You Gon Listen

0:00:00
Welcome to You Gon' Listen at 91.5 KUNV. I'm your host, Karen Jean Charles, and I'm here with Francesca Fajardo, a fellow college student, and we're talking about the Stop Asian Hate movement today. Now, this is heavy, y'all, because unlike previous episodes, this movement has sparked up pretty recently. But even though the Stop Asian Hate movement is fairly recent, Asian people have been addressing years, decades, and centuries of racism, violence, hate crimes, colonization, appropriation, and sexualization that has happened to them and continues to happen to them because of racist white people. On January 28th, an 84-year-old Asian man was shoved to the ground while taking his morning walk in San Francisco. Just two days after the assault, he died. A 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother was assaulted and robbed in San Jose, California. A 61-year-old Filipino man's face was slashed with a box cutter on a New York City subway. And most recently, eight Asian people were killed by a mass shooting in Atlanta, who was specifically targeting Asian people. These are only a handful of the hate crimes committed against Asian people in the last couple of weeks as there have been around 20 violent crimes against Asian people since January. It's no surprise that this is happening after a long long year of Donald Trump blaming Asian people for the coronavirus but it goes much deeper than that. This country has an extensive history of treating Asian people unfairly so let's talk about it. But before we talk about it, I'd like to remind you that you're listening to You Go and Listen at 91.5 KUNV and we're talking about the Stop Asian Hate Movement today. So first, Francesca, thanks for coming. Hey. So can you tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are, and what you do? My name is Francesca.

0:01:53
She said I go to UNR, University of Nevada, Reno, and I'm studying civil engineering and I'm a second year student.

0:02:04
I just felt the blood pressure in the studio kind of rise a little bit because UNLV and UNR are rivals, but no, we still went to high school together in this city, you know, no rivalry here, you know, you still my friend, who cares. So what do you do?

0:02:19
Well, I do study civil engineering, like I said, I just work part-time at the moment at retail. So let's talk about the first thoughts you had

0:02:29
about the Stop Asian Hate movement. What does the Stop Asian Hate movement mean

0:02:33
to you? As an Asian person it really hit me deep. When I first heard about it I started thinking about my mom, my grandma, my brother, who all work pretty often and it just scares me that something could happen to them. I mean, I'm pretty selfless. I could care less about what happens to me, but my grandmother who's like almost 70, working full time, she could potentially be one of the people that you see when you scroll through Instagram or Twitter and it could be her in a surveillance camera being beaten up and that just scares me so much. I don't know why it took so long for people to recognize that this is an issue. I mean, like you said, ever since the beginning of the pandemic, when Trump started to call it the Chinese virus, it started making me a little bit scared for my friends, my family, and myself. I mean, I saw on Instagram or somewhere that hate crimes against Asians since the pandemic started went up by 1900%. 1900%. That's shocking.

0:03:48
Yeah. And that really breaks my heart because, I mean, I feel this way, like, for anyone, but I especially like I met your family and just like thinking like, something could happen to y'all. That makes me so angry. Like, but let's talk about racism for a second so

0:04:04
when was the first time you experienced racism I actually get it pretty often but it's it's the microaggression and the racial joke I was born in Philippines and I came to the US and when I was in elementary school and the first thing that like people would ask me is like oh do you speak Chinese? Like things like that. Like I'm, I'm Filipino. I don't speak Chinese. I speak Tagalog and they don't really bother to ask or like to try to apologize. And it's kind of like, why, why would you say that to me? I mean, it's not Asian isn't just one type of race. There's multiple ethnicities. Like it's not like an Asian could be Asian and it can't be Pacific Islander, like you can't bundle it up together. Yeah, it's just a little microaggression and the racial jokes that kind of get to me, but I feel like it's happened so often that I just got used to it and I just thought that it's nothing serious, but now that I think about how often it happened to me, it's It's pretty shocking.

0:05:14
Right.

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Has anything happened to you recently since the coronavirus started?

0:05:19
Uh, personally, no. But when I went to work the other day, actually, my co-worker got scared because something happened at work with one of my agent managers, actually. What happened? She got a scare from the homeless guy that was living behind our store. And he just was saying scary stuff to her about Asians. I don't really know what exactly about it. But after that, my coworker walked me to my car to make sure that I would be safe. And the fact that he had to do that, like, it's crazy to me that he had to, but I appreciate it. So do you think you're hypervigilant now more than ever? Yeah, I definitely am. Like I said, it's become so normalized that I feel like it's hard to just explain because now I'm more aware of what people are saying more than ever. Like you said, we went to high school together and it was, we were known as a majority Asian school. Even then though, like they would throw out like kind of like racist like I don't know what the word is but like racist jokes against themselves you know like they would make fun of their own race. Self-deprecating jokes? Yeah and I really thought that that was like okay. You think it was just like showing off like not

0:07:07
showing off but like appealing to racist people by making jokes about themselves?

0:07:15
Yeah, isn't that like whitewash?

0:07:19
Kinda.

0:07:19
I'm not gonna say the word for it because it's gonna rain.

0:07:21
Yeah, shut up. But yeah, it's just these days it's kinda hard

0:07:26
to expect what could happen. Like I could go to the grocery store and something could potentially happen to me. And I live in Reno, which is majority Caucasian white population. So it's rare to see other Asians walking around. Didn't Reno have a march a long time ago,

0:07:51
a white supremacist march with the tiki torches? It wasn't in Reno, but a UNR student did go to that and it was a crazy deal because he was from UNR.

0:07:59
But yeah, it was, it spread like wildfire. We even talk about it today because literally your friend could be somebody that dangerous and scary and you wouldn't even know it. But I do want to touch on something real quick. There's this thing that Asian people experience,

0:08:14
I'm sure you've heard of it, called the model minority myth. If you haven't heard about it, please look it up because I don't really have time to explain fully, but the quickest way I can explain it is that it's a myth which was created by white people to put Asian people on some sort of pedestal above other minorities to erase the racism, discrimination they face, and also to divide the solidarity amongst minorities by using Asian people as a way to look at other minorities and say, see, why can't you be like them? But once again, please look it up and read the stories from Asian people specifically and their stories about their experiences and the history behind this myth, please. But I do wanna ask you about the model minority myth. So how do you feel about it? And have you ever experienced something like that?

0:09:11
Yeah, actually. So in terms of model minority myth, like, people think like off the bat when they meet me that I am this smart, hardworking, polite, successful person. And there's this expectation that I could possibly be a doctor or an engineer, you know, just some crazy successful person. But really, I'm just, I'm just doing my own thing. person but really I'm just I'm just doing my own thing and I didn't have no nobody told me to continue engineering that was my choice but for people to think right away that I'm either a doctor or an engineer is pretty upsetting because not everybody not all Asian people are that not everybody's smart, successful, rich. Like there's this expectation that we are all that, but it's really not true. We are all unique and different, but yeah. I think that goes back to what she said and how people see Asian people as like one monolith. Like all Asian people are the same or they say racist things, like all Asian people look alike, but they completely forget the nuances of multiple Asian cultures, multiple tribes.

0:10:32
It just reminds me of that.

0:10:34
Yeah, and people, especially in the media, the fetishization of Asian women in movies and shows, especially like Lucy Liu, they just think that she's like all this sexy person and that she's like the villain or Right, and it's it's so shocking that people Think that way and especially how the media portrays it and like adding on to that. I mean there are so many people who Are obsessed with asian culture specifically with k-pop. Yeah, but are quiet During this whole movement. I mean you can listen to whatever you want, but when you start Being obsessed with parts of our culture. I'm not saying that you can't and like it's for everybody I mean everybody can listen to kpop or eat whatever Asian food they want, but when you start I I just wish that people would also support us as individuals, like the Asian community, and not just the outside picture of us.

0:11:44
It reminds me, it just feels like what they see when they see Asian people is just what they can, you know, listen to your music, eat your food, but when it's time to actually show up to help y'all, it's dead quiet. It's silent. And I mean, we can talk about some culture appropriation, like what is some culture appropriation things that you've seen that is just like, that kind of piss you off a little bit? We can talk about that. Cultural appropriation. Yeah, people like changing their eyes to make themselves look Asian, wearing your traditional garments, all that stuff. Yeah, I mean, I was just looking this

0:12:39
up the other day because I saw it on like TikTok, but the fox eye trend, that is just, it was so jaw-dropping to me that people would even do that. Or even labeled, I've seen it on Twitter, but I've seen people who labeled themselves as Korean, but were originally white. And I'm just like, but why? It's very, very weird. It's really weird. and they don't want to admit where they got it from sometimes. So just say, oh, that's nothing. I just did it just because I wanted to. I know where you got that from. It's not a trend. I mean, if you want to do it, at least educate yourself on it and where it came from, where it originated. And, like, I don't know, the way that people turn, especially the foxxite trend into some trend, without really educating themselves, it's pretty baffling.

0:13:53
Yeah, it's just like, I do want to explain the foxxite trend a little bit. I think people went off of Bella Hadid, if I'm correct, like her surgery to lift her eyebrows or to slim her eyes or something like that. And people are just like, you know, they're now people who made fun of Asian people as children. And there's thousands of and millions of people, of Asian people who live in the United States, who have experiences of kids making fun of their eyes and stuff like open your eyes, stuff like that. And it's just like, now they're just making surgeries to profit off of it. And now they're making millions of dollars off of something that you guys were born with and that is natural to you.

0:14:40
It is really shocking that they at least don't even give a little bit of credit to us and just piggyback off of what we do without saying where they got it from and then making it a trend. I mean, like, for them to pretend like they're supporting us, but be silent during this whole movement. Like, we need all the help, we need all the voices that we can get to get attention into this.

0:15:08
Yeah.

0:15:09
And I don't want to just see you post a yellow square on your Instagram, like the black square during the BLM movement.

0:15:17
Whoever came up with the yellow square, we're fighting.

0:15:22
I think it was, it started getting a little bit more attention because this one popular label, I think it was 88rising, but it has a lot of Asian artists that are in it. And for them to post that, I was like, really? Instead of stepping up to the plate and having your artists, I mean, I know some of them have spoken up about the Asian hate crime movement, but for them to just post the yellow square and make it look like a trend, like really? You could do so much more than just that.

0:16:03
Exactly. And just whoever did that, I just feel like it's so ignorant because like just, I mean, just the color, like I just feel like it just goes back to like social implications of like centuries ago of people calling like, I don't know, I mean, I'm not getting into it but like I just feel like it was so ignorant I just had to like yeah talk about it but does the eraser of discrimination and racism against Asian people by the model minority myth like make it awkward for you to speak about social issues at all

0:16:41
like even your own it I mean like are you asking me if I don't feel comfortable talking about it? Or, sorry, I'm like, oh.

0:16:52
Like, how people just, they don't really see Asian people, like, because of the model minority myth, they see them as like, oh, you know, you guys are just, y'all are calm, y'all are, you know, good, like, people compared to, like, other minorities, and y'all don't have any discrimination because of that, and it's just like, I think it's really wrong and I think it kind of erases like what you guys go through because like Asian people experience racism and discrimination too and I just feel like I mean I've seen friends talk about like oh I don't really want to intrude and talk about like social issues because you know I feel like people don't really like hear me or people just think because I'm Asian like I don't really get it and stuff like that. But does that happen to you?

0:17:41
I mean, I think now more than ever, I definitely am speaking up more about it. And I just want people to be aware of what exactly is going on. Like, I'm tired of people just ignoring what has been going on for a long time. I don't want people to stay on the fact that we, you know, the model minority did. Like we are people too. And I just, and I, it's not that it's a bad thing, but I just wish that it would, this movement would get as much attention on the media as it did with the Black Lives Matter movement. I mean, with the shooting that happened in Georgia, we were able to gain more attention on this issue, but it's almost like it only happened for like a couple of days. And now it's kind of, I hate to say, but it kind of died down. And I don't see a lot of people talking about it anymore, which is why I feel like it's important for people to start speaking up now more than ever and to march and to not just to just not be scared anymore to speak up because this it's going to get serious and it's going to get more serious. I the other day I read a report that just in a over a course of year there was like 3,800 over 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian hate crime and most of them were Asian women reporting it so I just feel like it's getting a little bit more dangerous, especially as an Asian woman, to walk around now. And it just needs more attention. And it could be somebody's grandma, your neighbor, that could end up on the news. And it really makes me sad to see all these surveillance clips of grandparents getting attacked on social media. And they're spreading it around. And these people are being known as victims, like people that got beat up instead of individuals who've lived through a lot of things, who have history. Then they're not just people who were attacked out of nowhere.

0:19:58
They could be your relative. And so how do you feel about people like who kind of let the movement die down, who aren't talking about it anymore? Who are just like, you know, oh, that happened. And then moving on, like, what would you tell them?

0:20:17
I hate to say that it was a trend, but I feel like it was for them to start retweeting, to start posting on their stories about it.

0:20:26
Right.

0:20:27
I mean, you talk about that for a day and then watch anime the next day and shut up about this whole thing, like what?

0:20:36
Right, exactly.

0:20:37
How are you going to say that but watch anime or listen to K-pop or eat sushi or do the fox eye trend right after?

0:20:45
I do think a lot of, I mean, I saw this in the Black Lives Matter movement too, but a lot of people are very performative. And it goes back to how there was a yellow square, and there was a lot of performance with the black square too. Like I remember people posting it and then putting hashtag Black Lives Matter, and they thought it was like, you know, harmless, but now, and then like you look through like hashtag Black Lives Matter, and there's like, hella black square, then no one can find any information and organizers were just like can y'all stop like there was like a specific way to to do this and people just putting like Black Lives Matter in their bio and stuff like that and then just being performative. I feel like with social media there's a lot of performative activism going on and I just feel like it's kind

0:21:33
of sick. So how do you feel about performative activism? Yeah I hate it. I hate it. I mean, like I was saying earlier, you can't pretend like you're supporting it and then go on to obsessing over parts of certain Asian culture. And I don't want to look through your profile and see that you deleted your black online Twitter or take out that link that you put in for a day. Like, I want to see you talk about it with me. Like, it's nice to see that people are like checking up on me and asking what they can do to support me. Like, it's the little things that could really mentally and maybe physically support Asian people. I don't want to see any performative actions on this, especially since it's still going on. There's still hate crimes going on against Asians, but the media isn't really showing it, but it's happening and it's happening more often than ever,

0:22:36
unfortunately. And it's just like, when we're talking about activism, I want people to like, really understand what we mean. Like activism isn't just like, post on my Instagram and then just forget about it. Activism is action. You know what I mean? Everyone can post on an Instagram. But if you have a position where you're just like, I have a platform, I'm gonna invite someone Asian to speak about it, or I'm just gonna make sure I share information from straight from Asian sources, or I uplift Asian voices, and I support their businesses and stuff like that. Like that's activism. Not just posting on your Instagram and then just calling it a day because

0:23:22
anyone can do that. And even just like watching what you say. Like don't come up to me and ask me if I ate rice today. Come on. It's not appropriate. It's happened before and just watch what you say around Asian people. It could ruin their day. Not everybody eats rice, lives off of it. And like, I've even had people like actual people ask me, because I work in retail, if the Asian kids were the ones making the clothes. Oh my God. Like, just, just please stay in your lane. Watch what you say. Just be nice. Ask them, ask people if you're okay. Don't mislabel our ethnicity.

0:24:05
Right.

0:24:06
You know, it's just the simple things that could really help individuals. It's the support that will help us get through this all. I mean, I don't know how long this is going to go for. I think it's going to stay. Um, especially because while we're still in a pandemic, people still think that it's the Chinese virus and just assume that all Asians are Chinese. And I don't think it's going to end anytime soon. Because after this, they're going to make jokes about it. They're going to say, oh, remember when we were in the pandemic and China sent it over? Like, yeah, it's going to keep going. And I don't think it's going to end anytime soon unless people start being more actively involved and speaking more on this topic.

0:24:54
Mm-hmm. But while we're speaking about both of the movements, I saw something really dumb online. I didn't even want to address it, but I feel like maybe we should. But a lot of people were trying to drive a wedge between, like, Black people and Asian people right now, and I think it's just really, really dumb, because I'm just like, we will have your back because you know that's what we do and like Asian people had our back and we'll have yours and that's just that was understood and then people were just like oh no like like if you guys you know did this then you guys have to do this you know all that i'm just like okay i need y'all to relax people are just like what can like what i don't know, because people see Black people as just like this angry population that, you know, we're always fighting for something, but I mean, we always have to fight for something because it's justified. They're just like, what can Black people specifically do during this time? Like, I'm just like, wait, like, I understand, like, we're supposed to, yeah, we're helping you, of course, but just like, how people rely on not only black people but black women to foster movements is a little problematic. But I just wanted to address, we support each other, we love each other, and like, we're not doing that today, you know what I mean? Did you see that on social media?

0:26:17
Yeah, I actually did. I wasn't sure if you were going to bring it up.

0:26:21
I was like, should I? It's kind of a controversial topic.

0:26:23
Yeah.

0:26:24
I don't want to offend nobody.

0:26:25
Yeah, because they would compare this movement to the BLM movement as well. They would say like, oh yeah, you're right, like what you were saying earlier, well we did this for you, how about you do that for us? And it doesn't make sense, we're both minorities. Is that the right word? Yeah, we're both minorities, we've both gone through the struggles of, you know, the racism in America. I mean, the least we could do is just support each other.

0:26:55
Yeah.

0:26:56
Instead of arguing over what we did and what they did and what Asian people didn't do or what Black people didn't do. And instead of just arguing about it, I think we should just settle down and just, you know, come together as one group. Racism is going to continue for I don't know how long, probably for a really long time. And it's not going to get solved anytime soon unless we all come together and work hand in hand.

0:27:22
Because we're stronger together too, because if, I think it's called people of color solidarity, I think that's what it's very purposeful that they tried to do that because they didn't want you know it to take off like the way it should have but I'm like yeah that's not gonna fly over here because we still like I don't care like who you are like I'm still gonna fight for your like for you to have rights and just be able to be feel free and just like live your life. Like people who did that, I feel like are just so dumb, but I just really wanted to address it real quick.

0:28:08
No, yeah, definitely. It's important to really bring that up, even if it is a controversial topic because people have to know instead of just ignoring it.

0:28:17
Right.

0:28:18
One last question. Is there anything you think individuals can do to stop Asian hate?

0:28:24
Speak up, honestly. If you see somebody saying something in public that's racist or rude, all you have to do is step up and say, stop, that's not appropriate, that's rude, don't ever say that again. And just also, like I said, check up on your Asian friends, honestly. Ask them if they're okay, what kind of support they need. You're even just hanging when you hang out with your friends. Just make sure just to keep an eye, especially on the older generation of Asian. Because it seems like older people are being targeted more. And, you know, younger people need to step up and just watch out for them as well. Because we are, you know, like younger, we're stronger and you could also just donate but honestly you don't have to do that you could just like I said just be there for your Asian people I actually just wanted to bring this up real quick but I remember this one it was the Vietnamese woman, the 64 year old, but she set up a GoFundMe and then she donated all of the proceeds, correct me if I'm wrong, but like to the AAPI, so that they could help, you know, other victims. And instead of keeping it for herself, you know, she decided to donate that all. And I thought that was really sweet. And yeah, so you could donate, but honestly, I think what will matter more is being there.

0:30:07
More.

0:30:08
So.

0:30:09
Relationships and community. Yeah.

0:30:11
So I want to thank you one more time for coming on the show. Really appreciate it.

0:30:18
Mm-hmm.

0:30:19
Thank you.

0:30:22
And I want to thank the audience for listening to You Go and Listen at 91.5 K UNV. I'm your host Karen Jean Charles and I'll see you all in And I want to thank the audience for listening to You Go and Listen at 91.5 K UNV. I'm your host Karen Jean Charles and I'll see you all in the next episode. Peace. Bye.

Transcribed with Cockatoo