A WORD ON XENOPHOBIA

MARCH 2021

Collectively, I want us to take a deep breath.

I am gutted by the ongoing hate crimes by white supremacists against Asian folks. As such, I want to break down the intersection of xenophobia and meritocracy as they serve to proliferate white supremacy and the model minority myth. 

 Xenophobia is defined as “dislike or prejudice against people from other countries” and is frequently used to describe anti-Asian sentiment. As an immigrant, I am perceived as “other to America.” However, if you are an Asian person whose parents came to America and you were born here, you should not be considered “ other” to America; ergo, the word xenophobia does not apply. The word is utilized when we need to instead call it what it is: Racism and hate. Unsurprisingly, this recent violence against Asian folks is predicated on our former president 45 blaming coronavirus on China. 

I also want to parse out the idea of meritocracy, which is defined as “government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability.” In other words, the notion that if you work hard, you have the ability to transcend class and gain power (money, agency, social mobility). 

This idea of meritocracy is used to compare groups of different races and ethnicities in order to exemplify a level playing field—yet we know this to be untrue. White supremacy uses meritocracy to compare Black and Asian folks, pretends to uplift Asians as “model minorities,” and pits people against each other. 

The fact is that anti-Asian racism and anti-Blackness are intertwined—which means any allyship work you do must acknowledge that. If you proclaimed BLM during last summer's protests and yet you remain silent now while Asian folks face hatred, what exactly does your anti-racism work consist of? 
Any self-appointed “ally” needs to be doing the work to unpack the perception of Asian folks. Allyship includes understanding that anti-racism work extends to all folks deemed “other” by white supremacy.

 Here’s to doing the work my guy*, Sinikiwe

*Please note my guy is a turn of phrase and not indicative of the reader’s gender identity*