(Once again, apologies to Seinfeld). PBS presents a documentary on “The Chinese Exclusion Act”,” the 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become U.S. citizens. The first in a long line of acts targeting the Chinese for exclusion, it remained in force for more than 60 years.” Some will say it should be a template for our times.
Women detainees at Angel Island. Unlike Ellis Island, where 98 percent of incoming immigrants made their way through, eighteen percent of the applicants at Angel Island were initially rejected – and five percent deported outright – after grueling interrogations, and harrowing detentions.
Tuesday, on PBS stations.
A must see. It may not be limited to Chinese. Consider those NFL players who wish to stand up against police brutality and racism. The NFL owners have decided that protesting such vile behavior can get them fined or even fined. Trump of course took a victory lap and went further arguing they should be deported. Black American citizens have been told that if you stand up for what is right – you will be deported.
I’m guessing Roger Goodell fought against this behind closed doors. No one can be that “tone deaf”. But Goodell answers first to the owners, the owners collectively are his “boss”. He has probably wisely elected to let the owners “find out for themselves” how this goes over with minorities and younger people rather than make enemies with the owners on an issue which has an inevitable ending whether Goodell falls on the sword or not. Morally I think Goodell is in the same camp grounds, but I think tactically Goodell knows this is not a good move—dictating to players that they cannot kneel.
Is the average black male or black female sports fan going to stop buying jerseys and NFL merchandise over the kneeling issue?? This is the REAL question, rather than athletes doing in essence what amounts to a 6 year old pouting during an anthem. How much do engaged parents care when a 6 year old child pouts?? Many blacks still “don’t get” that it is dollars that matter to NFL owners, not 6 year olds pouting during a flag ceremony. Have most white female women stopped buying official NCAA/NFL apparel and merchandise over the sexual assaults on college campuses and NFL players beating the cr*p out of their wives/girlfriends??? Have you noticed any white women changing their consumer/purchasing behavior related to how the NFL relents on punishing abusers of women?? Until at least the women purchasing the NFL merchandise stop doing so, the NFL will go on acting like they see nothing.
These women who protest the NFL—yet continue on purchasing NFL merch for their husbands and boyfriends, are equivalent to the women going out to protest for women’s rights, yet will readily admit to some journalist in the middle of the protest that they never made it to the 2016 voting booth. Some have put these numbers over 50% of the women attending protests—these were not FOX news sources. Real numbers.
When you filter out high ability people, and the better brains, you cut of your own nose to spite your face. One of the greatest “benefactors” (science and inventions wise, and nearly every field under the sun) of Hitler’s tirade on the Jews was America. A museum curator at one of the more famous art museums in New York made a semi-famous quote once, referring to the immigrant Jews escaping the German persecution in Europe “Hitler keeps shaking the trees, and we get all the good apples.”
Andrew Lo is a Chinese American, raised in a single parent household. I would argue losing ONE “Andrew Lo” is detrimental both to that person and to the country that denied that person citizenship, or just denying them respect as a human being. What about 10 “Andrew Los”?? What about 100 “Andrew Los”?? It’s not good policy and on top of it, it’s self-destructive policy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac4-zlAv6pw
There’s a rumor going around that Chinese are quite good at math too. Not that I would know anything about that……. I was once told by a young Chinese lady I knew that I was a complete imbecile because I couldn’t simplify ratios when presented with a problem on the spot. I still don’t know if this was her litmus test for a long-term continuance of the relationship. No matter, it seems I failed in multiple “categories” , so…….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp06oGD4m00
I should have said beneficiary, instead of benefactor, in my above comment. See, I knew there was a reason that Chinese girl had had enough of me, I think I finally figured it out.
I wasn’t aware that Canada instituted similar policies including a head tax on Chinese immigrants as well as their own Exclusion Act of 1923. It’s crazy to think how relatively recently the US & Canada implemented these policies. As it relates to the current climate, it’s interesting to note that various resources on the Act of 1923 state that West Coast residents blamed the poor economy and declining wages on Chinese immigrants – eerily similar to factors many attribute to Trump’s victory.
@ rtd
I know you’re trying to point out the extreme irony in the functionally illiterate segment of the American public voting for a philandering loser, who would promise them jobs and then remain silent as those same jobs left the country. I agree with you 100% “rtd”, the irony runs deep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyfJvTmxelY
Maybe Harley Davidson jobs going to Thailand after Trump’s “job creating” tax cuts shows that bad karma is a real thing and America is getting what it deserves for how we abused Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Or maybe it just means Trump is a lying bastard. Let’s ask the Alabama MAGA Republicans who voted for the pedo judge running for US Senate what they think.
Menzie
Do you have a family history related to these acts of the time? If so, it would be most interesting and, I suspect, much more informative then a PBS history. I could tell of my grandfather immigration, which as difficult as it was, would not hold a candle to the racist government overreach against Chinese immigrants.
Ed
Stupid. Dangerous.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/2702751/us-navy-warships-in-serious-incident-with-china-after-sailing-into-disputed-waters/
In 1945 after the super carriers were no longer needed, the US navy steamed them south from Okinawa raiding Japanese assets on Formosa, Hanoi and Saigon.
Those built up islands make US super carriers less usable.
I doubt China forgets the [naval] Opium war either. While the pentagon now has a new mission: Anti Access/Area Denial, AA/AD where it can spend treasure and never use it because taking those islands became a “red line” for China years ago.
I think that this incident should not be overblown. China knows that their ownership is contested, and should expect exactly this type of “testing” of their resolve. If the US hadn’t done it, theý would have thought that the US had conceded to them. This is standard practice
Menzie counter since May 14th for Mexican / Central American migrant predation and victimization:
Died in Mexican interior or desert 71
Raped 4,381
Kidnapped / Extorted 1,068
Assaulted and Robbed 7,123
Deterred Entrants (Turned Around) 4,274
Extended Incarceration 3,562
Economic migrant drug smuggling 1,603
Forced Prostitution, Labor 784
Total 22,866
Ervin Yen is a man running for a state Senate post in Oklahoma. I’ve seen him on TV many times, and he speaks quite well for himself. Doctor Yen graduated medical school, so he obviously takes health issues very seriously. All he is saying is that if you are exposing other children to communicable diseases (other parents’ children, however you want to word it) then vaccines should be required. If anyone wants to know the average education level of a person living in Oklahoma, look at the pics and the comment thread. Ervin is Chinese American and they are intentionally misleading voters by using visuals associated with Japanese:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oklahoma/comments/8mms54/senator_yen_knows_best_citizen_obey_comrade/
Ervin Yen is a Republican, but he strikes me as a good person and one of the more responsible leaders in Oklahoma (a red state, largely devoid of good leadership). I don’t know him personally or have any connection to the campaign. And I don’t mean to turn Menzie’s blog into a political banner. But if there are any Chinese who would like to support “one of their own”, who also strikes me as a pretty decent guy, here is his campaign website. The vote is June 26th and in largely illiterate states TV adverts can be the deciding factor.
http://yen4senate.com
it is unfortunate people today, like peaktrader and rick stryker, actually defend these types of activities. it is unfortunate that people like trump, and his followers, really have no regard for the long term damage they do to folks in this country. its like the us citizen who was detained in montana because she spoke spanish. the immigration agent in that case should be fired for incompetence and failure to protect us citizens. what a loser.