Commemorating LA’s Chinese Massacre, possibly the worst lynching in US history

“We are holding this solemn observance to remember the bigotry and hardship endured by the early immigrants and to share the lessons that are embodied within that experience for this and future generations.” – Dr. Gay Yuen, Friends of the Chinese American Museum.

Monday evening, L.A.'s Chinese American Museum will commemorate the 145th anniversary of possibly the worst lynching in American history, the Chinese Massacre, which happened near the present-day museum. Robert Petersen tells the story in his podcast, The Hidden History of Los Angeles, which he shares with Off-Ramp.

Standing on Los Angeles Street today, just north of the 101 Freeway in downtown, I can hear the hum of the freeway behind me. I can see tourists congregating on the plaza and people walking to and from Union Station about a block away. But 145 years ago, this was the site of one of the darkest chapters in Los Angeles history, when 18* Chinese immigrants were tortured and hanged.

In 1871, Los Angeles was a small, but notoriously violent town of little more than 5,000 people. The town also had a small Chinese community. And during this time there was a growing anti-Chinese sentiment based on fears that the new immigrants were taking white jobs. This economist resentment, which quickly devolved into racial hysteria, serves as the backdrop to our story.

http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2016/10/21/52801/commemorating-la-s-chinese-massacre-possibly-the-w/

Note: I’m writing this mostly because I’m just super annoyed, pissed off and frustrated at what I’ve been seeing frequently; creepy ass white dudes chatting up or getting very touchy feely with very naive Asian women who have no clue about their actual intentions. I’m mostly directing this to my sisters who have been born and raised in Asia and aren’t familiar with what is acceptable and what is not in western customs and traditions. Most normal (by normal, meaning non-white worshipping) Asian-American girls, I believe, can spot creeps from a mile away but unfortunately, I don’t think the girls visiting the west from Asia are as armed with creep radars as much as we are. But in any case, for all you Asian parents out there, PLEASE do warn your children from an early age about this! Warn them as often as you can, in case they forget, because it’s just sickening how much advantage these men take of these girls. I’ll post this in various other places as well and maybe hopefully, it’ll get translated in the future.

When my mom first arrived here as a pre-teen, she was one of those VERY naive Asian girls who just stepped foot into creep infestation. She told me a while back that when she first got a minimum wage job as a young teen, an older caucasian man in his 50s-60s came over, sat next to her and began chatting her up. She stated he was a polite man so when he put his hand on her thigh, she thought nothing of it. SHE THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. Why? Because no one told her or warned her about things like this. It wasn’t until her manager, an elderly white woman came in, saw what he was doing, and immediately yelled, “You take your hands off of her this instant!” that it finally dawned on her what he did was inappropriate.

When she told me this story, I looked at her exasperated and said, “What the heck, mom?! You don’t just let some weird old guy walk up to you and touch you like that!”

She responded, “I didn’t know that it was wrong or weird.”

Me: “How could you NOT know?! That should be instinct!”

Her: “I never had to deal with these types of men back in Vietnam. You, on the other hand, grew up in an environment where you always have to be on guard. I wasn’t.”

(Btw, the man that touched her was married to a Filipina wife. Yellow fever, much?)

My mom, unfortunately, is FAR from being the only victim to creepy yellow feverists/pedophiles looking to take advantage of naive young Asian women. This phenomenon, that I eventually learned, was much more common than it seems. Go ahead, take a look at these and tell me what’s wrong with these pictures:

Did you say huge age gap? Age gap is definitely a factor but there’s something else. Try to guess what their relationship is. If you guessed the girls are girlfriends/wives to him or they’re bar girls or escorts, you’re completely way off base. Give up?

He’s their teacher and they’re his students. Yep, you read that correctly. He was actually my cousin’s teacher when she was still living in Vietnam and lemme tell you, his social media is FILLED with photos like these. And as heartbreaking as it was for me to see, my cousin (who, like my mom, was also born and raised in Asia and has NO CLUE about creeps) had photos taken with this guy’s arm around her shoulders (she’s not in any of the photos I posted for her privacy sake). Just as a little bit of background info on my cousin, no, she’s not white-worshipping, no, she’s not a bananarang, no, she’s not self-hating. She had only been with Asian guys, had EXPLICITLY stated that she only wants Asian guys, and got married very young to an Asian guy. The only problem with her is that like many, many, many, many girls in Asia, she is VERY naive when it comes to yellow fever/sexpat/white creeps.

But for all you parents and foreign exchange students/tourists/newly immigrated women from Asia out there, DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR DAUGHTERS OR YOURSELF. NO amount of touchy feely from a man, especially one that is your father or grandfather’s age, and who is not your significant other is appropriate! NO it’s not part of western customs/traditions, no matter what these guys try to tell you and NO do not try to touch them back because that will send them the wrong signals. Keep your distance, keep it professional and if you have to greet them politely, a simple handshake will do.

Also, DO NOT engage in lengthy conversations with them! Don’t be like this girl! (skip to 23:10):

If he’s following you around while you’re shopping or whatever it is you’re doing and asking stupid ass questions and talking about random, useless crap, HE’S PROBABLY A CREEP. Ignore and walk away. Just walk away.

I get that a lot of Asian cultures emphasize politeness. I get it. My parents also raised me to be respectful of others. But unfortunately, there are a lot of people in this world not worth respecting. Sexpats and yellow feverists are some of them. Why? Because if you engage in a lengthy convo with them, that will also often send them the wrong signals (they will think you’re interested in them). For your safety, you don’t want that.

I see far too many Asian girls giving wrong signals to these guys out in public, all for the sake of “being polite.” Just a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were taking our dog out to the park to walk him around the lake, when a Japanese girl (Japan-born and raised) gushed at our dog because he was the same exact breed as her dog. She asked us a bunch of questions about our dog and we eventually began having a convo about pets in general. She was a super friendly, very sweet, very polite girl. Later, an elderly white woman walked by, saw our dogs, gushed about them and the Japanese girl politely turned to talk to her. We let her talk to the woman while we walked our dog around the lake. After 45 mins of walking, while we were heading back to our car, we walked past her and that was when I saw it—she was now engaged in a conversation with an older, pretty obese white man who looked like he hasn’t bothered to shower for months. She was talking to him in the exact same manner she talked to us and the woman; very polite and friendly. Except unlike us and the woman, this guy was standing only about a foot away from her, gazing down VERY intently at her, and asking personal questions that had nothing to do with the dog or the park whatsoever. I badly wanted to charge in, grab her arm, and pull her away. She was clearly sending him wrong messages (no stranger of the opposite sex would lean in that close to talk unless he has other things on his mind) and while I don’t blame her directly for doing so, I still blame the fact that she was extremely naive.

Girls, listen. As I’ve said before, I know Asian culture stresses politeness and while that’s great when you interact with normal people, when it comes to a lot of men from the west, you gotta be careful. There’s no way I can write a complete guide on how to spot yellow feverists since they can come in all shapes & forms. I’ve given some examples above of what they’re typically like but in a nutshell, here are the common factors to watch out for:

• Not Asian. For whatever reason, they mostly seem to be white but they can be other races too (though rarely).
• Ugly. Usually scrawny or obese. Usually old, but if they’re young, they’re usually unattractive.
• Greet you with “ni hao ma” or “konnichiwa” or whatever random Asian language they guess you speak.
• Approaches you suddenly just to talk about useless bullshit
• Stated that they have been to Asia in the past.
• Stated that they have been teachers or is currently “teaching” in Asia (this mostly applies to girls still living in Asia but can also be applied here)
• And of course, the old line of “I only like/date Asian girls” and/or demands to know why you like Asian guys and/or puts them down and/or putting other races down too.

As for what to do when you do encounter them (I find these help me):

• Ignore/walk away if possible. This is one of the few times you should avoid being polite.
• Don’t give them a chance to touch you. Keep your distance.
• If you MUST talk, give only short answers (one word if possible) to their questions. Don’t continue the conversation by asking about them because that will imply that you’re interested in getting to know them and you don’t want that.
• Another option is if you have an SO, keep mentioning him in the conversation—in a positive way (i.e. I’m going to have dinner with my boyfriend later or I’m so happy for my husband, he just got a new job he loves or my boyfriend and I had a great weekend together, etc…). This is to show him that you’re happily taken and not interested in anyone else, including him. I find this to be the most effective way of shutting them off, from my experience.
• If none of the above works, then go full bitch mode. Drop the pretense and tell them to fuck off. Refer to this woman here who handled her situation wonderfully:

This is an ultra important law for non-whites, who may use the same lawfare against America / West for the centuries-long crimes against their nations and people. See list of white crimes against Asians below. This doesn’t even include all the war crimes by whites against other non-whites.

The House of Representatives voted 348-76 against the veto, just hours after the Senate rejected it 97-1, meaning the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act” will become law.
 
Obama had argued that the bill, known as JASTA, could expose U.S. companies, troops and officials to lawsuits, and alienate important allies at a time of global unrest.
 
Major U.S. corporations including General Electric Co. and Dow Chemical Co. also opposed it, as did the European Union and other U.S. allies.
 
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter urged lawmakers to sustain the veto, and in an unusual move, CIA Director John Brennan issued a statement before Wednesday’s votes saying the bill had “grave implications” for national security.

Bill Allowing 9/11 Victims to Sue Saudi Arabia Becomes Law:
http://www.newsweek.com/september-11-victims-bill-becomes-law-504010

Asian victims of American/Western imperialism.

Cambodia
● http://www.amazon.com/Sideshow-Kissinger-Nixon-Destruction-Cambodia/dp/0671835254/
● http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/01/cambodia-and-western-fabrication-of-history/

Laos
Hiding America’s War Crimes in Laos | http://thiscantbehappening.net/node/2715

Vietnam
● http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Anything-That-Moves-American/dp/1250045061/
● http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Program-Americas-Forbidden-Bookshelf-ebook/dp/B00KGMIW6Q/

Korea
● http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-History-Korean-1950-1951-Nonconformist/dp/0316817708/

Philippines
● http://www.amazon.com/Benevolent-Assimilation-American-Philippines-1899-1903/dp/0300030819/

China
● China’s Rise, Fall, and Re-Emergence as a Global Power | http://dissidentvoice.org/2012/03/chinas-rise-fall-and-re-emergence-as-a-global-power/
● USA’s warfare against China ½ | http://www.voltairenet.org/article177063.html

List of foreign governments toppled by America

● http://www.amazon.com/Overthrow-Americas-Century-Regime-Change/dp/0805082409/

● http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Hope-C-I-Interventions-II–Updated/dp/1567512526/ and from his website

Instances of the United States overthrowing, or attempting to overthrow, a foreign government since the Second World War. (* indicates successful ouster of a government)

China 1949 to early 1960s
Albania 1949-53
East Germany 1950s
Iran 1953 *
Guatemala 1954 *
Costa Rica mid-1950s
Syria 1956-7
Egypt 1957
Indonesia 1957-8
British Guiana 1953-64 *
Iraq 1963 *
North Vietnam 1945-73
Cambodia 1955-70 *
Laos 1958 *, 1959 *, 1960 *
Ecuador 1960-63 *
Congo 1960 *
France 1965
Brazil 1962-64 *
Dominican Republic 1963 *
Cuba 1959 to present
Bolivia 1964 *
Indonesia 1965 *
Ghana 1966 *
Chile 1964-73 *
Greece 1967 *
Costa Rica 1970-71
Bolivia 1971 *
Australia 1973-75 *
Angola 1975, 1980s
Zaire 1975
Portugal 1974-76 *
Jamaica 1976-80 *
Seychelles 1979-81
Chad 1981-82 *
Grenada 1983 *
South Yemen 1982-84
Suriname 1982-84
Fiji 1987 *
Libya 1980s
Nicaragua 1981-90 *
Panama 1989 *
Bulgaria 1990 *
Albania 1991 *
Iraq 1991
Afghanistan 1980s *
Somalia 1993
Yugoslavia 1999-2000 *
Ecuador 2000 *
Afghanistan 2001 *
Venezuela 2002 *
Iraq 2003 *
Haiti 2004 *
Somalia 2007 to present
Honduras 2009
Libya 2011 *
Syria 2012
Ukraine 2014 *

Other crimes:
● http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/0452287081/
● http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-State-Guide-Worlds-Superpower/dp/1567513743/
● http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Deadliest-Export-Democracy-Everything/dp/1783601671/

The latest:

etc

Update: Congress has buyer’s remorse

Top congressional leaders from each party expressed buyer’s remorse Thursday about a controversial new law that was enacted over President Barack Obama’s objections that allows 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia.
 
The President called the vote Wednesday “political” and his spokesman ripped the move as the “single most embarrassing thing” Congress has done in decades.
 
Echoing concerns raised by the White House that the measure could open the US to similar lawsuits from people in other countries, House Speaker Paul Ryan said the law needs to be changed to ensure that US troops are protected.

Translation: It’s got nothing to do with their troops and everything with protecting their war criminal leaders, ceos, etc.

As usual, these morons blame others. In this case, they blame the guy who told them this would be a bad idea.

But even as they admitted they agreed with some of the White House’s concerns, GOP leaders quickly blamed the President for “dropping the ball” for failing to engage with Congress on the legislation before it passed.

Congress suddenly has buyer’s remorse for overriding Obama’s veto - CNNPolitics.com:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/29/politics/obama-911-veto-congressional-concerns/index.html

The article can be found here: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/california-data-disaggregation-bill-sparks-debate-asian-american-community-n638286?cid=sm_fb

But I’ll highlight some key points since it is a bit long to read:

Those who support it, including dozens of community and civil rights groups, say separating demographic data by ethnicity — and including at least 10 additional AAPI ethnic groups — can help better expose disparities in healthcare and education.

But critics counter that the bill, introduced in the State Assembly in January, is unfair because it targets only Asians and no other race. They fear it could be a backdoor way of ending California’s ban on affirmative action and say it further divides up AAPIs into unnecessary hyphenated groups.

many of them immigrants from China, see the bill as the latest in a series of threats against Chinese Americans trying to achieve social and economic equalit

This mandate…could have proven particularly useful for Southeast Asian students who tend to have lower academic achievement rates…bill supporters say

Bob Huff…likened the data collection in AB-1726 to what Congress used to write and pass the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which restricted immigration from China, and what the U.S. Secret Service employed to put Japanese Americans in internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“[the amendment] does not address the question why the bill only focuses on Asians and not other ethnic groups. We remain very concerned.”

In arguing against AB-1726, opponents often ask why there isn’t legislation that requires demographic data be broken down for, say, whites or Latinos.

Proposition 209…forbids the use of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin for public college or university admissions decisions in California. Many Chinese-American parents fear that should the ban be lifted, Chinese-American enrollment rates at prestigious University of California schools will plummet

“That was a wake up call to the Asian, especially the Chinese community…They are very concerned that bills such as AB-1726 will just be like a back door seeking to overturn Proposition 209.”

So what do you guys think? Is the bill genuinely just about collecting data based on different Asian ethnicities because different ethnic groups have different health problems and academic successes or is this a disguise for something more sinister such as putting in place another affirmative action targeted specifically against just Northeast Asians? Also, is it another strategy employed to divide and pit Asians against one another (in this case, NEA vs. SEA), whether intentionally or unintentionally?