Introduction
Hatred toward Asian Americans is not a yesteryear problem regarding history concerns. According to Chen, (31), Chinese immigrants came into the United States in the 1850s in significant numbers, largely to California and other western states. They were influenced to come to the US by the construction works. The construction sites worked by chines included mining and railroad construction. Chinese immigrants were willing to fill these high demanding jobs despite the petty wages that were offered for these dangerous jobs. Immediately or after a short while, the slogan of Asians stealing white jobs began (Chen 32). This banality was fully associated and emerged as a result of racism toward Asian-Americans.
Main body
One of the causes of hatred towards the immigrants Asian-Americans was racism. This issue describes the prolonged hatred that to some extent connects to the recent hatred toward these people from China. Racism had its source, which is the trope regarding Chinese people coming to steal white jobs in the US. The California Supreme Court in 1854 strengthened racism against the Asian immigrant people in People v. Hall (Lee 180). The court decision was that the Asian origin people could not provide evidence in court against a white person. The case was of the murder of a person of Asian origin by the name Ling Sing. He was shot and killed by George Hall who was a white person. The witnesses’ testimony was rejected simply because they also were Asian. This act, therefore, is a clear indication of the prolonged hatred towards the Asian-American people. In the real sense, this was an awful act of the Court as it reinforced racism towards Asian-Americans other than finding a prolonged solution.
Discrimination figures out to be another possible cause of the hatred of the Asian origin people in America. At some time back during the COVID-19 period, a white man killed eight people in the Atlanta region. He was targeting three Asian-run massage parlors that were in this region of Atlanta. The age of the victims ranged from between the age of 44 to 74 years. Among the eight victims, six of them were Asian women who were disproportionately older Asian women. These women were important to their families in various dimensions. Some were mothers, grandmothers, and sisters and all worked in low-paying jobs. The media and law enforcement people were quick to fight and flatten the Atlanta shooting story for some reason. In the real sense, they disregarded the most noxious intersecting aspects affecting the community today (Lee 184). This ignorance, therefore, is an indication of the reinforcement of the continued hatred towards Asian-Americans in the United States.
The action, therefore, exposed the Asian American to more threats from the white as they did not have anyone who could protect them. On the other hand, the former president of the US Donald Trump strengthened white supremacist accounts with his implications about the place of origin of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The former president in his view regarded the pandemic as the ‘China Virus’ (Pistol 296). Therefore, on a true view, president Trump’s reference to the pandemic is an indication of a cause to the prolonged and continuous hate towards Asian Americans in the USA.
In addition, the former president Donald Trump, his supporters, and his administration since 2015, have continuously abused the Japanese-American Incarceration history of the Second World War. Trump together with his administration has been using the history of abuse to give grounds for racism. This is contrary to the preceding presidents of the US who recognized the failure of fairness authorized by Franklin Roosevelt. All pre-war preceding presidents agreed on the happenings under the 9066 Executive Order and concluded it not to be repeated as it was wrong. In contrast to this conclusion, Trump and his administration worked against an extent they tried to utilize test incidences brought in the case of the US government in the course of the war. This means that they worked not only in contrast with the incarceration but also acted beyond attempting to use the cases as controversial legal precedent to legitimize racist policies. Again this is a clear indication that former President Donald Trump is a possible cause of the prolonged and continuous hate towards Asian Americans in the US.
Margaret Huang confronts the white supremacy and the Anti-Asian hate history in the US and Abroad in her journal Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. She says: We actually see cycles happen over the decades; typically, there is an increase in the number of hate groups and their activities during Democratic administrations and then a reduction in activity during Republican administrations. What is interesting is that under the Trump administration, there was an opposite and dramatic increase in the number of these groups and the amount of activity taking place. During the four years of the Trump administration, there were record numbers of hate groups on our list. That was unusual, but I think it speaks to both the administration’s willingness to engage with those groups directly as well as their hiring of people out of those groups to work in the administration (Huang, 163). This shows that the former president was directly associated with hate towards Asian Americans.
The Anti-Asian rhetoric is another possible cause of the hatred towards Asian Americans. Tensions of the Anti-Asian rhetoric aroused during the term of President Trump. This continued to increase in the year 2020 during the pandemic period. This was the period during the presidential election run-up where President Donald Trump was fighting towards being elected for another term, that is, his second term. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley and Republican Party supporters during the pandemic, compared staying at home order set in motion to curb the increase of COVID-19 virus to the Korematsu resolution and incarceration of the Japanese-American (DeCook, and Yoon 119). The White House advisor contrasted those disobeying the orders of the lockdown as counterparts of modern-day civil rights Rosa Park reformer (DeCook, and Yoon 119). The action led to a misunderstanding of the contrast between racial and ethnic victimization and strategy to protect the total health of the nation which led to many rebukes. The rhetoric, therefore, reinforced the prolonged and continuous hate towards Asian Americans.
Another possible cause of the continued hatred towards Asian Americans results to be the origin or the nationality of these immigrants. On a clear view the, most discriminated people were the people of Asian descent. They got discriminated against to a severe extent in the year 2020 and this is during the coronavirus period. This hate and discrimination were further stimulated by the naming of the virus as ‘China Virus’ by former president Donald Trump. All this was due to the origin of the Asian Americans present in the United States. For instance, since March 2020, there have been over 3000 self-reported cases of anti-Asian violence (Huang 184). This is from the 47 states and the Columbian District. The cases or incidences range from beatings, harassment, verbal bullying. To make the matter worse, this has been to an extent of being shunned and spit on despite it being offensive in the period of the pandemic which is also lethal potentially.
Another possible cause of the increased hatred towards Asian Americans is the population increase in the USA. Violence and discrimination in opposition to Asian Americans have been foundational to the history of the population of the United States of America. This is a clear indication of why Asian Americans have been treated unfairly unlike the other whites. For instance, Asian Americans faced mental challenges due to discrimination and lack of proper healthcare. This act shows that the government treated these Asian American people as though they were not present in the US making their presence not to be recognized on healthcare matters.
On addressing objections, political and economic crises suit to be among other possible causes of hatred of the recent or prolonged hatred towards Asian Americans. The hate towards these individuals of Asian origin rose to a higher level during the political period in the United States of America. Economic crises on the other hand explain why the justice gap was reduced toward the people of Asian origin who lacked support from the government concerning hate and discrimination issues. Therefore, it is right to concede that economic and political crises contributed towards reinforcing hate towards Asian Americans.
Conclusion
Conclusively, hatred among the Asian American people has led to discrimination and torture to the victims. They have lacked anyone to support and fight for their rights to receive equal treatment like the others in the United States. Despite the government being a source of help to the marginalized group within the country, it has been the source of reinforcement towards hatred of Asian American individuals. On a positive dimension hatred towards Asian Americans is not a pleasing act at all, and hence the US citizens and the government should work to ensure everyone’s right to nationality is provided and respected.
Works Cited
Chen, Constance. “Review: Two Faces Of Exclusion: The untold history of anti-Asian racism in the United States, By Lon Kurashige”. California History, vol. 95, no. 4, 2018, pp. 30-32. University Of California Press, Web.
DeCook, Julia R., and Mi Hyun Yoon. “Kung flu and roof Koreans: Asian/Americans as the hated other and proxies of hating in the white imaginary”. Journal of Hate Studies, vol. 17, no. 1, 2021, p. 119. Foley Center Library, Gonzaga University, Web.
Huang, Margaret. “Interview: Margaret Huang on confronting the history of anti-Asian hate and white supremacy in the United States and abroad”. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 22, no. 2, 2021, pp. 162-166. Project Muse, Web.
Lee, Jennifer. “Asian Americans, affirmative action and the rise in anti-Asian hate”. Daedalus, vol 150, no. 2, 2021, pp. 180-198. MIT Press – Journals, Web.
Pistol, Rachel. “Asian American responses to Donald Trump’s anti-Asian rhetoric and misuse of the history of Japanese American incarceration”. Comparative American Studies an International Journal, vol. 17, no. 3-4, 2020, pp. 296-311. Informa UK Limited, Web.