Systemic Injustice

Anti-Asian bias is defined as opposition and hostility toward American people and immigrants with cultures of Asian descent. This bias stands in connection with white supremacy. White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior and dominant over all other races. Both anti-Asian bias and white supremacy have been instilled in American society for hundreds of years. According to Asian Society, Asians made up less than 1% of the American population in 1870. Although Asian contract workers in the early 1800s made up a minuscule percentage of the population of the United States at the time, they nonetheless were blamed for the economic depression of 1876 and for taking American jobs and for being the source of the many epidemic outbreaks in San Francisco. America is a capitalist country, and, thus, the economy is dictated by business owners and individuals searching for profit. In order for the economy to be successful, the people and businesses must be successful. In addition, America is a democratic republic country, meaning that the leaders and decisions of the country are determined with the majority of the vote. In history, with the majority of the people in the United States being white Americans, the government, political, and economic systems were built to prioritize white Americans and the opinions of white Americans in order to build a successful capitalist country and economy. In other words, this history has formed the system today that supports white people more so than people of color, such as Asians. For example, immigration laws have been discriminatory toward Asian Americans until 1965, when the Civil Rights Movement finally brought attention to the disadvantages that minorities were facing. Yet, prior to the Civil Rights Movement, there were many anti-immigration laws implemented opposing the immigration of Asians in the United States as a result of racism and of heightening xenophobia during World War II. An example of these anti-immigration laws includes the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Act of 1924, Executive Order 9066, and et cetera. These laws were implemented at the expense of Asian Americans’ wellbeing and success to boost the economy and calm white Americans, the majority of the population. With the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration Act of 1924, Asians were restricted from immigrating into the United States. With Executive Order 9066 during WWII, Asian Americans were sent to internment camps on the basis of race and of “suspicion of enemy activity.” There, they were humiliated and abused. Thus, the system is broken in the sense that it excludes minorities and prioritizes the majority, leading to inequitable resources for minorities, such as Asian Americans. These policies to protect the American people and the economy actually restricted Asian Americans from attaining their true potential and success.

The model minority myth is the assumption that Asians do not have needs that require societal and governmental attention, as they are rule-abiding and absolve their problems. However, this is not true. There are many Asian-Americans who struggle in poverty, face violence, abuse, and exploitation. The model minority myth enforces the systemic injustice, as it celebrates the myth of Asian-American success and neglects those who are struggling.

There has been deep-rooted misunderstanding and ignorance regarding Asian cultures that contribute to the broken system. Asian-Americans have been perceived as a threat, unclean, and unworthy of being in America. For instance, Dr. Seuss, a famous American children’s author, has drawn many anti-Japanese cartoons during WWII. One, in particular, illustrates Hitler next to a slanted-eye Japanese man with the caption as “What have you done to save the country from them?”. This particular cartoon is an ugly and racist depiction of Asian Americans and a prime example of how the American people and society perceive Asian people as evil. Many other cartoons similar to the stated cartoon have conveyed messages of anti-Asian and censuring anti-Asian sentiments. As a result, the hard work ethics deeply ingrained in many Asian American cultures have often been viewed as a threat by other Americans. Other immigrants have been depicted as lazy and not actively contributing to society. The lack of knowledge of the Asian culture and of immigrants powered the public and individuals to actively work against the Asian people and to view them as a threat. In addition, white supremacy in the United States, with roots in early Western civilization, caused white Americans to view Asians as unfit, unclean, and unworthy to be residing and succeeding in America. White supremacy serves as a defense for the privilege, authority, and dominance of white Americans in the United States. For example, the murder of Vincent Chin in 1983 as a result of two white Americans viewing Asian Americans and the booming Japanese auto industry as a threat to the American industry. This incident is an example of the white supremacy view of Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners whose hard work and success threatened their dominance and success in the United State. As a result, the system, driven by the people, has opposed Asian Americans and prioritized white Americans.