On February 22, 2020, an Asian man (68) was assaulted on Osceola Lan, San Francisco while collecting recycling cans. An investigation under the San Francisco Police Department was thus implemented with the intention of finding out the the truth behind that evening. Videos of the incident have spread throughout the media, raising awareness for the incident and racism in general. Conveying implications of assault and robbery, the video showed that the victim withstood a hit on the head from a shovel, along with mocking. The majority of bystanders mocked him or did nothing. Meanwhile, the victim proceeded to cry as he was teased, further highlighting the impact and severity of racism. Moreover, on February 27, 2020, the SFPD arrested Dwayne Grayson (20), a young man who allegedly filmed and posted the shocking video. He has been charged for robbery, elder abuse, a probation violation for a prior crime, and a hate crime enhancement. Further investigation is occurring to find other suspects involved. The tensions and miscommunications between races are thus exemplified, tying into the ongoing conflict of racism, a prejudice that has been the cause for oppression in the past.
- Racism has always been an ongoing conflict, what do you think drives the dispute and tensions between people?
- Social media has impacted incidents both negatively and positively; what are some examples regarding this one and why does it have that particular effect?
- Bystanders that are stagnant due to fear are common throughout history; what are other reasons compelling passiveness/joining in? Is fear the main catalyst of not speaking up?
I believe that prior preconceived notions about other races, as well as an attempt to seem "cool" and "tough" to others, drives the dispute and tensions between people. Social media has the ability to both impact incidents positively and negatively, because it helped the situation by spreading awareness about the issue at hand, but contributed to the issue itself because the man who filmed and posted it, most likely wanted to gain attention from the video, and didn't help the man because of it. I believe that fear is the main catalyst in not speaking up, although a good amount of people also probably don't care enough about others to put themselves in potential harm's way, if they are not directly affected.
ReplyDeleteStereotypes and ideas about other races cause tensions and disputes between people. Often, these groups are neck and neck with each other, fighting over jobs or other opportunities so they will take any chance possible to put themselves and their group over others. This means that if one race ¨slips¨ and worsens their stereotypes, such as the Chinese with coronavirus, tensions will increase, almost indirectly pitting races against each other. There is also a ¨community¨ attitude due to the spread of disease, of ¨I must protect myself and my people from you and your people¨.
ReplyDeleteSocial media has definitely been known to spread information or shocking topics in unbelievable speeds. Social media can undoubtedly spread important news, like amber alerts and hazards. However, social media can be backstabbing, especially in this video degrading the asian man. This situation exposed social media's power to show the inhumane belittling there is in this world.
ReplyDeleteI think that fear does play a big role in situations like this. However, I believe that fear plays a part on both sides of the situation. Fear can play a role in compelling passiveness because some people are afraid to speak up for themselves or for others. Fear can also play a role in compelling you to join in because everyone around you is also joining in. In addition, fear can also compel you to stay in the situation. For example, if you already have joined in on teasing someone, fear may compel you to continue to tease the person because you don't want to be seen as weak for stepping away from the situation or speaking up for the person.
ReplyDeleteBeliefs and misconceptions about others has been known to drive disputes between people, and that is what occured in this particular situation as well. Social media had a good effect in this particular situation. It helped raise awareness of what was going on and aided in the police finding and arresting a criminal.
ReplyDeleteRacism is mostly driven by false stereotypes, misconstrued perceptions, as well as the general feeling of fear. There's always the act of one person actively "otherizing" someone else, invisiblizing their value to life. Social media both positively impacts these types of situations by spreading awareness but also negatively influences people to take violent actions for views and attention.
ReplyDeleteWhile some forms of social media are looked down upon for their lack of reliability in news, I believe that when it is done correctly, it does a great job at raising awareness. In this instance, I think social media had a more positive impact on the situation than negative. Many of the people I follow have reposted this video to show how people have become increasingly more racist towards asians recently, due to the virus. The local police department was able to identify this man, and I think it was made easier because of the amount of attention that has been brought to this video.
ReplyDeleteI think that right now we are seeing a lot of racism toward the asian community being emboldened by the coronavirus, the excuse of the virus is a false narrative that is used to be cruel, like this instance of racism was for this man. In addition to the other negative implications stereotypes lay onto various groups, because of the coronavirus many have had racism impact them.
ReplyDeleteI think that the thing that drives racism is the thought of superiority. Because someone feels superior to someone else, they feel that they have the right or the obligation to exert their "power" over the other person. Social media is a vast space where nothing can truly be deleted. If you don't want something on social media, don't post it. It has helped many find friends and even love, but has also been a catalyst for pain and bullying. In this case it was a positive because they were able to find and arrest one of the perpetrators. Some people join in or watch because they don't see a problem with what is going on. They think it is alright, so they let it be. Fear is one of the reasons for bystanding because they are afraid that the attacker will turn on them.
ReplyDeleteI think people are compelled to join in because its shown that people don't like confrontation or they bystander effdct in which people think others will step in, but I think its mainly poor and unethical reasons people won't join in. Which is sad that were all going against and just hate one another. Its never ok to attack someone for no reason
ReplyDeleteThis incident of racism was likely drawn from a misunderstanding about a race and from an idea that it would seem "cool" on social media. The cause of this incident was negative (for social media), but it also had a positive result as it arose awareness about the racism. There were many angry responses to the video, which were very effective in holding the attacker responsible. I saw this video myself on social media,and was angered about it as well. It touched me to see how many others felt the same way and wanted to help the man out.
ReplyDeleteHowever,the bystanders in the incident did not step in, which disappointed me. Fear of confrontation probably led to this, but someone, someone, should have stood up for what was right.
I think that currently fear, panic, and frustration are all driving the dispute and tension between people. I believe many people are concerned and upset about the coronavirus, and are unfairly and incorrectly taking it out on people who appear to be Asian. In this case, I also feel it was driven by the attackers dehumanizing the Asian man - it is much easier to bully and ridicule someone when you don't even see them as a person, just a joke. Additionally, the bystander effect is not only very disheartening in this situation, but downright concerning. If you watch the video closely, you can see many people laughing and taking videos in the background. I struggle to understand how anyone could see this incident as funny or even okay. It's especially concerning, as it leads you to wonder: if you were in a situation like the man in the video, would anyone have stood up for you?
ReplyDeleteI believe the main reason for dispute and tensions between races is the way they had been influenced to grow up in their childhood. Many people who do prejudice against others are often told that their actions are justified by others with lots of authority over them. If they are told that being racist is not a bad thing, they would most likely hold onto those ideals and it would be very hard to change their opinions. It could also lead to feels of mistrust and superiority, and lead to hate crimes such as the one listed.
ReplyDeleteEspecially in the context of the new coronavirus' spread across the world, I think it is sae to say that there has been an increase in prejudice against people of asian/chinese descent, or anyone who looks that way. Though "fear of Asian people" is irrational and immoral, it makes sense that people want to be on the safe side to keep themselves safe. At the same time, such a prejudice is no reason to go out and assault someone. Fortunately, I feel that similar incidents will begin to become less common in the coming weeks, as more and more people go into lockdown. As the virus increasingly becomes an international concern, hopefully the blame will shift away from the Chinese and more on the governments on countries that aren't taking enough measures to combat the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteI think people need to realize that not all asian people have/are the cause of this virus. I've seen people that aren't even Chinese get mistreated because of the way they look, and plenty more Chinese people be treated even worse. Physically hurting a person does not make the virus disappear or change, it just ruins the chance of a healthy environment where we can come together, which we need so badly in this time or distress.
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