The Houghton Mifflin dictionary defines “racism” as:
Kenneth Eng’s article is almost a textbook example of someone who fits this description. So I felt a mixture of confusion and shock when I read another article he published entitled, “Discrimination Against Asians at NYU” in Down in the Dirt, an Internet literary magazine. The article is towards the middle of the page.
Since the background makes the article a bit difficult to read, I’ll provide some juicy excerpts here:
As an undergraduate student who is not afraid to express his opinion, I have faced extreme consequences for merely speaking my mind.
…
When I entered Tisch in May 2002, I assumed that the people there would be more intelligent and that I would be more tolerated. Thence, when I took my first film production class, I expressed my negative views on America, religion and African Americans.
Unfortunately, my assumptions were naive, for NYU’s populace was just as mindless as any other. The class shouted, threatened and loathed me after hearing of my views, often referring to me as “racist fuck” and “terrorist” whilst staring at me as if I were a bestial outcast (in an odd counterpoint, no one cares when racist comments are made against Asians as I will prove later in this article).
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I was later asked to speak to the Tisch Chairman David Irving about my conflicts. At first, he seemed like a rational man who could be reasoned with. However, when the conversation shifted to my controversial views, I told him that I thought Hitler was not a coward and that African Americans were receiving unfair aid from the American government at the expense of Asian Americans.
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In September 2003, I took a class in which the professor stated clearly: “…don’t use stereotypes”. For the sake of being nice, I was about to comply to this rule just this once, but a week later, a black girl in that class pitched her script, which was loaded with Asian stereotypes. It was so unambiguously racist that a dolt would have been able to notice. Yet – surprise, surprise — none of the whites made a passing comment about it.
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Many students have privately told me that they share similar opinions to mine, but that they are too afraid to express them
While part of me wants to react emotionally to this, the other part has to wonder: what would make Kenneth feel such hostility?
Let’s try and take a look at the world through Kenneth’s eyes.
He’s a young guy (early twenties), grew up somewhere in New York (maybe Long Island?), and is an aspiring writer and filmmaker. He’s enrolled in NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and originally attended SUNY Stony Brook for computer science. There’s probably been a lot of racism in his life, even violence.
I have some empathy here because I also grew up on Long Island and went to NYU. My hometown was predominantly Italian and Jewish; I stood out because I was one out of three Asian Americans in my class. I’ve had my fair share of “ching chongs” and bullies and stolen lunch money. I loved NYU though and had a great time there.
Now let’s make some inferences about Kenneth’s frame of mind. He’s creative and likes the arts. Individuals who favor these topics tend to feel a lot (sometimes “too much,” as I’ve heard some say). Their temperaments tend to be emotionally-driven.
His articles “Why I Hate Asians” and “Why Non-Violent Protest Will Never Help Asians” also lend some insights. In “Why I Hate Asians”, he writes:
It seems like an odd title for an article written by an Asian Supremacist, but there are very good reasons why I hate many of my own kind.
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Don’t get me wrong. I love the Asian race, but every race has its inferiors.
He labels himself an “Asian Supremacist” and uses the term “inferiors.” These are potential signs of a superiority complex. Or an insecurity so deep that it’s turned into an aggressive self-confidence.
In “Why Non-Violent Protest Will Never Help Asians”, he admires an Asian man who uses violence to protect himself, while an Asian student is arrested because he didn’t physically defend himself. This hints at an inner aggression and belief that violence is the best answer for personal attacks.
Putting it all together, let’s make this assumption:
Here’s a kid who grew up in a predominantly Caucasian environment. He faced a lot of racism and internalized it deeply, since he’s especially sensitive to negative emotions. Growing up in an unsupportive environment is harmful to anyone; for Kenneth, this changed his outlook on life and made him see the world in a spiteful way. For the sake of his mental well-being, he had to believe that he was a good person - and better than those around him; anyone who didn’t share his views suddenly became inferior.
His parents urged him, like any good Asian American, to learn about computers. So he went off to college to study computer science. Unfortunately, he didn’t like it and was finally able to move to film school. There, he met students that exhibited what he saw were racist double-standards and hypocrisy. This troubled him greatly because he idealized the school.
The most effective way to deal with racism, as history has proven, is through education. Unfortunately, this can be a slow process that occurs over years, even generations. Kenneth was impatient for change. After trying to educate others in his own way and discovering it ineffective, he turned to anger. Then he found a creative outlet to share his angst: AsianWeek.com and his infamous article (which has since been removed).
It’s tragic that the events in his past shaped him this way. I’ve known other minorities who’ve been equally effected; they’ve wielded anger and violence as solutions. Others turned to depression. It can happen to anyone who doesn’t feel like they fit in. And sadly, it’s not just a burden for ethnic minorities, but any kind of social outcast.
I don’t agree with Kenneth’s views or methods. But I’m really trying to understand why he feels that way. For his sake, I hope he someday finds a more effective and constructive way to vent his frustrations.
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susan wrote:
It IS tragic. It’s scary, and sad, and even scarier that he was given a soapbox for his “Asian supremacist” views. Yikes.
Posted on 01-Mar-07 at 7:33 pm | Permalink
More interesting info on the guy:
http://www.sfist.com/archives/2007/03/01/kenneth_eng_around_the_web.php
Posted on 01-Mar-07 at 9:37 pm | Permalink
Mike wrote:
Whoa. An ardent furry fanatic. What does that tell us about his psyche? Anyone want to analyze that one?
Posted on 01-Mar-07 at 11:03 pm | Permalink
Jim wrote:
That’s a very good point about him possibly believing what he believes for the sake of his well-being.
As a kid, I did feel similarly to him with regard to suspecting that violence was the only meaningful response to racist attacks. He’s have gone very far beyond that, though, so I do really wonder what actually happened to him. He appears to have completely snapped.
Posted on 02-Mar-07 at 1:30 am | Permalink
Lori wrote:
You make a good point about how early trauma can have results like this; in a broad sense, it’s often the reason why poor, uneducated, and disenfranchised whites get involved with white supremacist organizations. If anything, I’ve always kind of thought that that’s the biggest argument for ensuring equal and safe (ie: non-discriminatory) access to education, health care, etc. - not to mention mutual understanding - because people who feel utterly disenfranchised are especially vulnerable to the worst kinds of thinking and action.
Posted on 02-Mar-07 at 4:23 am | Permalink
Mike wrote:
I totally agree, Lori. The same goes for inner city youths & gangs, and religious fundamentalists & terrorists. It’s rare to see educated teens getting involved in these activities.
Not that I’m equating Kenneth’s article with terrorism. But the underlying prejudice, hate, and belief in violence is there.
Posted on 02-Mar-07 at 10:41 am | Permalink
Justin wrote:
You’re all making a mistake here: You’re assuming that the form his nastiness takes is indicative of its roots. Occam’s Razor suggests a simpler explanation.
Kenneth Eng is a troll.
That’s it. We’ve all seen them on the Internet, and we know what they are–people who want attention, and get it by throwing bombs. In North America, racism is a potent topic, and an easy (and historied) subject for trolls to use to stir others up.
What better way for an angsty, attention-seeking middle class kid to catch readers than to publish a bunch of inflammatory crap? That he’s Asian to start with just gives him an extra angle to work, to be both racist and to claim victimhood, doubly confounding the earnest who’ll be fooled by his irrational viciousness.
Posted on 02-Mar-07 at 11:58 am | Permalink
If I could +1 Justin’s comment, I totally would.
Posted on 02-Mar-07 at 12:47 pm | Permalink
Mike wrote:
When I was reading about Kenneth’s book, I wondered if this was all a marketing ploy too.
He certainly isn’t above self-promotion. So I wouldn’t doubt it at all if this is just some devious scheme to feed his ego & buy him notoriety.
And if so, hey, it’s definitely working. It suckered us in for two entries.
Posted on 02-Mar-07 at 1:16 pm | Permalink