Democrats link Atlanta massacre to anti-Asian rhetoric during pandemic
Category: News & Politics
Via: drakkonis • 4 years ago • 117 commentsBy: Cleve Wootson, Marianna Sotomayor (MSN)
This is a good example of why I have such a problem with the Democratic Party and those who support them. As of the writing of this, I have found no mention by anyone investigating this tragedy that this was racially motivated. I'm sure the Dems are aware of this as well. They don't seem to care. They are going to present it as racially motivated anyway. No matter what.
Why? Because it makes a convenient political weapon and they know their base will accept it because they are just as eager to bash the other side as their leaders are. They don't need truth, they're happy to settle for plausible. They did the same with Kavanaugh, Trump and others. The party that wants to chuck due process out the window and just try people simply on appearance. You know, the party of "I believe her?" Simply making a claim from a member of a Democratic Party approved "victim" class is enough for them.
This absolutely makes me sick to my stomach. There is a very good possibility that the Asian women killed were already victims before they were killed. Women brought here on false promises by other Asians and then forced to be sex slaves. Did any of these oh so concerned Dems have any questions about that? Hell, did they have any questions about anything? No. They just saw it as a perfect club to use against the other side and so, spun it as a racial hate crime and had at it.
What's more, what about the white man and woman who died? What about the Latino man who was shot? Where the hell is the concern about them? Apparently, they aren't a tragedy.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
As word spread Tuesday night that a White man had gunned down six women of Asian descent at three spas in the Atlanta area, Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) tweeted out the names of every Republican House member who had voted "nay" on her resolution to curb anti-Asian hate crimes. "There is blood on their hands" she wrote on Twitter.
"I put forth that resolution last year not for any partisan purpose of attacking anyone," she said in an interview Wednesday. "I wanted to show the Asian community that Congress, your leaders on both sides of the aisle, condemn this sort of bigotry. I never expected it to be partisan at all."
The rhetoric the legislation tried to squelch, she said, "certainly contributes to these sort of violent actions."
The massacre that left eight people dead immediately sparked a political fight Wednesday, with Meng and some other Democrats viewing the tragedy as an outgrowth of virulent anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes tied to the coronavirus, which was first detected in Wuhan, China.
Authorities investigating the spasm of violence in Georgia say early signs pointed to a disturbed suspect who claimed he was a sex addict and who saw the spas as "a source of temptation that needed to be eliminated." Authorities said it was too early to know whether the killings were also racially motivated.
But many advocates and Democratic lawmakers said it was hard to separate Tuesday's killings from the recent increase in anti-Asian animus, including rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
"Asian Americans, including people like me who are born and raised here, we have always been made to feel like we are foreigners and not true Americans," Meng said. "There's already a stigma about Asian Americans and if you add onto that a president with a worldwide platform who has blamed us for the coronavirus, I would say that laid a foundation for what happened Tuesday."
While many Democrats were quick to condemn the shooting and link it to Trump's rhetoric, Republicans remained mostly quiet. Top House and Senate GOP leaders did not release statements or tweet about the killings Wednesday, with House leaders choosing to keep the focus on the immigration battle and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delivering criticism of President Biden's China policies.
The only two Republican Asian American members of Congress, Reps. Michelle Steel and Young Kim of California, expressed their ongoing concern over the rise of attacks against members of their own community.
"My heart breaks to hear of the tragic events in Atlanta. I'm praying for the victims & their loved ones," Kim wrote on Twitter. "While we wait to learn more, I stand with the AAPI community today & always as we witness more hate & attacks. This is not what we stand for."
Steel said the Atlanta case "only adds to a long list of recent, violent crimes against our Asian American and Pacific Islander community. . . . This has to stop. We have to do everything we can to put an end to hate and help our neighbors, especially as we work together to defeat the covid-19 pandemic."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) tweeted Wednesday that Asian Americans "have nothing to do with a repressive Communist Party or with a virus that originated 7000 miles away."
"Anyone without enough common sense to understand that is an idiot," he wrote.
Since the virus spread, Asian Americans, including in the Atlanta area, have faced escalating harassment and verbal abuse. Words of derision have come from random people on social media or the street, but also from the nation's highest office. Trump repeatedly blamed China for unleashing the virus on the world — and tanking the United States' economy. During the tirades, Trump repeatedly used racially insensitive names like "China virus," "Wuhan virus" and "kung flu."
On Tuesday, during a Fox News appearance, Trump referred to "the China virus," as he often has during the pandemic.
"We were the envy of the world and then when we got hit by the — as I call it the China virus, covid — it obviously went down with every other economy," Trump said during an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
In the Atlanta area, where the killings occurred, plaques that read "Wuhan plague" have appeared on buildings. An Asian American schoolteacher and her husband found a slur spray-painted on the side of their Nissan Altima after leaving a movie theater. An Asian American man on his way to a boba tea shop was told, "Thanks for covid."
Across the nation, authorities have investigated roughly 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian abuse, advocates say. For people who have spent the last year highlighting such acts, Tuesday's deaths represented a violent escalation.
Police arrested Robert Aaron Long, 21, after a brief manhunt and said he is the suspect in all eight deaths. Authorities said Long, who is White, took responsibility and they believe he acted alone. He has been charged with murder.
At a news conference, Cherokee County Sheriff's Capt. Jay Baker said Long told investigators the killings weren't racially motivated, and that he claimed to be a sex addict who had frequented some of the spas in the past. Baker stressed that the assertions were just the initial things Long told investigators and that "we still have a lot of things to process."
One of those things is what role, if any, anti-Asian sentiment may have played in the killings.
Lawmakers in Washington broadly condemned the killings, including many who said slurs and invectives directed at Asian Americans had laid the foundation for physical attacks.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) tweeted that "Words matter. Xenophobia has deadly consequences. We must #StopAsianHate now."
"People who are loose in their language in this time of covid-19 have made some racial slurs in the process that have cost many people dearly," said Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.). "We need to be helpful to this population and to be knowledgeable about what they're facing and to make it clear this is absolutely unacceptable."
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), said whatever the motive for the crime, it's a sign that the nation's leaders have failed to protect some of society's most vulnerable citizens in a year where hateful rhetoric and action has increased.
Chu added during an interview that, though Trump is out of office, other Republicans have still hesitated to denounce his rhetoric, including many who voted against Meng's resolution about hate speech.
"You would have thought that would have been a no-brainer," Chu said. "Do you actually support anti-Asian hate crimes? That's really what [a nay vote] implies.
"I think that they were irresponsible and derelict in their duty, but very obviously they were doing that because they followed Donald Trump and his rhetoric," Chu said.
Both Chu and Meng will take part in a House Judiciary Committee hearing on anti-Asian hate speech scheduled for Thursday morning — around the same time that Long will be arraigned.
Advocates are also trying to make March 26 a day where victims and concerned citizens can speak out against anti-Asian American hate speech.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) said the city is trying to speed resources to AAPI communities to address the uptick in hate speech and stem fears about potential violence.
"We're hearing the stories," she said. "We're seeing them on television. We're seeing them on social media, so we are certainly aware."
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This should be fun /s
It's clear that YOU failed to ask any questions about the victims. If you had, you'd know that your BS about there being a 'very good possibility' that the Asian women were forced to be sex slaves is ridiculous.
33-year-old Yaun, of Acworth was the YOUNGEST and she was a CLIENT.
Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, of Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44, Soon C. Park, 74; Hyun J. Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; and Yong A. Yue, 63. Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, survived.
I don't know about you but I have never envisioned a 49 year old sex slaves that own their own business.
Seriously, you're relying on disgusting racial stereotyping.
Hyperbolic BS. There has been a ton of reporting on ALL of the victims.
That would be incorrect. I can't control when information comes out for any given event. At the time of my postings there was no information available concerning these things. Of course once the information does come out I suppose one could then use it in a post to sharp shoot someone else as if the information had been there all along.
Or I did my research and know that there is actually a good chance that they may have been sex slaves brought over from Asia. You should look into it.
Not four days ago. And, comparatively, the other victims are barely mentioned. The media is still falling all over themselves trying to make this about racism.
Why do you say it is ridiculous? I don't think you have clue one about the Asian sex trafficking problem in this country which seems to be centered on massage parlors.
Before you go to town on me you should know what you're talking about first. Try googling sex slaves: massage parlors. Then get back to me.
No, I'm simply aware of a very serious problem that actually exists. There's no stereotyping involved. Again, educate yourself and then get back to me.
Well, this is weird. I posted the second one because the first one didn't appear. It wasn't collapsed or anything. I checked. Just wasn't there. Oh well.
YOU commented on these specific victims and my post illustrates just how ridiculous your comment is.
I think the data that I posted proves that I already know what I'm talking about.
Yes, Your whole posit is based on stereotyping. You insist that the victims should be viewed through the lens of sex slaves and trafficking victims, without ANY evidence that ANY of them are victims of either.
There has been reporting with interviews of their family and friends that lead me to believe that most if not all were legitimate business owners and/or employed massage therapists.
Unlike you, I chose to wait until I had some facts to base my comments. As someone who has 2 good friends who are licensed massage therapists, I see nothing nefarious.
Wow. I got it all wrong myself. They said he was a sex addict, but it seems at least one woman gunned down was a client. Pretty sure these other women are licensed massage therapists.
OH, so your 'research' lead you to concluding that 'there is a good chance'.
Well that settles it. /s
That's on YOU. YOU chose to come to unfounded and unsupported conclusions.
Their gender and AGES are documented. 60 year olds aren't the kind of 'hot' draw that I envision when I read about sex slaves working at massage 'parlors'. Certainly not a draw for the 21 year old shooter...
Well, you can believe as you wish, Dulay. And you can ignore my advice about doing the research. I suppose it makes it easier to believe your own posts.
Well...that would be one.
You know, it's kind of funny that you come at me this way and display your ignorance while doing so. It doesn't matter what you envision or don't envision. What matters are the facts. According to what I've read, women enslaved in these places can be anywhere from 20 to 50 or even 60. It seems most are middle aged, trying to pay off debts back home.
Tell you what. I'll help you out. An article from the NYT. These are easy to find, since this is apparently a 3 billion dollar a year industry just on the illicit side and is projected to grow by something like 23%.
Or you can not bother and remain ignorant.
Your link doesn't support that statement. Try harder.
Are you trying to claim there is some kind of age limit on prostitution or sex slavery? If so, where is your data for that? And if not, why should anyone care how old these people were?
My comment was about the seeders link. Try to keep up.
It doesn't need to. I provided a link so that you can at least get some understanding of what is being talked about. I'm not going to do all your research for you. Especially when it isn't likely to make a difference to you anyway. You're just going to ignore it and keep on keeping on.
So you won’t answer simple requests for you to clarify your statements? I guess I shouldn’t have expected any better.
Sure it does. You insisted that articles were 'easy to find'. So find one that supports your statement.
Actually no. What I am refusing to do is play the 'this is what I read into your statement' game. I have no intention of answering to a fallacious interpretation.
Well that’s obviously false to anyone who can read. I didn’t read anything into your statement beyond the clear fact that you seem to think age is relevant to something. I just asked you to explain it. But if you don’t want to talk about your own statement, the rest of can only assume you came in to drop another irrelevancy with no point. Again.
Bullshit Tacos. You posted an utterly non-responsive reply to my 1.1.10 comment about the seeders link. Note that he has yet to post a relevant link to support his statement.
The real story is much harder to ignore. The women trafficked in massage parlors are typically immigrants from China or South Korea, usually mothers between the ages of 35-55 who are looking for a way to support their families.
And, as for the Spas involved in the shooting. All three spas are listed on Rubmaps, an erotic review site that allows users to search for and review illicit massage parlors. That fact alone is insufficient to say these women were necessarily sex slaves of one type or another but it certainly is a factor.
Okay. So there's your post. Please continue to deny, however.
So you have insufficient evidence to make any of your proclamations...
Your first link brings me back here and your second one doesn't say a fucking thing about sex slaves.
I'm not denying anything. I am merely trying to get you to support YOUR claims, which you have yet to do.
No, I've wasted enough time on you already. You can lead a horse to water....
Here's where the first link should have taken you. Human trafficking in Massage Parlors: A Deeply Manipulated Sense of "Choice" | Polaris (polarisproject.org)
That is from an organization named Polaris, which fights human trafficking.
But you STILL can't support your claim.
Did you hear how Biden politicized this?
What a disgrace he is.
Let me be the second to wish him good health.
Why would you use the same 'ominous' phraseology as Putin did against Biden Vic?
Isn't that awfully close to death wishing of the POTUS?
I guess that makes me part of the "Russian plot" right?
Isn't that awfully close to death wishing of the POTUS?
Oh, suddenly you recognize actual meaning over the literal wording! Who knew it was possible?
[removed]
Harris will get her turn, no hurry.
lol
You tell me Vic, YOU are the one that characterized the phrase as 'ominous'.
I take YOUR 'actual meaning' from YOUR 'literal wording'?
From the article.
I'd say that, in a way, this is sort of accurate. As word spread, all many cared about or even heard was "six women of Asian descent." In fact, the article doesn't even give one single line to the two white people who died or the Latino man who was shot. Sort of like reading about a family of four and their dog we killed in a car wreck and no one cares about the dog. Guess who is apparently the dog in this article.
I have to wonder why it is hard if one doesn't know, factually, that this was racially motivated. Unless one is simply ruled by emotion. "Well, it was a white guy so it had to be racism, right?" I mean, that's the message being pushed so hard by Dems, progressive groups and progressive education. White people can only interact with not-whites as racists, unless you reach some mythical uber-woke status that is poorly defined.
Whatever happened to caring about things like truth and fact?
Until all of the evidence comes out, y'all wiping your arses with a partisan vigilante's rope. Cut it out!
Liberal writers with an agenda have been twisting themselves in knots trying to make this a racism story or a political story. The problem is that so far, there is no evidence pointing to that other than the dead bodies of some of the victims.
Here is a sampling of headlines from the LA Times. Sorry, it’s behind a paywall, so you may not be able to read the actual stories:
Violence has Asian Americans questioning how far they have really come in their American journey
Atlanta spa shootings evoke renewed calls for Congress to act against anti-Asian hate
Atlanta spa shootings stir fear amid historic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans
Column: If the mass killing of six Asian women isn’t a hate crime, what is?
In addition to these stories pushing this invented narrative, the Times was prompted to run multiple stories about past anti-Asian attacks, just so you get the message that anti-Asian white supremacy is an urgent and chronic crisis that infests American society.
People don’t like to hear this, but not every attack on a person who checks some intersectional box is a product of racism, sexism, whateveraphobia, or politics.
It seems a lot of people are eager to dismiss the fact that not everyone shot by this maniac was Asian or even female. The Asian females were exactly 75% of the dead. But if you really really really want to make this an Asian thing, you have to forget about those other victims or invent some reason why they’re murders are insignificant. From what I see over the last couple of days, most liberal media is treating them like collateral damage. Nice.
Frankly, if I was related to either of those victims, I’d be pretty pissed at the apparent disregard people have for those murders just so they can peddle some political agenda.
By the way, four of the women were Korean. Not just “Asian” and definitely not Chinese. We hear a lot of talk about how the “china virus” talk is driving the violence. It strikes me as kind of racist to assume that something done to a Korean person is automatically because of that.
Yeah, I feel the same.
As frustrating as it is that what you're saying is just plain common sense, I more or less find a little hope in that there is essentially just one person among the "usual suspects" who is actually here arguing against what is plainly obvious to anyone who thinks. I'm hoping the rest aren't here arguing with us because they actually get it or, at least, don't feel they can come up with a credible argument against the obvious. I'm hoping they just get it.
I wonder if the average American Non Asian person
could correctly identify the heritage of a a group of females from Central Asia to the Pacific Rim.
Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesia ?
I know I would not have a clue.
Based on what, exactly? I have no reason whatsoever to care why this guy committed murder.
The only thing being twisted is reality, and this by people who for some reason have no problem believing this guy when he confesses to the crime of mass murder, but they don’t believe him when he tells the cops why he did it. It’s not as if he has something to gain by lying about his motive and it’s not logical that he would be truthful about the one thing, but not the other.
2/3 of his shooting victims were Asian (a Hispanic male was shot and is in the hospital). They just don’t all have “being Asian” in common. What they do have in common is that they were all found in brothels that masquerade as massage therapy studios. If this guy had wanted specifically to kill Asians, he could have gone to a single known ethnically Asian community, spun himself in a circle and shot everyone around him. Instead, he specifically traveled to three massage parlors to do his killing. It just so happens that those places are often staffed by Asian women.
Please provide evidence that they were all brothels. I'll wait...
BTFW, you might want to review the ages of the women that were murdered. The only one under 40 was a CLIENT, most were over 50. Oh and the owner that was murdered is a LICENSED massage therapist.
I don’t need to. That’s what the killer thought. That’s all that matters.
No need. It’s not relevant. You think you need to be 20 to be a sex worker?
THAT was YOUR opinion, not the killers. [removed]
I may have been the first and most prolific NT member on the topic of increased hatred of Asian Americans, and the causes of it, not only because of where I live and my feelings about Chinese people, not only because I am married to a Chinese woman, but because of the religious prejudice experienced by me during my childhood. However it may be a shock to BOTH sides of this issue that I agree in this case with Drakkonis, because I DON'T think that race has anything significant to do with this mass murder. In fact, when the first articles about the event were published on NT, I posted this comment:
I'll bet that most such spas and massage parlours are staffed by Asians, and as I've indicated in my quoted comment, I think that it was the business, not those who staff it, that was foremost in the mind of the perpetrator. As well, in my opinion, the waving of this event as a prime example of the anti-Asian hatred that is increasing in the USA TRIVIALIZES the fact of the increase in the actual incidents.
Correct. I have linked elsewhere (@6.1.6) to studies that confirm this, and of course it is well understand by common people in our society. Frankly, if people want to be outraged about something impacting people of Asian descent, they should consider the vast human trafficking networks that keep these massage parlors in business.
I'm amused by the fact that although I stated in my comment that I agreed with Drakkonis, and presented an opinion that backs up his seed, he did not "thumb up" my comment although he has "thumbed up" comments by other members. Perhaps the conservative refusal to reduce the partisan gap and come together, to encourage unity, is because it's what Biden asks for, not Trump.
Please provide evidence that they were all brothels. I'll wait...
BTFW, you might want to review the ages of the women that were murdered. The only one under 40 was a CLIENT, most were over 60. Oh and the owner that was murdered is a LICENSED massage therapist.
Are you trying to claim there is some kind of age limit on prostitution or sex slavery? If so, where is your data for that? And if not, why should anyone care how old these people were?
Why is that important?
AGAIN Tacos, your reply is NON-responsive to my comment. The first sentence of my comment was:
A WEEK latter and NO evidence has been posted that the murdered women ran or worked in a 'brothel' OR that they were prostitutes OR sex slaves. So despite your innuendo, you've got NOTHING.
Well gee Tacos, MY posit is that prostitutes and/or sex slaves need not go through 500 hours of training to become a licensed massage therapist.
That is obviously not accurate to even a casual observer. Why be dishonest? I ignored one question in your comment, but I clearly responded to the rest of it. I can’t fathom why you think anyone should prove that a massage parlor operated as a brothel, nor do I know how people would accomplish that when no one here is a member of law enforcement investigating the case. You didn’t even explain why it should matter.
Perhaps they need not, but they might anyway. Being licensed certainly doesn’t preclude them also working as prostitutes. I don’t see what any of that has to do with the murders. Can you explain it?
Finally, I asked you specifically to explain your concern with age and you ignored it. Should I now get high and mighty and proclaim that your reply is NON-responsive? Sheesh!
Another inaccurate response. I have made no innuendo. I haven’t even made an argument in the comment you are replying to. The comment you replied to only asked questions. I asked four of them, all attempting to get you to clarify your remarks. You gave a partial answer to one of them. Talk about NON-responsive!
No, it's not obvious.
Why pretend that I am?
YOU seem to have forgotten that 6 days ago YOU are the one that made the distinction between brothels and massage parlors Tacos? I asked you to PROVE it and now you're admitting that only a LEO investigating the case could accomplish that.
If sure seems like you have come to understand that you should have WAITED until FACTS were uncovered BEFORE you spewed unfounded innuendo.
Or not...
To you? NO.
Your habit of characterizing questions, fabricated from fallacious interpretations, as 'asking for an explanation' has run it's course Tacos. I've told you, I'm not playing that game with you.
Oh but you DID:
THAT is an innuendo Tacos. One which you ADMIT there is NO evidence to support.
Are you intentionally misrepresenting the situation? Or do you not understand it? I have already explained to you - and it is clear from the police press conferences - that the killer saw these places as houses of prostitution. It was never my intent to confirm his suspicions. How could I? I have said so repeatedly now, and it just bounces off of you. Basic facts ignored.
Well, that’s convenient. You write absolute irrelevant nonsense and then when asked to stand by it, you attack whoever challenges you. It’s becoming a pattern. By contrast, I have been totally willing to discuss my comments.
I’ll invite you yet again to answer the questions I posed to you.
Oh, I wouldn’t go that far, but I do probably know more about most of the topics here than you do, and that’s good enough.
Then why did you post the following?
THAT was you, NOT the shooter Tacos.
Glad that you finally recognize that.
That’s no longer relevant to the discussion since I have now twice clarified my remarks for you. You have no excuse for misrepresenting my position anymore.
Now for the third time. Will you answer the questions I posed to you in response to your comments?
You HAVE? Where? All I see is tapdancing and a continued refusal to recognize that you can't support YOUR statement.
I NEVER misrepresented your position in the first place. I QUOTED you.
I have already 'explained' my position more than once. AGAIN, the premise of your questions is fallacious and a game I refuse to participate in.
Based on your posts, you see what you want to see and aren’t interested in what other people have to say about their own thoughts. It’s the typical gotcha game we have come to expect.
Alright then. The premise of your questions is fallacious and a game I refuse to participate in. However it has been useful exposing the disingenuous bullying nature of your comments, the way you reject clarification and insist on your own interpretation. Which is, as anyone can see, not an interpretation at all.
From your steadfast refusal to explain yourself, it is reasonable to conclude that your comments about the ages of people were rooted in bias and apparently were an attempt to argue with people (anyone really) based on an ignorant or closed minded perception of a type that you perceive.
An interesting contrast here is that I was forthcoming in trying to clarify my remarks, probably because I am actually interested in discussion. You threw a verbal bomb into the discussion and refuse to discuss it at all, blaming others when they ask for clarification. I guess I don’t blame you for not wanting to face your own remarks. No one likes to be caught stereotyping.
Nailed it...........kudos
If you can read the posts of certain people, you cannot deny the accuracy. You may be next..............Please take care
Based on the fact that you chose to truncate my comment I see that you aren't interested in acknowledging your own mistakes.
So you view asking you to support your own statements as a gotcha game. I'll keep that in mind.
Oh and BTFW, who the hell are this 'we' you pretend to speak for?
Your imitation of Pee Wee Herman?
There you go again with the victim card.
Poor bullied Tacos.
Tissue?
Based on the statement you made, that's an utterly ironic statement.
You tried and failed to walk back your characterization without acknowledging that it was unfounded. In fact, you just dug yourself in deeper and made it worse. Rather than showing an interest in discussion, it merely illustrates an unwillingness to take responsibility for your statement.
What I don't get is why someone with a sex addiction chose to kill those who would bop his bologna. Isn't that kind of like a starving man killing the wait staff at a restaurant who now won't get fed?
Apparently, in his mind, he was attacking the temptation so it can't tempt him. I suppose there is a certain logic to it, but obviously, the specific action here is taking it to an insane level.
That is confusing