Distinguishing true racialism and avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings
- ao20752
- Mar 11, 2024
- 4 min read
Introduction
Racialism is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of individuals and groups. In another word, it is a behavior stems from fear and misunderstanding.[1] Residents who live on Earth should like an ethnic group, but this close relationship is being broken. Unfortunately, the situation of discrimination is getting worse nowadays. From the World Justice Project (WJP) research, 70% of countries have seen racialism worsen between 2021 and 2022. After that, during 2015, racialism has increased in three-fourths of countries that WJP studied.[2] When Asian travelers leave their comfort zone (where they live), they need to pay higher attention to the actions of those around them, while identifying true racialism and avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings.
The methods of racialism
Direct verbal discrimination
The direct verbal discrimination is the most common method of racialism. People expressing racialism by using their words. They say racial slurs and hate speech, but also as code words that have racialized meanings embedded in them, like “ghetto”, “thug” or “gangsters”.[3] For example, Kwok, who was born in China and traveled to UK, she suffered racialism that someone told her to ‘go back to your country, we don’t want you here, you are a virus’. However, she couldn’t understand why she had been singled out. After that, in some regions of North America, white people coined the term "coolie" to discriminate against laborers from Asia. Over time, this derogatory term became widely applied to all Asians. White people used this term to emphasize that Asians were not independent workers but rather subservient to whites, akin to slaves.[4]
Racialism formed by body and movement
The use of body language to racially discriminate against Asians is also widely known. One of the most commonly used gestures is squinting the eyes. This gesture is widely discriminatory against all countries across the Asian continent, rather than specific regions.
This racial discrimination originated from the book "Chinese Central Civilization" published by American missionary Walter Henry Medhurst in 1847. In this book, he unabashedly insulted, stating, "The Chinese are an uninteresting, unnatural, and uncivilized 'pig-eyed' race. You can mock them as much as you like."[1] Gradually, this discriminatory gesture quickly spread and became a widespread way of discriminating against Asians.
Racialism through violent means
The ways of racial discrimination against Asians go beyond mere verbal and physical gestures. There are many extremists who resort to violence to discriminate against Asians or people of Asian descent. Often, discrimination against Asians or people of Asian descent can escalate into crimes targeting them specifically. Such crimes have been occurring frequently in the United States. In 2020, hate crimes against Asians and people of Asian descent increased by 150% in major U.S. cities. The main manifestations include violent attacks against Asians or people of Asian descent on the streets, vandalism, arson, and looting of Asian-owned businesses.[2] Moreover, this racial discrimination is not habitual or cultural but rather strategic and organized, deliberately suppressing their social status.
Misunderstandings about racialism stemming from cultural differences
The majority of the population in Asia consists of East Asians. Because Asia is not as racially mixed as Europe and the Americas, Asians may have many gaps in understanding racial discrimination and its various aspects. Asian travelers should make an effort to learn more about this issue when traveling abroad to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Taking Chinese travelers as an example, there's a phrase commonly used in China that, when translated into English, can mean either "that" or serve as a meaningless filler between sentences. This leads to its frequent use by Chinese people in various situations, sometimes reflexively and without much thought. However, this phrase sounds remarkably similar to a derogatory term for Black people in English, so much so that it could be said to be identical in pronunciation. Because the population of Black people in China is very limited, and many Chinese people are unaware of the meaning this pronunciation carries in English, they do not see it as having any adverse consequences. However, for Chinese people traveling abroad, it is essential to be constantly mindful of their words and actions, even if this phrase is deeply ingrained in their minds and may inadvertently slip out. This misunderstanding can have a significant impact on Black people who do not understand Chinese. Conversely, it can also have negative consequences for Chinese people.
After that, Due to the predominance of East Asian populations in most parts of Asia, certain gestures carry only one meaning to Asians—their original meaning. However, in some multiethnic countries, these gestures have evolved to convey offensive, racially discriminatory meanings. For example, the "OK" hand gesture, which has a positive connotation in Asia, meaning "good" or "no problem." However, in some multiethnic countries, this gesture has been associated with a different meaning, symbolizing "white supremacy." This is blatant racial discrimination against Black and Asian people. Therefore, some Asian travelers may unintentionally use this gesture while traveling abroad. Their intention is positive and affirming, but it can be misinterpreted and cause harm to others.
Conclusion
Due to the unique characteristics of Asian races and populations, many Asian travelers may encounter racial discrimination or misunderstandings abroad, which can cause both physical and mental harm. Therefore, it is important for Asian travelers to have access to more information and knowledge about racial discrimination, so they can protect themselves and have a better travel experience.
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