The side you take does matter, at least it matters to me

Posted February 2021

By Jennifer Dinh

Staff Editor

There are those that don’t believe politics should get in the way of friendship. I am not one of them.

James Baldwin once said, “We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”

In other words, Baldwin’s point is that a difference in opinions is acceptable as long as the differences do not deem him as a lesser being or deny him of basic human rights. That leads to my point, that if you support any government official or political ideology that is against or antagonistic towards people of color, indigenous people, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and any other groups that are oppressed or marginalized, I will not hesitate to remove you from my life.

I am an Asian American living in America during a time when I have witnessed and experienced firsthand the chaos that unfolded when the COVID-19 pandemic started. When President Trump pinned names on COVID-19, like the "China Virus" and "Kung Flu" in front of millions of his supporters, could there be any way to argue that he was not racist? I, along with the majority of the Asian community, was negatively affected by that immensely. Individuals outside of the Asian community may say that we overreacted, but how could a group not a part of the one that was affected have a say in whether or not it was offensive?

While I have not been a victim of countless Anti-Asian hate crimes since the pandemic’s start, I have been stared at in disgust and fear in grocery stores by numerous individuals, as if me being Asian automatically meant I had or created the virus. There was an instance when a woman walked by me and loudly said, “This is going to be the store where I get the virus.”

Racism is just the tip of the iceberg. Homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and misogyny are other major issues that some politicians don’t oppose. It’s unacceptable that individuals in a position of power to serve all citizens are against certain groups, and I want you to understand that if you say you support an openly racist government official, you are racist. The same goes for homophobic, transphobic, abelist, and misogynistic government officials. It is not possible to actively support someone with those views if you don’t have those views yourself.

So, when people ask me why I let politics get in the way of friendship, I urge you to remember that it isn’t about opposing opinions, but about morality and humanity.