I begin first with a few of the comments (posted here) to the controversial article in question:
keggy says:
Stupid Chinese self-hater. I propose Yale start capping Chinese-admission rate at 5%, similar to how China caps the birth rate at 1 child. Would he still be at Yale?Y’08 says:
So, this is what Yale gets for sucking up to China… On another note, is it just me, or does this guy eerily resemble Cho Seung-Hui (the VTech killer)?hownowbrowncow says:
Again, 1st-generation Chinese (and those that have not assimilated) need to stick to math, science, and engineering. China + social commentary = disaster. Just saying.Big Red says:
What is funny is that Asian students use the good old foreign student loophole to get in when their English language abilities are not up to par. They also take advantage of liberal entry laws when other groups are turned away or have to live without the benefits of legal residence, i.e, financial aid, poverty programs, etc. Then they take advantage of the American system of education (as well as the economy, infrastructure and creativity) that they are lacking at home. Americans have always been willing to accept Asians just because they seem to be docile and meek and not a threat, neither adding or taking away from our political, cultural and social life. I always thought that it was good that a group of immigrants were given advantages. Now not so much.
The article in question, “U.S. cannibalizes self by enabling immigrants, poor,” is an op-ed piece in the Yale Daily News by Xiaochen Su, a college sophomore. The piece incited the fury of people all across the country, people who fancy themselves more politically conscious and race-sensitive than Mr. Su.
That’s why the Letters to the Editor in response to Su’s article name-called him a racist, even though his original article did not focus on race. Call it my idiocy, but I didn’t realize the article had to do with race until I read an op-ed response to his article referring to Su as a racist.
In fact, the only direct reference to race I found was this: “Statistics show that majority of U.S. population growth comes from immigration and high birth rate among the minorities, while the native Caucasian population is stabilizing.”
Here, Su made a few egregious errors. First, the lack of explanation for how the Caucasian population is “native” meant his arguments stood on conclusory premises. Second, we don’t really have a clue what he defined as “the minorities.” To clump all non-white races into one group would not make any sense and what’s more, he needed to tie that set of contentions in better with his stance on immigration and tax law.
Other than that and the irrelevant fact that I vehemently disagree with his proposal for change, the article was soundly written. He clearly and concisely stated the issue, exposed the flaws with our current approach, and he offered a solution, which was viable and logically presented…unless you disagreed with him politically, like the overwhelming leftist majority of the article’s readership.
This kid is also about 20 years old. He has published many op-ed pieces available online and, from reading those pieces, I recognize Xiaochen Su is a talented writer. He lucidly articulates his thought process and it in no way sounds like he writes scatological rants only to incite. These opinions are well deliberated in his mind before publication. Mr. Su is an intelligent young man contributing his two-cents to our free marketplace of ideas.
Derailing Mr. Su’s tax proposals as one step away from China’s inhumane One Child Policy also bothered me. How ethnocentric of us to believe our way is better than China’s way. Please let us respect the view that the One Child Policy may have been the best thing to ever happen for helping the country’s economy. The backlash against Xiaochen Su showed American arrogance, not American liberalism, at play.
The Letters to the Editor not only lashed out at Su, but also at the Yale Daily News, writing: “shame on not only Mr. Su, but on the News for printing such garbage.”
Ah, a proponent of censorship. That, I would say, is a very communist stance to take.
Moreover, instead of intelligently dissenting to his two-cents, readers responded with comments like:
“stupid b*tch is clearly a chinese spy trying to give us bad ideas.” – T7Stud
“all chinese students are chineses spies, i don’t know why we let them into our universities.” – Rock . . . Rock n Roll Law School
The publication never mentioned Su’s nationality. Deeply embedded stereotypes led us to presume that he was Chinese.
What disturbs me most about these responses are that it actually makes Xiaochen Su seem like the fully compos mentis one of the bunch.
See the blog Power and Politics for another Asian American perspective on the incident. It (justifiably) reproached Mr. Su and focused less on the (equally) reproachable remarks to Su’s article.
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12 Comments to “Racist Remarks to the Allegedly Racist Xiaochen Su: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black?”
me too wrote:
you’re an idiot.
Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 5:14 pm | Permalink
Akrypti wrote:
What a stirring and powerful dissent from a Yalie. This is “me too”’s IP information:
OrgName: Yale University
OrgID: YALEUN
Address: Yale Information Technology Services
Address: 221 Whitney Ave
City: New Haven
StateProv: CT
PostalCode: 06520
Country: US
NetRange: 128.36.0.0 – 128.36.255.255
CIDR: 128.36.0.0/16
NetName: YALE-NET
NetHandle: NET-128-36-0-0-1
Parent: NET-128-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Assignment
So glad Yale is turning out such high-minded individuals…
Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 5:59 pm | Permalink
Zachary Hartley wrote:
“How ethnocentric of us to believe our way is better than China’s way.”
Why does thinking America’s way is better than China’s have to necessaryily be ethnocentric.
Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 6:51 pm | Permalink
Zachary Hartley wrote:
Darn typos. I meant “necessarily” and to have a question mark.
Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 6:53 pm | Permalink
brian wrote:
Ivy leaguers, shmivy leaguers. Let me know when there’s an 8A opening :p
Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 7:08 pm | Permalink
ancient one wrote:
While I don’t disagree that the attacks on Su’s assumed ethnicity are appalling and stupid, I do disagree with the notion that his thoughts are particularly well deliberated. He doesn’t deal with some of downsides of a lack of population growth, or more precisely, the problems that nations with a growing proportion of older people face (usually associated with a slowing birthrate and a lack of immigration). Some of his ideas aren’t particularly original either (for example read the book “Dispossessed Majority” written in 1972 or search for the “iron law of wages”).
Criticism of China’s one child policy is not necessarily ethnocentric. There are real problems with it that directly affect China, from the “little emperor” phenomenon, to a disparity between gender birthrates and an eventual demographic/economic disaster waiting to happen (potentially much worse then the US’s social security problems).
As a parent, I find that the Su’s idea of tax on children is especially outrageous – children are taxing enough by themselves!
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 12:09 am | Permalink
Bertie wrote:
Yuck fale!
No, but seriously, too many low-paid low-skilled people in the population means that the middle class will be further squeezed when it comes to paying for social services. (Rich people always find a way out.) And the first baby boomer just signed up for Social Security. Middle class Generation X and Y folks will have to shoulder all of these burdens while dealing with outsourcing of skilled labor (like legal services to India). Something has got to give. It’s un-PC to state what I just stated, but hey, don’t shoot the messenger.
“Statistics show that majority of U.S. population growth comes from immigration and high birth rate among the minorities, while the native Caucasian population is stabilizing.”
Hrm… he painted with too broad a brush (possibly also underinclusive) here. I think there is a correlation between high birth rate and certain low income minorities… and probably low income people in general. But “minorities” in general? Perhaps he could have elaborated a little more. And hello… “native Caucasian”? That’s just wrong on so many levels.
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 6:43 am | Permalink
courageous kiwi wrote:
I agree that the accusations of racism are baseless.
That being said, if he’s Asian, he’s still probably a racist. Just sayin’. I know my peoples.
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 1:18 pm | Permalink
zutano wrote:
for the record, stereotypes were not what led people to believe that xiaochen su is chinese. his name is spelled using pinyin, and he clearly states on his facebook profile that he is chinese.
su’s article made some broad and offensive statements. i have been privy to an email conversation between su and a yale graduate who took issue with the piece, and su has acknowledged some of the article’s flaws. while he may hold controversial (and, in the opinion of many, mistaken) views, he’s clearly not an idiot.
as a matter of fact, the vast majority of yalies are smart people. this post insinuates that the response to su’s article has consisted only of ad hominem attacks and racial insults, but i assure you that discussion here on campus is at a much higher level than what you may see on ivygate. saying that the YDN should not have published su’s piece is not the same as advocating censorship; it is encouraging the newspaper to print material that can challenge readers’ views without antagonizing them. disrespect does not stimulate thoughtful discussion – it provokes personal attacks.
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 1:57 pm | Permalink
taimei wrote:
Full disclosure: I am Taiwanese, and am biased against mainland Chinese. Xiaochen Su’s name is spelled in pinyin, used on the mainland but not in Taiwan, so I am immediately inclined to think of him as mainland Chinese.
**********
What Su’s argument strikes me as is an oversimplification coming from someone who does not entirely understand the nuances of the situation–or chooses to ignore them, for the sake of argument. As many people have already mentioned, “native Caucasian” is a flawed term, as is the lump designation of “minorities.”
Let’s just say for a moment that Su is an extraterrestrial, and human politics is merely an objective game to him. This is actually kind of how he wrote the article: as someone outside the situation.
Given that modest proposal tone (despite a conspicuous lack of satirical humor), it makes sense that people are offended. After all, he IS human. He IS someone who, by his name, probably came to the US as an immigrant–or descended from immigrants. How can he remove himself from the dichotomy of “native Caucasians” vs. “minorities” and speak with such dispassion? Is he not ignoring his own immigrant past?
I think those are legitimate questions. Yes, he made a logical, if flawed, argument. What he actually did wrong, though, was ignore the fact that a columnist does not live in a vacuum. A columnist has the right, has the platform to speak his opinion to us because he IS one of us. And by acting as if his readers — and he, himself — are theoretical objects, he opens himself to censure.
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 9:23 pm | Permalink
akrypti wrote:
People realize I’m Taiwanese, right? And very much a member of the Green?
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 9:57 pm | Permalink
8Asians.com » What It Means to Be a Family: On Asian Unity: An Asian American/Asian Canadian Blog wrote:
[...] recall the op-ed piece “U.S. cannibalizes self by enabling immigrants, poor” by Xiaochen Su that incited Asian Americans nation-wide (alongside the white Americans) to rally against him, [...]
Posted on 26-Jan-08 at 3:55 pm | Permalink
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