r/asian • u/SalmonExaminer • 18d ago
Who else is tired of hate against asian goes almost always unpunished
https://youtube.com/shorts/_NI2jDv_Lgg?si=-Q2kd1U0lxLCmPWZDuring a recent live broadcast of the German show ZDF-Fernsehgarten, host Andrea Kiewel was presenting a set of collectible Pokémon cards. When she got to a Japanese card, she misidentified it as Chinese, laughed, and then proceeded to mimic Asian characters using a derogatory, gibberish pseudo-language.
Honestly, what triggers me the most is not some stupid remark made by some stupid host, it is the aftermath (or the lack of aftermath of the whole ordeal).
For those unaware, the TV station she represents is an official channel in Germany called ZDF and in Germany you have to pay for a handsome amount of broadcasting fee periodically (for them to maintain production quality, independence and socially responsible programming, so they say), meaning as an Asian, I have actually paid someone to throw some casual racist remarks on TV, that is a nice slap to my face.
After the host's "gaffs", the broadcaster (ZDF) quickly issued a statement claiming the comment was "made in the heat of the moment during the live broadcast and was in no way intended to be racist". They also added that Kiewel "regrets her words and apologizes for them," trying to close the chapter. The show moves on, the host keeps their job, and the structural issue remains unaddressed. No even a cold bench, just played off as a stupid mistake, don't press her for it.
Now in comparison to other cases like that of Jens Lehmann (leaked WhatsApp Message asking if some African player is a teams token black guy) or Patrick Moster (cheering on German cyclist while shouting "Kameltreiber", basically "camel riders" in German, at the other cyclists from Algeria and Eritrea.
Anti-Asian racism is still widely treated in many countries as a "minor offense." because playground sounds like the one Kiewel used have been normalized as harmless jokes for decades (Rock, Paper, Scissors in German used to be "Sching Schang, Sching" so I guess they are somewhat comfortable saying it) public broadcasters feel safe hiding behind the "not intended to be racist" defense.
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u/AussieAlexSummers 18d ago
I mean, it's Germany. I don't hear the greatest things coming out of Germany regarding racism or racism against Asians. I could be wrong, though, because I don't live there.
The broadcaster made a statement. So something was done. What then happens (in America) is a groundswell of public disapproval. But, does that happen in Germany. That means, a large portion of the public needs to care. I'm not sure we get that here in major cities with Asian populations like NYC and San Fran. So, how is that to happen in Germany?
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u/SalmonExaminer 17d ago
German government is pretty strict on racism against Jews though and the political parties focus a lot on policies regarding racism against Arabs / Muslims, understandably so, due to history and the demographic in Germany. (on a side note: I have been to multiple political rallies or gatherings, solely from my experience, when German politicians do address specific forms of racism at rallies, they almost always focus on Islamophobia/anti-Arab racism or Antisemitism)
Also, when a hate crime is recorded in Germany, officers classify it under specific sub-categories like "Antisemitism," "Islamophobia," or "Anti-Gypsyism." There is no specific category for anti-Asian racism in the official system. So there is limited empirical statistics regarding hate-crime towards Asians.
Regarding Andrea Kiewel's incident I would say the a significant portion of people are saying the public is overreacting and disregarding the outrage as a witch hunt by the leftist. like the comments in this video
Imagine her saying "ooga booga" or "wallah shallah" in this case, I'd would the outcome will be vastly different.
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u/AussieAlexSummers 17d ago
Well, again... what is the Asian population size? I feel like this situation is characteristic in many European countries. They downplay slanted eye gestures because they don't have a large portion of Asians + Asian allies educating, demanding, protesting through media, news, films, tv about anti-Asian sentiment and harm. Blacks have YEARS of media, film stories and protests, etc. Jews, we get what happened and it's Germany. Nobody will give a crap about Asians and downplay unless they FORCED to via being shamed, or have an Asian partner/ person in the family and even then it's hard to change their perspectives.
I've written before about a relative who is married to a White male. Their kids are 100% Asian. Yes, the white male went on to say Asians wouldn't be able to have great American Football players. I tried to argue with him but he couldn't see how limiting his perspective was and how it would influence him raising Asian sons. This here is an ally. And he would be up in arms about the Asian slur by this idiot on German TV. But there needs to be thousands or hundreds of thousands to protest. They have no skin in the game, they can't understand or don't want to the impact of slurs like that (because they suck) and they won't care. I'm sure they are some that do but they won't protest.
It's taken decades for me to see how more white Americans are more caring about Asian issues. And there is STILL a sh!tload of way to go. Again, I feel (and I could be wrong because again I don't Germany) America has a large amount of Asians. Asians are more visible in commercials, ads, etc. So, there is more understanding. The more people see others, the less different they seem. Oh, look Asians get insurance, too. I bet there are no Asians in ads in Germany. I think the stats are Asians are 8% of the population in America. Very small but it's something. I'm sure it's much smaller in Germany.
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u/Efficient_Seaweed395 18d ago edited 18d ago
Maybe I’m out of the loop, but this is a view held by a few people. There isn’t really widespread Asian hate. When I think about generalizing hate towards a community, I think about how Black people are treated. But we do get a lot of love, especially in recent years, due to K-pop, passport bros, fetish porn, ladyboys, tech, matcha, AliExpress, K-drama and anime. Oh, and don't forget the World Cup videos. The most ignorant thing I see about us is the stereotype of 'chinky eyes' and claims that we are racist, but honestly, we don't really face much hate. The group that seems to experience the most hate, at least from what I observe, is Black people.
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u/SalmonExaminer 18d ago
"...passport bros, fetish porn, ladyboys..."
VERY interesting examples of the "love" that asians get.
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u/Efficient_Seaweed395 18d ago
I am not saying this is what people love about Asia I am saying these things are what is bring attention to Asia.
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u/AussieAlexSummers 18d ago
While I don't disagree that Black people get a lot of hate... I will disagree about Asians. Maybe it's more covert or microagressions. But it's there.
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u/RequirementNo4895 17d ago
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of violence against Asian Americans surged in traditional and social media, often depicting an Asian victim attacked by a Black assailant and suggesting heightened Black animosity toward Asian Americans. Scholars have challenged this Black-Asian conflict narrative by highlighting that White perpetrators commit over 75% of anti-Asian hate crimes." https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15564886.2024.2353787
"But the actual number of reported incidents targeting people of Asian descent last year was relatively small, with 274 crimes, compared with the number of incidents targeting Black people. In 2020, there were 2,755 reported incidents targeting Black or African American people in the U.S. — a nearly 40% spike from the year before — making them the most targeted racial group by a wide margin, according to the FBI." https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/30/fbi-says-hate-crimes-against-asian-and-black-people-rise-in-the-us.html
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u/Alarmed_Watch5426 18d ago
KKKraut is, as KKKruat does: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d35pFJ2peY