they moved to the U.S.
Discrimination and hatred have continued to plague their descendants."
The black and brown communities noted rightly that "he was arrested without incident" wondering loudly if that would have been the case if he was black or brown. Would he have been noted as being "deeply religious" if he was a muslim?
Heather concludes: "That [the murderer] blamed Asian or Asian American women for his own sexual impulses ties into a long history that links racism to sexism—and to violence— in a peculiarly American fashion."
That captain is no longer the spokesperson for the case. It’s not enough. I hope he’s under investigation and in some sort of sensitivity training. I know it wouldn’t fix his mentality. But at least make him pause before he opens his racist mouth!
Sadly, sensitivity training is not going to fix the Captain's issues. The behavior he exhibits is deeply embedded in the law enforcement community. It's been tolerated, defended and excused by departments and police unions forever.
Ours is a dangerous country "protected" by dangerous people.
As a retired cop, it pains me to agree with you. I am not sure who is the more dangerous of these dangerous people; the openly racist and misogynistic of those like the Captain, or those who oh so sincerely believe that they "don't see color, but see crime" and cannot fathom the concept of systemic racism or implicit bias.
With the Captain you know what you're getting and he can be shut down. With the "color blind" who only "see crime" you're getting people who quietly infect those they touch with their poisonous ideas, under the guise of "concern". It's insidious.
Ally, thank you for your service and your commitment to public safety. ❤
Unfortunately, Daria, you are right. Yes, there are many good, honest police officers, but there are many bad apples turning the barrel bitter and nasty.
Skip asks, "Would he have been noted as being "deeply religious" if he was a muslim?" No, he would have been called a radical Islamist. His next known address would be Guantanamo.
"...although all three had been reviewed by an erotic review site." I found myself incredibly bothered by this, and wanted to share why - it feels like the equivalent of victim shaming. Thanks for listening.
I've made other comments here about the horrible way we shame girls and victims of crimes like this. However, here I want to say that I sort of appreciated this clarification because as a professional licensed massage therapist, and I speak for all of us I believe, as a profession, we are always trying to distance ourselves from what are legally called "massage parlors" but are actually places where sex is for sale, because we don't want to attract clients looking for sex. We've all had this happen despite our best efforts. I have nothing against sex work or sex workers if they have chosen the profession freely, and some do. But because of high level of societal shame and illegality around it, they can't call it what it is, so they fly under the radar as massage parlors. So in this case, the reference to "legally operating massage parlors" needed clarification of some sort, and this statement that they had been reviewed by an erotic review site helped clue me in that indeed, these were more likely places where money was exchanged for sex in some form, and tragically, most likely by trafficked or otherwise manipulated women.
That bothered me too. Why was it even newsworthy? It wasn't. It was sufficient to report what the mayor had said about the businesses being legal and not on the radar of law enforcement. Period.
Me thinx we need to move toward reconciliation, as South Africa is doing with its history. Long ago, at the beginning of her campaign Sen Elizabeth Warren said that we need reconciliation, and she did not know the path. But she knew we need to begin the conversation.
Our capitalist and individualist society breaks the souls of us all, to the point we do not see ourselves in the other. All too many people are hurting in this society and across the globe.
We need to address the inherent poverty built into capitalism, here, across Africa and throughout the globe. We must address the inhumane nature of capitalism - that people are allowed to die on our streets, from a bullet, from poverty, from addictions, from suicides.
Capitalism and our rabid individualism is killing us.
I believe our Progressive Caucus in the US House ought to lead, with Pres. Biden, on this nationwide conversation around reconciliation, individualism and capitalism.
The Maine Jung Center present the film and discussion “Finding Joe. ” The summary states:
A multidimensional film featuring commentaries from Deepak Chopra, Mick Fleetwood, Rashida Jones and others on how Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey finds expression in our lives, and on how his work continues to influence our culture. Take a journey through the human psyche and discover the pattern hidden in every story.
Thanks for the link. It seems I got it just in time, before the program starts. When I was introduced to Campbell some 30+ years ago, I thought, "Now here is a teacher who's able to see the Big Picture and explain it." And I've enjoyed seeing, reading, and listening to his works since then.
It seems to me that reconciliation requires all parties to share at least one common denominator. My suggestion for that starting point would be that all SANE human beings want the same thing: Justice. Working from that base, people could evaluate all of the propaganda pushed on us and then work through the details of what should be saved and what should be tossed out.
Are you familiar with the process in South Africa? I am not. I sense the need for the most aggrieved, particularly indigenous Americans, and African Americans, be welcomed to share their stories. This would lead to a grieving process for our society.
We must grieve for all of the losses suffered in the name of capitalism and capital acquirement by the white patriarchy. We simply DO NOT grieve, but push into our should the pain of our ancestors and oneself.
Americans have great traumatic shame, for our history one’s personal history, as well as our current carnage from guns, poverty, addiction, abuse. We are sick in so many
Trevor Noah's comments on the killing of the six Asian women are chillingly accurate. He insists they were racist murders. He insists all should have known such a calamity was coming. Americans constantly react to the symptoms and not causes. He starkly recites explanations arresting officers gave about the motives of the alleged killer, and their total lack of attention and concern for the dead victimes.
I saw those Noah comments early on, and they stunned me. Just rewatched the video (with your link). It was a fresh reminder of how incisive and profound Noah's message was. An heir, and somewhat a victim, of the Apartheid abuses in South Africa, he brings an unexpected perspective on U.S. social and political issues. He's a real gift from South Africa to the U.S.
Once again Heather has put this outrageous racist, sexist slaughter in context. When we elect a sexist racist leader who has the art of blaming everyone else and taking responsibility for nothing we are left in shambles. His destructive leadership will have ramifications for a long time. As a psychotherapist my best training came from Dr. Sonia Nevis. As a professional comes a responsibility of being acutely aware of the power of our words and behavior and the impact it has on our clients. I believe the same is true for our leaders.
The racist and sexist behavior of our last President will have long term ripple effect throughout our society. As President his words holds tremendous power.
The upside of this is we as a society may be more open to looking at ourselves and our own racist, sexist unconscious beliefs. These beliefs certainly get in the way of a functional democracy. There is hope as we focus on the importance of the right of all of us to vote.
Future Heathers, writing insightful histories, may be able to describe this time - right now - as the genesis of reconciliation. Trump certainly helped "awaken" me. His destructive leadership held up a mirror I could not ignore. Perhaps we needed a Trump.
Thank you for your valuable work on these Letters, Professor. Saddened and angered by this latest terrible violence, I’m grateful that you have included it in your real-time chronicle of our present moment and how it grows from our past. I’m grateful for your entire project. Many thanks for your work.
I’m writing to say that I wish you had not used the second sentence of your post to address the legality of the sites where yesterday’s murders took place. If relevant at all, that detail belonged somewhere far from the front of this narrative. To me, it’s like putting in a story of a rape a second sentence reporting that the victim was apparently dressed modestly.
Whether or not the sites were legal has no bearing on the horror of these crimes. Indeed, more germane is the question of whether immigrant women have other options for gainful employment - that is, the legitimacy of an economy so deeply sexist, anti-immigrant, racist, and stratified that women are still today selling intimate access to their bodies for money. One could look at the history of women in the waves of Asian immigration to this country and, I think, pull out threads that illuminate this. I hope you might touch on this in a future post.
As an RN and licensed professional massage therapist, I admit when I first heard news reports of this happening at "massage parlors", a term we don't like to use anyway, my heart sank. Here we go again, still, blaming the sex worker, nearly always women, but not the purchaser, nearly always men. And the framing of the crime reminds me too much of how all girls are sexualized in this country, far too young, and then humiliated at school when their tank top shows to much shoulder or cleavage, their shorts too much leg, their leggings reveal their curves, etc. Still viewed as an object for boys' pleasure or distraction, girls have to suffer.
One of the (many!) things that need to be stopped is the "Beauty" pageants for girls and women. It's disgusting to see 3 and 4 year old girls being dressed in provocative outfits, plastered with makeup, and their hair done up in adult fashion. That is a clear form of abuse and the damage it does to those girls is horrible.
The adult pageants aren't much better; they are reminiscent of an auction and reinforce the stereotype that the only worth of a woman is that of her body.
Listing the type of location and its lawful existence is important. If it had been a church or a school, or a work place or a meeting hall, such a description would have been unnecessary. Because of the stigma surrounding massage parlors, it was a crucial part of this story.
Abigail I disagree with your criticism of where HCR should put that information in the second sentence. It was just a relevant fact and we’re grown up enough to take it for what it is.
Excellent op-ed in today’s New York Times by May Jeong. She sheds light on some of this history:
Quoting, here’s an excerpt:
The stereotype of the Asian woman as simultaneously hypersexualized and submissive is borne of centuries of Western imperialism. An early documented instance of Asian fetishization can be found in “Madame Chrysantheme,” a thinly fictionalized account of a French naval officer’s time visiting 19th-century Japan. “Madame Chrysantheme” was wildly popular when it was published, and went on to create a subgenre of Orientalizing prose. The women in such accounts were, as Edward Said wrote in “Orientalism,” “creatures of a male power-fantasy. They express unlimited sensuality, they are more or less stupid, and above all they are willing.”
Later, an untold number of American servicemen in Korea and Vietnam had their first sexual encounter with Asian women. The U.S. military tacitly endorsed prostitution, considering it good for morale, and at times even explicitly encouraged troops to explore the local sex industry. According to the book “Sex Among Allies” by Katharine Moon, a professor of political science at Wellesley College, an ad in Stars and Stripes, the main military newspaper, read: “Picture having three or four of the loveliest creatures God ever created hovering around you, singing, dancing, feeding you, washing what they feed you down with rice wine or beer, all saying at once, ‘You are the greatest.’ This is the Orient you heard about and came to find.”
Yuri Doolan, an assistant professor of history and of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Brandeis University, has written that the first Korean massage parlor workers most likely came to the United States in the 1950s after the United States reduced its forces in South Korea after the war there. They were unlikely to have been massage parlor workers before they came: The son of one of the victims has said his mother told him she was a teacher before coming to the United States.
These women, the first thousand or so, likely met their servicemen husbands in base towns across South Korea that sprang up during the Korean War, and the American occupation that followed.
In 1986 when the Immigration and Naturalization Service created the Korean Organized Crime Task Force to fight the scourge of its time, Korean prostitution, the authorities estimated that some 90 percent of massage parlor workers in the United States had come to the country as G.I. brides. These women followed their husbands to military bases. Once settled, some opened massage parlors, among the few opportunities for employment and financial autonomy available to immigrant women.
But beyond this specific history, structural violence against Asians in the United States has long been institutionalized. The racist, sexist nature of American society is hardly some aberrant, recent phenomenon that can be fixed through minor reform.
In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act became the first and only major federal law to exclude a specific ethnic group from entering the United States. It codified in federal law the xenophobia that had been building since the economic depression after the Civil War, in which Chinese laborers were blamed for taking jobs away from white people. The 19th and early 20th centuries saw horrific violence against Asian communities, including the 1887 Hells Canyon massacre, in which as many as 34 Chinese miners were killed, and the 1907 Bellingham riots, which drove out the entire South Asian population within three days.
Predating the Chinese Exclusion Act was the lesser-known Page Law of 1875, which was mostly applied to Chinese immigrants and allowed the barring of entry to those deemed to have agreed to services with “lewd and immoral purposes.” Immigration officials asked every female applicant, “Are you a virtuous woman?” They “apparently operated on the premise that every Chinese woman was seeking admission on false pretenses, and that each was a potential prostitute until proven otherwise,” according to “Unbound Feet” by Judy Yung, a historian and emerita professor of American studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In this way, the Asian woman became an object of hatred, and lust, a thing to loathe, then desire, the distance between yellow peril and yellow fever measured in flashes.
Thank you so much Heather. As a Chinese American, I can not thank you enough for tying everything together in you message tonight. I am going to be 70 next week, born in the US, and have been putting up with out right racism or micro-aggression my entire life. In my memory, 2nd grade, boys cornered me and threw stones at me. I never told anyone. The boys that lived on the corner of the street of our suburban house, used to yell slurs when we drove by. When people say oh, we all faced discrimination, but y'all could blend in. We, like our black sisters and brothers can not. Hate does not happen often, but when it does at this point in my life, I get mad, I get sad, but no longer surprised. I am hoping this is the turning point. However, when you see the likes of Chip Roy, I wonder.
Sadly, Representative Chip Roy represents my district in Texas. I contacted him through his website this evening calling for his resignation. With free speech comes responsibility for what you say. I will work against his reelection for the next two years. I'm absolutely disgusted by him.
I was appalled (but not surprised) by how much of his white privilege he chose to display at the hearing. How much of a dolt can one be to re-start Chinese blame and be pro-"lynching" (connotations!) at a hearing about anti-racism?
Not to mention how he wore his mask.
That made me angry as well as his words. Not wearing the mask effectively was just another indication of his narcissism and having no concern for others.
I kept thinking how much I'd like to introduce his face to something he wouldn't like. Repeatedly. A perfect example of "the only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies." He used to be Chief of Staff to the shitbird Cruz.
I do so hope that we do not devolve into a mindset that champions violence in response to serious violent tendencies of others.
Channel the distress into peaceful action. No fanning flames.
I just had a fleeting fantasy of the pillow guy in shitbird’s bedroom positioning the pillow over shitbird’s face
How about this, TC?https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/secondhand_smoke/index.htm
Is anyone surprised by that?
Same. 100%.
Yes! The way he wore his mask was an in your face smack down to President Biden. They need to start enforcing the rules regarding mask wearing in Congress. It isn’t ok to simply hang one on your ears and not cover your nose. 😡
Yes I noticed that—overall appearance base and crude.
Representative Grace Meng gave an emotional response. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/15/what-is-between-sen-ron-johnsons-ears/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_opinions&utm_campaign=wp_opinions
And was “this is what he did” very similar to TFG saying of the Capitol riot “this is what happens “?
He is trying to step out from behind Cruz's shadow. These are birds of a feather.
What can we do to help?
Reach out and get as many organizations and businesses to actively support the passage of the For the People Act. Our strength is in large numbers. Stay nonviolent always.
The best thing we can do is to get the For the People Act passed. I'm convinced that is the key that opens the most possibilities for a true movement. Write to you members of Congress to say why you support the bill and for them to vote For it.
I´ve posted with a link to the bill and am writing to representatives to encourage all I know to take up oxygen and be part of growing a try democracy.
Manjusha P. Kulkarni of @StopAAPIHate
"When you see something, say something. Even if it's just verbal comments, racist jokes, lend your support. If there's an incident of discrimination (at a business) speak with a manager... ...potentially file a complaint, or help the victim to file a complaint with state agencies. And finally, I think what we also need now is for all of us to urge action from our elected officials."
If a U.S. Representative suggests and endorses murder, shouldn't he (or she) be immediately ejected from office?
Leadership is a moral relationship among the leader and followers. So, yes hit the ejection button.
Let us know who ends up running against Chip Roy in Texas's 21st district. We can send "thoughts and prayers" (code for donations and likes) to his challenger.
Ted, In 2018, the first election after Lamar Smith retired, Chip Roy got 50% of the vote to Joseph Kosper's 48%. That's very close especially in Texas terms. As the incumbent in 2020 Chip Roy did a bit better - 52% to Wendy Davis's 46%. So with a strong candidate I think it very possible to unseat. I think one thing voters liked about Kosper was he is a veteran. I personally like to vote for veterans because they know what is means to fight for America, not just a party.
Why on earth would anyone vote for that creep over Wendy Davis? Hope she keeps after it. Have been sending support her way since her epic filibuster.
Hi Cathy— yes he’s awful. Thanks for your efforts.
Thank you for acting
Susan, thank you for sharing your experience. It reminds me of the fallacy of the saying, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" Experiences of racism are cumulative trauma.
We have so much work to continue on anti-racism--individually, among our friends and families, and as a country. May all the causes of justice take hold more and more throughout our lives and with the up and coming generations of younger people.
And Happy Birthday!
It took me a long time to figure out it was cumulative trauma.
Then with the figuring out cumulative trauma comes figuring out ways of healing. I’m glad you shared your experience with this group and are connected with Stop AAPI Hate. I hope they are helpful to you. As you noted, everyone has to step up to call out racism in the moment and to take preventive measures of both learning ourselves and teaching younger people about anti-racism.
70 years young.
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Susan,
Happy birthday to you!
Susan, you have my deepest sympathies and respect. It is apparent that ignorance is equivalent to breeding certain types of dogs. That’s what has been done in our country. It is very sad and maddening that people feel they can do or say what they want without thinking how they are affecting others.
This just happened in San Francisco and kudos to the woman who fought back!
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/03/17/elderly-asian-woman-beats-up-man-attacking-her-in-san-francisco/amp/
"She was a frustrated, angry woman...The woman said she was hit and she attacked back." Um, you mean she was defending herself? Sorry, but that eyewitness' choice of words just rubbed me the wrong way.
Yes, words matter, Lynell. Attacking or defending are very different actions. Bravo to her.
America has the stranglehold of racism in our very roots and twisted around our flag. All white people need to be humbled as they step out of deep denial to what our indigenous peoples, our people who come from slavery (including natives and Asians) and all POC have endured from our inception. And thrives today.
My Vietnamese sister-in-law was raised in Seattle. On one of her visits back there to be with her family, she entered an elevator with two older women already in it. She pressed her desired floor number and turned to face the closing doors. As the elevator rose, the older women behind her derisively said, "Go back to your own country." "You bitch." I was so appalled when she told me this story, my heart felt broken. I had tears in my eyes to hear this. She was surprised and told me that is common and she has experienced this her entire life.
It is achingly painful to discover the quiet, and not so quiet pain, our peoples of color have endured and continue to endure. And as vile as it is, we have T***p and the tr**plicans of today to thank for forcing us to smell that stench of white supremacy. This is our history, America. This should be very humbling for all of us to face and break through our deep denial or ignorance. To "Act For All People." Step out of by-standing and stand up for one other. We have to be better this time. We have to take all of us forward. It is our generations of today, who are being called to undo all the "isms" before us. That will be our history to be very proud of in America, one day, and may turn out to be the True American Dream. The one MLK envisioned for all. Americans have to be carefully "un"-taught and face our fears of what is different. Whether it is religion, color, sexual identity, socio-economics or misinformation, lies and projection about everything, it is our time to stand up. I think we can help one another to remember to do it with as much love as possible. When we speak to someone who is ignorant, pretend it is you. What words would you want to hear to help you to wake up? (I have to face my particular anger and exhaustion of the past five years—this is not an easy task—but I am told: "We were built for these times." CPE).
Thank You for the reminder and the wisdom, Penelope
Hear-Hear, Penelope. I will strive to follow your excellent advice.
Thank you Penelope!!! I agree Wholeheartedly 😊💕💕
You are right! Word choice is everything. "She was cornered and attacked by another 20 year old Republican thug wallowing in the hatred nurtured by Trump's racism. This 70 year old woman had the courage and ability to defend herself against a despicable coward." That would be a bit more accurate.
Yes! Thank You. May I re-post on fb to show the intrinsic mysogyny and racism in reporting?
We know words matter.
Thank you Marlene. I am a lifelong advocate of nonviolence, yet even I will say "Good for you, dear madam."
It seems likely that this SF attack was prompted by the Atlanta mass murders. If not, there's still the pervasive stench of white supremacy, never far away in the last few eyars.
There have been repeated physical assaults on Asian Americans, increasing even beyond the previous level, linked to failed45’s scapegoating for the virus he claims elsewhere is no big deal. These are consistently cowardly attacks, often younger men punching old women.
Just in the wide open again in the last few years.
Unfortunately, these attacks have been mounting in San Francisco and Oakland.
Remember this woman was SEVENTY SIX (?) years old - and she fought back. Beats up, really??
thank you for this
Thank you so much for your story, or at least that part of it you can share.
Those young boys who threw stones at you learned that behavior and, I fear, may have perpetuated it in their families.
On Facebook, I saw on one of my high school pages what might have been one of the brothers. I confronted him about what they did. It turns out, it was one of the younger brothers, and he and his sister were mistreated by those brothers too. After that, I realized it was not about me. Those brothers were horrific.
Thank you for continuing that story. One wonders how far back that abuse goes. So much needless suffering in our society.
I hope that was some consolation, and perhaps dulls the impact of their behavior toward you. We all respond as the individuals we are, but there were a handful of events/traumas in my youth that have never left me, they recede now and then only to return unwanted, unbidden, unrelenting.
Susan, this makes me so sad, especially for the small girl that you were. I’m glad you get mad now. I’m mad, too, for whatever that’s worth.
Susan, thank you for telling us your own story: the demonizing and Othering of Asian people is a shameful and horrible spect of American culture that very few people address.
Othering is a great word to describe the process of how one group latches onto differences of another targeted group to dehumanize them to promote political and economic dominance, exploitation, and/or genocide. As in against Jews, LGBTQ, Roma, and political dissidents during the Holocaust; the history of European colonization worldwide; the history of European colonists against Indigenous Americans; the history of enslavement and labor exploitation, particularly of Africans as the largest and most systematic of targeted groups; anti-immigrant discrimination, legislation, and terror...
The list is too long and still a work in progress of making it past tense history.
That is a great word - Othering!
Hi Susan yes I can only imagine what it’s like not to be able to blend in—what state are you in? Be very careful.
I'm in a Blue part of Maryland and feel pretty safe here. A few years back, a guy followed me into Trader Joe's and called me a Chinese bitch, then went to the back into the storage area. I told the management, and they said there is nobody here as I described him. Now I wonder if I should have pushed back harder. I wondered if I cut him off with my car or took a parking space. Very mixed area population wise.
Or, Susan, if you didn't do anything and just were.
Hi Susan I’ve been retired from teaching for five years—my Asian students were memorable and some of my favorites. It’s late in the day for us here on the east coast. I’m very glad our President and Vice President are making a trip to the Atlanta area today. With your past situation that you shared, I’m glad you didn’t put yourself at greater risk with this racist. Stay safe!
Thank you so much for telling us your story. Welcome to the 70s! It is my hope and dream that you will see this new decade to be one where hate shrivels from lack of support. Happy birthday!
Great comments everyone. Thank you for your support. This does not just apply to Asian Americans, but for all people.
This is how to help ->>>
Manjusha P. Kulkarni of @StopAAPIHate
"When you see something, say something. Even if it's just verbal comments, racist jokes, lend your support. If there's an incident of discrimination (at a business) speak with a manager... ...potentially file a complaint, or help the victim to file a complaint with state agencies. And finally, I think what we also need now is for all of us to urge action from our elected officials."
He truly is a twit - a prejudiced, intolerant, ignorant twit! Sorry if that offends anyone, but there are moments where you have to call it what it is. And frankly, there are far too many of them elected (imagine!) to be our representatives in Congress.
My sincerest best wishes to you, Susan.
I just have to share this small moment of joy.
If you didn’t watch yesterday’s White House Press Briefing, do yourself a favor and take a peek.
Jen Psaki introduced our new HUD Secretary, Marcia Fudge. Secretary Fudge took the lectern and greeted the room. She was met by total silence.
She then lowered her mask and gave a look I cannot describe, and said, "I was wondering if I was in this room by myself?"
That prompted a chorus of greetings from the assembled members of the Press and initiated a very polite line of questions. It appears our new HUD Secretary does not stand silent in the face of poor manners.
Brava for her!
https://youtu.be/JGABBOChMgY
Thanks for that clip. Sadly she has learned how to deal with that sort of rudeness in a very effective manner. Brava!
thank you. It's a pleasure to learn from a highly competent government official dedicated to doing her job on behalf of "we the people, all of us this time."
Many thanks and congratulations and best wishes to HUD Secretary Fudge.
Thanks!
Perfect. I remember grade school teachers who used the same technique to let us know how to respond and set us at ease at the same time. Glad I watched this- she is indeed impressive in both her manner and in how she presents touchy topics. It was interesting to see the reporters relax as she responded to them with a friendly tone and smile.
Brilliant, thank you Ellie. I am glad to have seen this clip!
Impressive!!!
She is great! And I hold her as a beacon of hope that my Ohio might, just might, be able to at least get a bit purple instead of being three or four pockets of blue cities surrounded by deep red.
She told us not to give up on Ohio. Let’s listen and act.
I immediately fell in love with Secretary Fudge. We are in good hands!
Same feeling!
I didn't see this, but it makes me wonder if the non-reaction to her greeting the room is a symptom of 4 years of utter disrespect and disparagement of the press by the prior administration and its press staff?
Doesn't matter. She took control and taught them how to behave immediately.
Great woman.
I think you give them too much slack.
The press or the previous administration???
The press.
its so nice to see leaders with emotional intelligence at the WH lectern. Checking it out now. Thanks R!
As an Asian American woman in California, thank you, Professor HCR. It all gets so exhausting. Reading your Letters has taught me so much of import, that I just didn’t know before, about the historical intersections of race and oppression in the U.S., across the spectrum. My heart breaks for the lives lost in the attack, and aches over the stubbornness of the hatred that remains in our nation. A little clarity in the long view is helpful. I sure hope we can pull it together, to treat all of us with dignity and respect.
We the People, ALL of us this time. It is time to deal head-on with the racism and misogyny and the intersectionality of all of it. We saw people from all races and genders protesting the death of George Floyd. We need this to turn into a movement. “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ― Benjamin Franklin
Our hearts go out to you and yours, Angela. "It all gets so exhausting" is just what Ayanna Pressley and countless Black Americans said after we lost George Floyd. POC are at greatest risk from white supremacists, but not even whites are safe if they are openly anti-racist. No doubt there will be more casualties all too soon. But tragedy, like defeat, is a bump in the road to victory. I do believe that.
"the stubbornness of the hatred that remains in our nation" Indeed it is stubborn... Your words will ring in my head.
Angela, thank you for your comment and grace. It brought forth some blurried eyes from water welling. I agree so much. ❤️🙏
Racism is obvious, but pathological guilt about sex also seems to be a motivation for the crimes. Investigators should look into what’s preached in the killer’s church.
And they should investigate the counseling he was receiving at HopeQuest, the Christian addiction treatment center.
Daria, You seem to have gotten to the nub of this. I'm wondering how long it will take for the blame the victim(s) to begin? You know, 'well they were sex workers (I'm using the polite term here) and they knew the risks'.
There is some real deep, ugly stuff here. Calling Dr. Freud, stat. 3 -2 -1 ...
Yeah, Charlie, I'm wondering too.
Daria, you have more information than I, who live in Atlanta. Guess I'll have to read today's newspaper, and hope that it has more information. Independent counseling might have been more helpful. I can only imagine that fundamentalist advice could have been part of his problem. It makes me think of a friend who went to her priest for advice about sexual problems with her husband.
Pathological guilt about sex as a motivation for violence against women sounds too much like a get out of jail plan. I am not buying it. What purpose would be served by investigators searching for answers in community churches? Just another way to blame someone else. Too many people in life have suffered unspeakable abuse that derails their growth and well-being, from family members, from religious leaders, from hate groups, etc. Too many people have suffered from life in cults. But most abused people do not resort to massive acts of violence.
Correct— the description of the very young white man —he had a terrible day and he was at the end of his rope — but if he couldn’t go to that store and buy the gun we wouldn’t have the ugly incident.
Just so you are aware, the Southern Baptist Convention has very deep tentacles embedded in the fabric of our country. I would not call them community churches. They are hotbeds of intolerance and bigotry. Long was a member of an SBC church which promoted far right leaning beliefs, politically, socially and personally.
Congregations. 47,530 (2019)
Members. 14,525,579 (2019)
Weekly attendance = 5,250,230[1]
A look at the list of politicians who are SBC is informative, it will give you a sense of how and why our politics of intolerance is thriving. The body that supports the abuse you cite is very powerful and influential in every aspect of ALL of OUR lives, not just the lives of adherents. It has derailed and continues to derail the entire nation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/us/robert-aaron-long-atlanta-spa-shooting.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Baptist_Convention
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Southern_Baptist_Convention_affiliated_people
and there are thousands of smaller sects, equally or more fundamentalist in nature throughout. This rabid fundamentalism (misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, racism, etc) poisons beyond the SBC.
Truth
Excellent point. And he wasn't just a member of the church, his father was the church's preacher.
exactly! The GOP long ago hijacked vulnerable denominations as they looked for a cult vulnerable base https://www.salon.com/2015/05/13/wingnuts_have_weaponized_jesus_how_the_religious_right_hijacked_christianity/ (just one of many)
That's it - the GOP weaponized Jesus.
The church poisons the mind, heart and soul.
We should look at the cause of the pathological guilt if we want to follow our better angels. No it should not be a license to kill and definitely should not be used to blame the victims. That is exactly what the pathological patriarchy hopes for. But we need to look deeply into the pathology if we want to do better as a society.
Repressed sexuality has gotten churches and priests and clergy in trouble for a long time.
Using sex as a weapon or an excuse is not fundamentally about sex. As the saying goes - if you hit someone over the head with a spade, it's not called gardening.
Fundamentalist bullshit is what's preached there. Southern "religion" is pure poison.
Wait a minute, Southern religion? What is Southern religion? And all churches south of the Mason-Dixon have as a goal teaching hate, misogyny, and racism? I have lived in the South most of my 71 years, attended many different churches and never witnessed poisoning through the teaching of hate. Let's not make far-thrown condemnations based on our own limited knowledge.
"Southern religion" is Southern Fundamentalism. Most prominently the southern Baptist Church. And very definitely NOT "all" southern churches. I had the privilege of knowing the late Presbyterian minister Rev. Jim Thompson of Alabama, who came home from the Korean War and from his experiences decided to enter the ministry. In the first year of his posting to his first church, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. He was one of only a very few Southern white ministers who supported that. He worked with Martin Luther King in the rest of the civil rights movement. People like him meet my definition of "saints" - i.e., those who are moral guideposts and measuring sticks for the rest of us to see if we actually "measure up." But I have also defined the problem of "Southern Religion" when I said he was "one of very few Southern white ministers to join..."
As an escaped Southerner, I truly wonder how your experiences could be so pure. Please elucidate.
I find here in the main part of Atlanta, at least with Episcopal churches, they are very welcoming to all and are very careful not to offend and fully support everyone.However, I found when I went to a neighboring suburb, that was not at all the same story. They tried to hide (sugar coat) their prejudices but it was horribly evident. The more rural the area, it certainly gets worse. The area where MTG comes from has long had a terrible dark reputation, but now they have succeeded in getting one of their own in Congress.
TC, while fundamentalist religion flourishes in the South, it is not the only source of toxicity. Religious intolerance abounds everywhere. For every person who is comforted by religion, there are many more who are stunted. As human beings, we must be able to see through the fog and understand what we have to do to survive and flourish.
Let's not overgeneralize about "the South." Its religious heritage also embraces the Revs Dr King, King Sr, William Barber, Warnock, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, and many profoundly spiritual laypeople like Fannie Lou Hamer. Black Southerners are Southerners too.
Exactly right! It's why I talk of "Southernism." It's a state of mind, not necessarily a region. Like HRC points out, "The South won the civil war" socially.
I live in Southern California home to white privilege and racism. I dare not open my mouth on matters of faith or social justice.
Well, my family and friends know exactly what to expect from me, and while I try not to share all of my thoughts with acquaintances, it would be wise for them not to try to force their ideas on me. Unfortunately, racism and white privilege are everywhere.
Ya, so interesting...spend all your actual life in subjugation, reap all the rewards after death. 'Tis quite the con.
I am not sure what is preached about women in church, but I DO know what is depicted about women in our entire culture, the internet, video games, sitcoms, movies, our advertising, etc.. Sexualizing women is pervasive. Access to sex scenes all over the internet is unhealthy for men and boys. Unhealthy for young humans who are not developmentally ready to deal with sex at young ages. And I have a growing population of young males addicted to internet porn. I do not blame churches, I blame our society that condones a lot of things that are harmful. Clean it up, America and the world. Let media moguls know that they can raise the level of our people by raising the intellectual level of what their media puts out into the world. They are responsible and need to be held accountable. And we need to boycott them as well. While we are at it, we might want to make sure to raise the level of who is able to run for elections from now on and what they are role modeling to our youth. Liars, white supremacists, men who brag about sexual assault and then attain the highest position in our land. We have some problems. And women and POC are the ones who end up usually having to fend off or deal with it. We need men to step up to the fricking plate to change the world.
See Spooky's post below, about the "incel" movement. That's also a factor.
Yes--- it is horrifying. Thank you.
“If You're Not Outraged, You're Not Paying Attention”
-- Heather Heyer, RIP, Good Person
A further demonstration that Fundamentalism is The Enemy, whether it masquerades as "christian," "muslim," "jewish," of "hindu." Terrible, sexual women are the "downfall" of poor "innocent" men, so they have to be controlled, dominated, and if necessary the 'uppity" ones must be killed for their trangressions against the godly men. They all believe and spout the same bullshit, regardless of which religion they're "purifying."
Fundamentalism is the tool. Privilege is the enemy.
White male privilege is the enemy. This is what we have seen personified in the trump era. Just a celebration of man child privileges run amuck.
A friend shared her experience with me some years back, after her abusive then husband put her in the ER (again). She asked to see a priest. When the priest arrived, hours later, he told her that 'this wouldn't have happened to you if you'd been a better wife to your husband." This was in the 1970s, I believe.
This attitude was prevelant in law enforcement at the start of my career. I recall an incident in the early 90's where a woman, who had a restraining order against her husband (who was prohibited from coming into her house, which was not the "family home"). She had an emergency plan set up with a friend (had her on speed dial) who would call 911 if she got a non-communicative call from her. Another deputy, a good friend of mine, and I responded. Her soon to be ex had broken into the house through a bathroom window and raped her. Per our policy, we requested the sergeant call out detectives. Sarge refused, saying that "a man cannot rape his wife". Well, we more than likely crossed the lines of insubordination, got detectives out there (detective said the same thing, by the way), and ended up doing most of the investigation ourselves. It culminated in the arrest of the ex (by us, not detectives as would usually happen) and culminated with a successful prosecution for Rape I. My fellow deputy ended his career as the Captain of our division, after a very successful stint as a detective and a patrol and detective sergeant. By the time we retired, that "philosophy" was grounds for a termination of one deputy. Times did change.
you're a diamond. I hope your influence is still being felt through the ranks. also I know words matter and I have often wanted to ask you if you have any particular thoughts on the words we choose to identify "peace" officers. who decides that they are called law enforcement officers?
Thank you. I like to think I have had positive influence in my agency. Our Sheriff and Chief Deputy (Undersheriff) both rode with me when they were explorer scouts, as did our future Patrol Captain. Over half of our current sergeants are former recruits of mine, and I spent 15 years teaching use of force department wide, so I like to think my influence extends still.
Regarding the naming of names... Peace Officer vs. Law Enforcement Officer is an interesting one, and I think that the opinions we have of ourselves is that we protect people, and keep the peace by enforcing laws. Just who is protected and what laws are enforced upon whom is not an area of common thought. (One of my favorite HCR Tuesday talks was on the history of the founding of law enforcement. It certainly made me ask myself some hard questions about my profession and my belief structure around that.
I wish I had listened to that one! I have learned about the power of words over my lifetime and just the frame of "peace keeping" over law enforcement leaves more room for the use of words to disarm? and truly keep the peace? I wonder if there is a way to know what day that talk was on.
I believe that there is (maybe in process) a catalouging of those talks by topics discussed. I can tell you it was during the summer, but not much beyond that.
HCR's talks are on her FaceBook and YouTube. And a moderator from the Unofficial Heather Cox Richardson Discussion group on Facebook has been transcribing HCR's talks. Within the past week, she posted a link to all of HCR's talks in 2020.
I ditto your kudos to Ally. Also, just this week I said the same thing to a friend, about the language we use to describe police and policing. I had sent her an article about the 'defund the police' issue, and said police shouldn't be called out for mental illness issues, rather we should have dedicated, trained mental health professionals at the ready, just as we have police for actual CRIMES. I said the choice of 'peace officer' and 'law enforcement' should mean just that, and we shouldn't task them with everything from serious crime to mental health crises.
Modern slave patrols? Just a thought.
as you say, 100%, TPJ!
You served that friend well, and many other women, I suspect. Brava!
It's an oddity of all this, that the very men who are allegedly such superior beings, are so easily undermined if other humans are not crushed.
Spot on, TC. Fundamentalist religious men who demand complete control over women, and who blame women for every perceived wrong, slight, or bad thing that comes their way.
Chinese workers were brought in to California to build the California leg of the transcontinental railroad. The buildings built to process them still stand on the east side of Angel Island, the west coast's Ellis Island, in San Francisco Bay. It seems the Chinese were considered better workers than the Irish workers who also worked on the project.
Mark Twain wrote about the unjust anti-Chinese laws passed in California in the 1800's. Among them was a law that stated that a Chinese person could not testify against a white person in court. A white citizen could abuse a Chinese person any number of ways without fear of legal consequence. Jim Crow for Chinese immigrants. Anti-Asian prejudice is but another racial bias institutionalized by US law, a prejudice that has survived long after the laws have been repealed.
Perhaps in the end, the former president will have done the nation a favor by bringing to light all that is hateful and unjust in our history that survives and, with his help, even flourishes today.
Or, maybe not.
He enabled the KKK, et al to take off their hoods. No, wait, he emboldened them to parade in the streets, assault and murder our other than white male citizens. And, run, and get elected! Yeah, lots of work to do to clean our house.
It's easier to fight an enemy you can see.
Just imagine, if covid were visible
1942 marked another wave of anti-Asian racism with FDR's signing of Executive Order 9066 for the Incarceration of Japanese Americans.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fdr-called-them-concentration-camps-why-terminology_b_58a7f3b6e4b026a89a7a2b73
Stop hate against Asian American Pacific Islander communities.
https://stopaapihate.org/
Ralph Lynell 100%
Ralph, I'd like to believe your final thought will ultimately have its way.
Edit out “maybe not” and I am with you! We are much better off knowing where we live.
I wonder what religion preached what he practiced?
This must have been a hard letter to write professor, it was hard to read, but thank you. Shining your light on our history and current events, the only way forward through this hellhole we've been witnessing.
A friend who is a former southern state assistant AG wrote this yesterday on his FB feed. “The murder suspect's Southern Baptist church belongs to Founders Ministries, which claims that “white fragility is pro-racism,” refers to critical race theory as “godless and materialistic ideologies,” and equates women preaching with abuse. White supremacy is anti-christ, and white supremacist terrorists are being radicalized in white supremacist organizations masquerading as churches. Don’t be afraid to say it, and don’t be afraid to walk away from the white congregation you attend. It may the most faithful thing you can do.”
The south and rural areas are soaked in white “Christian” nationalism which is successfully capitalizing on white grievance there. In a conference last night with The heads of UCC and Episcopal churches, and some local clergy from Williamstown MA, the take away was just what has been said in these pages: You cannot convince White Christian nationalists to change. Better to spend our time getting HR 1 passed and electing people who are for democracy and the common good rather than those who are seeking to establish a “Christian” dominion in the US (which is anything but Christian). If you are new to this subject check out Tom Edsell’s column https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/opinion/christian-nationalists-capitol-attack.html
Yay. I'm so happy to read someone who is looking at the solution. 'You cannot change white christian nationalists' Yes Yes! We can only vote them out of power and then bring in systematic change. We cannot do this in 4 years regardless of who is president and especially not if the midterms loose the senate. This can only become a movement if it is given breath by the For The People Act and we can only pass that by reforming the filibuster. That is the path to a solution!
Repeatedly voicing the problem in its many, many forms is important but connecting it to the solution each and every time is the reason for voicing the problem. Saying we have to clean up racism is true but it isn't a method. The For The People Act is the method to move forward. Crisis is opportunity but lamenting all the layers of the problem can squander that opportunity it by consuming all the energy. Those of us who most value community also love to talk, which is all Ok as long as long as we end the discussion on a focus toward specific action.
I'd like to see someone more knowledgeable about politics than I say something about how to get the For The People Act passed. How is it most effectively pushed into visibility? Writing to my NC senators, again, is relieving one's self up wind.
Here is what I have done: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. This is my letter. feel free to use any or all of it to write your own letter.
Mr. President I would like to do what ever I can to encourage you to support the For The People Act. I know this is in process but I cannot personally tell you how important I feel the passage of this act is. There are many details to your day as president, I’m sure, but I feel that passage of this act relates to all, ALL, of the details of what is happening in our country from racial violence, to international trade, and to bringing our population towards more involvement in its government.
I am writing because I feel that without your visible leadership on this issue no matter what else you may accomplish it will be dust in the wind of a history that is further sustained by minority power in the US. This would simply be a tragedy of enormous proportion. I feel that this requires frequent, clear, visible leadership from the top.
What I understand now is that you are not speaking out visibly and frequently because you feel that this is the proper functioning of our government where you allow the house and the senate to ‘do their jobs’ and also because you feel that it would bring you into a position of having to decide for or against the filibuster in its current form and you “believe in unlimited debate” in the senate. I submit to you that we, the People, were just barely able to deliver you to the White House with an even split in the senate. We, the people, need your leadership in bringing the For The People Act through the senate. The filibuster in its current form doesn’t, from my perspective, encourage debate at least not the public, visible debate on the senate floor that I would like. In its current form the filibuster ends debate, empties the chamber and stifles even the process of bringing potential change forward.
I strongly urge you, as I did with my personal vote, to become loud and visible on this issue. We need this as a country and I need it as an individual if I am to maintain faith in our system of government.
Where are you in NC? I’m in New Hanover County. My federal representatives are all Republicans. SIGH!
In place of the word “filibuster,” use the word “sabotage,” as “filibustero” was applied to pirates. The theory of the filibuster was meant to sabotage legislation by the minority. How does that encourage debate? Without the filibuster, would civil rights legislation have been passed sooner? What about anti-lynching legislation? Mitch “scorched earth” McConnell would have made an excellent pirate, given his ruthlessness.
I'm out on Hattaras island town of Waves. I clearly agree on the Filibuster. Interesting to note that it is just a simple rule of the senate, not a law or anything with real authority, just a device. And, why has it survived previous times when the democrats could have gotten rid of it? I have met a few Dems who are afraid of what might happen when/if the Reb's gain majority again.... but truly that is living by fear. Never a good place.
Yes! I will also send a copy of your excellent letter to the WH and a version of it to my senators, who I thought, foolishly, that I didn't have to worry too much about as they are both Dems, but their recent lack of support of the minimum wage part of the Rescue Plan has made me realize I need to keep a closer eye on them. Thank you for this!
"Repeatedly voicing the problem in its many, many forms is important but connecting it to the solution each and every time is the reason for voicing the problem". Yes.
Excellent interview last night (on CNN I think) of an expert on the filibuster who is very optimistic that it WILL be altered, and that the For the People Act will pass. He based it on his years as a congressional aide, saying that what we won't see is the good ol' wheeing and dealing that Dems can do from their leadership position now.
Thank you for this very informative link. So, we do know the names and "churches" of these crazy preachers. I do hope our regulatory agencies are paying attention, as we all know, words matter, especially to crazy cult followers. I was heartened to see the reference about "Christians against Christian Nationalism". Finally, and not a minute too soon. These crazies are like cornered animals, we know they're gonna bite, we should be smart enough to know how to contain their violent tendencies before they do go off.
Looks like the former AG is just calling a spade a spade.
Isn’t it ironic that the verbiage in my previous statement could be read as racist. This ideology of racism is deeply seated in our culture.
Boy, did I pick up on that right away. So many "sayings" have their origins in abhorrent beliefs. "Rule of thumb" is one of them. "God willing and the Creek* don't rise" is another. I have read that "picnic" is derived from packing a lunch to watch a lynching/hanging of a Black person.
*Denotes the Creek Nation, not a small body of water that might flood.
"The word comes from the French word pique-nique, whose earliest usage in print is in the 1692 edition of Tony Willis, Origines de la Langue Française, which mentions pique-nique as being of recent origin. The term was used to describe a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picnic
Thanks Joan. Information over speculation.
Thanks, Joan. And it seems to have morphed into diners who also bring their own food. LOL
Thank you! I can resume the use of "picnic".
Thanks, Joan. That's a relief.
I did not know that. Lesson learned.
The murders in Atlanta and the arrest and statement of the admitted murderer are the murky, fetid whirlpool of what is feared and hated about racism in our country. The Atlanta police spokesman sounded as though he was sympathetic toward the white killer, being deeply religious and suffering from a mental disease, not being racist and having committed a hate crime, "he had a really bad day...". Heather note, "That seemingly cavalier dismissal of the dead while accepting the words of the white murderer seemed to personify an American history that has discriminated against Asians since the California legislature slapped a Foreign Miners’ Tax on Chinese miners in 1850, just a year after they began to arrive in California. Discriminatory laws and violence from their white neighbors plagued Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Koreans, Vietnamese, and all Asian immigrants as they moved to the U.S.
Discrimination and hatred have continued to plague their descendants."
The black and brown communities noted rightly that "he was arrested without incident" wondering loudly if that would have been the case if he was black or brown. Would he have been noted as being "deeply religious" if he was a muslim?
Heather concludes: "That [the murderer] blamed Asian or Asian American women for his own sexual impulses ties into a long history that links racism to sexism—and to violence— in a peculiarly American fashion."
That captain is no longer the spokesperson for the case. It’s not enough. I hope he’s under investigation and in some sort of sensitivity training. I know it wouldn’t fix his mentality. But at least make him pause before he opens his racist mouth!
Sadly, sensitivity training is not going to fix the Captain's issues. The behavior he exhibits is deeply embedded in the law enforcement community. It's been tolerated, defended and excused by departments and police unions forever.
Ours is a dangerous country "protected" by dangerous people.
As a retired cop, it pains me to agree with you. I am not sure who is the more dangerous of these dangerous people; the openly racist and misogynistic of those like the Captain, or those who oh so sincerely believe that they "don't see color, but see crime" and cannot fathom the concept of systemic racism or implicit bias.
With the Captain you know what you're getting and he can be shut down. With the "color blind" who only "see crime" you're getting people who quietly infect those they touch with their poisonous ideas, under the guise of "concern". It's insidious.
Ally, thank you for your service and your commitment to public safety. ❤
The problem is so deep and entwined.
Unfortunately, Daria, you are right. Yes, there are many good, honest police officers, but there are many bad apples turning the barrel bitter and nasty.
Yes we are living in a very dangerous country.
Daria you have hit the nail on the head again.
Thank you for the update. I JUST saw it on Twitter.
Skip asks, "Would he have been noted as being "deeply religious" if he was a muslim?" No, he would have been called a radical Islamist. His next known address would be Guantanamo.
Sandra these newly identified terrorists need to be identified and sent to prison. They need to be shunned!
Agreed
Maybe we should regularly call them radicalized Christians.
Domestic terrorists
Spot on!
"...although all three had been reviewed by an erotic review site." I found myself incredibly bothered by this, and wanted to share why - it feels like the equivalent of victim shaming. Thanks for listening.
I've made other comments here about the horrible way we shame girls and victims of crimes like this. However, here I want to say that I sort of appreciated this clarification because as a professional licensed massage therapist, and I speak for all of us I believe, as a profession, we are always trying to distance ourselves from what are legally called "massage parlors" but are actually places where sex is for sale, because we don't want to attract clients looking for sex. We've all had this happen despite our best efforts. I have nothing against sex work or sex workers if they have chosen the profession freely, and some do. But because of high level of societal shame and illegality around it, they can't call it what it is, so they fly under the radar as massage parlors. So in this case, the reference to "legally operating massage parlors" needed clarification of some sort, and this statement that they had been reviewed by an erotic review site helped clue me in that indeed, these were more likely places where money was exchanged for sex in some form, and tragically, most likely by trafficked or otherwise manipulated women.
That is exactly what they were alluding to and it is demeaning and disgusting!
I agree.
I get what you mean Lisa—erotic review site— as if the erotic nature of the work naturally led to their demise.
Agree.
That bothered me too. Why was it even newsworthy? It wasn't. It was sufficient to report what the mayor had said about the businesses being legal and not on the radar of law enforcement. Period.
A tough one to read, but the truth must be told. Thank you for doing that so well, as always.
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! Thank you, Dr. R, for this timeline of events regarding the previous administration's evolving stance on China.
If I had a hammer...If I had a bell...If I had a song...
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters...
All over this land
Oh, that made a gulp in my throat! Thank you. I had not sung it that far in my head.
Good morning Lynell—if I had a song to sing all over this land...
I hope that wonderful song stays in my head all day! Thank you.
Me too, Kathy, me too.
Good morining, Lynell. I'd hammer out justice, I'd ring out freedom!
Now we're rollin', Ally!
Very good morning to you, Lynell!
Thank you. I sure needed that song this morning
Me thinx we need to move toward reconciliation, as South Africa is doing with its history. Long ago, at the beginning of her campaign Sen Elizabeth Warren said that we need reconciliation, and she did not know the path. But she knew we need to begin the conversation.
Our capitalist and individualist society breaks the souls of us all, to the point we do not see ourselves in the other. All too many people are hurting in this society and across the globe.
We need to address the inherent poverty built into capitalism, here, across Africa and throughout the globe. We must address the inhumane nature of capitalism - that people are allowed to die on our streets, from a bullet, from poverty, from addictions, from suicides.
Capitalism and our rabid individualism is killing us.
I believe our Progressive Caucus in the US House ought to lead, with Pres. Biden, on this nationwide conversation around reconciliation, individualism and capitalism.
Reconciliation yes.
The Maine Jung Center present the film and discussion “Finding Joe. ” The summary states:
A multidimensional film featuring commentaries from Deepak Chopra, Mick Fleetwood, Rashida Jones and others on how Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey finds expression in our lives, and on how his work continues to influence our culture. Take a journey through the human psyche and discover the pattern hidden in every story.
tonight, 7:00 EDT
https://www.mainejungcenter.org/all-programs/
EVERYONE around the globe is invited - to the Hero’s Journey
Thanks for the link. It seems I got it just in time, before the program starts. When I was introduced to Campbell some 30+ years ago, I thought, "Now here is a teacher who's able to see the Big Picture and explain it." And I've enjoyed seeing, reading, and listening to his works since then.
How did you like the program and discussion? ?
It seems to me that reconciliation requires all parties to share at least one common denominator. My suggestion for that starting point would be that all SANE human beings want the same thing: Justice. Working from that base, people could evaluate all of the propaganda pushed on us and then work through the details of what should be saved and what should be tossed out.
Are you familiar with the process in South Africa? I am not. I sense the need for the most aggrieved, particularly indigenous Americans, and African Americans, be welcomed to share their stories. This would lead to a grieving process for our society.
We must grieve for all of the losses suffered in the name of capitalism and capital acquirement by the white patriarchy. We simply DO NOT grieve, but push into our should the pain of our ancestors and oneself.
Americans have great traumatic shame, for our history one’s personal history, as well as our current carnage from guns, poverty, addiction, abuse. We are sick in so many
ways.
I feel a sense that I need to leave this country
Trevor Noah's comments on the killing of the six Asian women are chillingly accurate. He insists they were racist murders. He insists all should have known such a calamity was coming. Americans constantly react to the symptoms and not causes. He starkly recites explanations arresting officers gave about the motives of the alleged killer, and their total lack of attention and concern for the dead victimes.
Trevor speaks wisdom. Shortly after George Floyd was murdered, he posted this: https://youtu.be/v4amCfVbA_c
Just replied to Sally Jenks Roth mention of the same Noah video. Thanks for thinking to mention it.
I saw his comments and posted the video on FB.
I saw those Noah comments early on, and they stunned me. Just rewatched the video (with your link). It was a fresh reminder of how incisive and profound Noah's message was. An heir, and somewhat a victim, of the Apartheid abuses in South Africa, he brings an unexpected perspective on U.S. social and political issues. He's a real gift from South Africa to the U.S.
I agree, Larry. He has the ability to be very perceptive, articulate and very funny too.
Once again Heather has put this outrageous racist, sexist slaughter in context. When we elect a sexist racist leader who has the art of blaming everyone else and taking responsibility for nothing we are left in shambles. His destructive leadership will have ramifications for a long time. As a psychotherapist my best training came from Dr. Sonia Nevis. As a professional comes a responsibility of being acutely aware of the power of our words and behavior and the impact it has on our clients. I believe the same is true for our leaders.
The racist and sexist behavior of our last President will have long term ripple effect throughout our society. As President his words holds tremendous power.
The upside of this is we as a society may be more open to looking at ourselves and our own racist, sexist unconscious beliefs. These beliefs certainly get in the way of a functional democracy. There is hope as we focus on the importance of the right of all of us to vote.
Future Heathers, writing insightful histories, may be able to describe this time - right now - as the genesis of reconciliation. Trump certainly helped "awaken" me. His destructive leadership held up a mirror I could not ignore. Perhaps we needed a Trump.
As vile as that is, I think it is very true, Susan. We would not have awakened to this extent without his, and his comrades', utter vileness.
Thank you for your valuable work on these Letters, Professor. Saddened and angered by this latest terrible violence, I’m grateful that you have included it in your real-time chronicle of our present moment and how it grows from our past. I’m grateful for your entire project. Many thanks for your work.
I’m writing to say that I wish you had not used the second sentence of your post to address the legality of the sites where yesterday’s murders took place. If relevant at all, that detail belonged somewhere far from the front of this narrative. To me, it’s like putting in a story of a rape a second sentence reporting that the victim was apparently dressed modestly.
Whether or not the sites were legal has no bearing on the horror of these crimes. Indeed, more germane is the question of whether immigrant women have other options for gainful employment - that is, the legitimacy of an economy so deeply sexist, anti-immigrant, racist, and stratified that women are still today selling intimate access to their bodies for money. One could look at the history of women in the waves of Asian immigration to this country and, I think, pull out threads that illuminate this. I hope you might touch on this in a future post.
As an RN and licensed professional massage therapist, I admit when I first heard news reports of this happening at "massage parlors", a term we don't like to use anyway, my heart sank. Here we go again, still, blaming the sex worker, nearly always women, but not the purchaser, nearly always men. And the framing of the crime reminds me too much of how all girls are sexualized in this country, far too young, and then humiliated at school when their tank top shows to much shoulder or cleavage, their shorts too much leg, their leggings reveal their curves, etc. Still viewed as an object for boys' pleasure or distraction, girls have to suffer.
And, it brings up sex trafficking-- something our country and the world needs to deal with.
The good thing of the second sentence — we will talk about it!!
One of the (many!) things that need to be stopped is the "Beauty" pageants for girls and women. It's disgusting to see 3 and 4 year old girls being dressed in provocative outfits, plastered with makeup, and their hair done up in adult fashion. That is a clear form of abuse and the damage it does to those girls is horrible.
The adult pageants aren't much better; they are reminiscent of an auction and reinforce the stereotype that the only worth of a woman is that of her body.
Listing the type of location and its lawful existence is important. If it had been a church or a school, or a work place or a meeting hall, such a description would have been unnecessary. Because of the stigma surrounding massage parlors, it was a crucial part of this story.
Abigail I disagree with your criticism of where HCR should put that information in the second sentence. It was just a relevant fact and we’re grown up enough to take it for what it is.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/opinion/atlanta-shooting-massage-sex-work.amp.html
Excellent op-ed in today’s New York Times by May Jeong. She sheds light on some of this history:
Quoting, here’s an excerpt:
The stereotype of the Asian woman as simultaneously hypersexualized and submissive is borne of centuries of Western imperialism. An early documented instance of Asian fetishization can be found in “Madame Chrysantheme,” a thinly fictionalized account of a French naval officer’s time visiting 19th-century Japan. “Madame Chrysantheme” was wildly popular when it was published, and went on to create a subgenre of Orientalizing prose. The women in such accounts were, as Edward Said wrote in “Orientalism,” “creatures of a male power-fantasy. They express unlimited sensuality, they are more or less stupid, and above all they are willing.”
Later, an untold number of American servicemen in Korea and Vietnam had their first sexual encounter with Asian women. The U.S. military tacitly endorsed prostitution, considering it good for morale, and at times even explicitly encouraged troops to explore the local sex industry. According to the book “Sex Among Allies” by Katharine Moon, a professor of political science at Wellesley College, an ad in Stars and Stripes, the main military newspaper, read: “Picture having three or four of the loveliest creatures God ever created hovering around you, singing, dancing, feeding you, washing what they feed you down with rice wine or beer, all saying at once, ‘You are the greatest.’ This is the Orient you heard about and came to find.”
Yuri Doolan, an assistant professor of history and of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Brandeis University, has written that the first Korean massage parlor workers most likely came to the United States in the 1950s after the United States reduced its forces in South Korea after the war there. They were unlikely to have been massage parlor workers before they came: The son of one of the victims has said his mother told him she was a teacher before coming to the United States.
These women, the first thousand or so, likely met their servicemen husbands in base towns across South Korea that sprang up during the Korean War, and the American occupation that followed.
In 1986 when the Immigration and Naturalization Service created the Korean Organized Crime Task Force to fight the scourge of its time, Korean prostitution, the authorities estimated that some 90 percent of massage parlor workers in the United States had come to the country as G.I. brides. These women followed their husbands to military bases. Once settled, some opened massage parlors, among the few opportunities for employment and financial autonomy available to immigrant women.
But beyond this specific history, structural violence against Asians in the United States has long been institutionalized. The racist, sexist nature of American society is hardly some aberrant, recent phenomenon that can be fixed through minor reform.
In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act became the first and only major federal law to exclude a specific ethnic group from entering the United States. It codified in federal law the xenophobia that had been building since the economic depression after the Civil War, in which Chinese laborers were blamed for taking jobs away from white people. The 19th and early 20th centuries saw horrific violence against Asian communities, including the 1887 Hells Canyon massacre, in which as many as 34 Chinese miners were killed, and the 1907 Bellingham riots, which drove out the entire South Asian population within three days.
Predating the Chinese Exclusion Act was the lesser-known Page Law of 1875, which was mostly applied to Chinese immigrants and allowed the barring of entry to those deemed to have agreed to services with “lewd and immoral purposes.” Immigration officials asked every female applicant, “Are you a virtuous woman?” They “apparently operated on the premise that every Chinese woman was seeking admission on false pretenses, and that each was a potential prostitute until proven otherwise,” according to “Unbound Feet” by Judy Yung, a historian and emerita professor of American studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In this way, the Asian woman became an object of hatred, and lust, a thing to loathe, then desire, the distance between yellow peril and yellow fever measured in flashes.