The insistence by some in legacy media and Democratic circles to turn the Atlanta spa shootings into another racial reckoning is predictable. But their obsession with pushing racial narratives, regardless of the facts, has led them to a new conclusion. Now, they would hold that the Chinese government can no longer be criticized.
This was what New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler determined, blaming attacks on Asian Americans on political leaders who rightfully find fault with the Chinese government. New York Times contributor Peter Beinart similarly made the ludicrous claim that “America’s leaders must also combat the panic about China” that is “fueling” anti-Asian violence.
Viet Thanh Nguyen and Janelle Wong expressed a similar sentiment in their opinion piece in the Washington Post. China, they argue, is just a scapegoat for racial hatred, they argue. Beinart says that China hasn’t waged as many wars as the United States, so talking about China’s overt belligerence is contributing to “hysterical fear.” Nguyen and Wong say it’s hypocritical for Americans to criticize concentration camps in Xinjiang because of … drone strikes. Not only that, but China is no different from the European Union.
By their telling, the U.S. is no different from, or worse than, China’s genocidal, authoritarian government. Since the U.S. is as bad or worse than China, any criticism of China is not coming from a place of good faith but is instead primarily about spurring racial hatred against Asian Americans.
China is all too happy to agree with such ridiculous arguments. Just as Chinese diplomats are quick to adopt Black Lives Matter talking points to attack the U.S. and deflect criticism (there is no government more racist than China’s), they have pounced on the same logic Nguyen and Wong pushed in their piece. Chinese state media pushed the misrepresented quote of an Atlanta police officer saying the shooter was “having a bad day” in propaganda, courtesy of Vox propagandist Aaron Rupar and the establishment media outlets who parroted his deceptively cut and captioned video.
Yes, the surge in violence against Asian Americans since the coronavirus took hold last March is disgraceful and must be addressed. But pretending that China did not cause the pandemic by lying about the virus doesn’t solve racism, real or imagined. The same is true of ignoring or downplaying the ongoing genocide the Chinese Communist Party is perpetrating, its destruction of Hong Kong’s autonomy, and its continued threats to the sovereignty of Taiwan.
China is the world’s worst human rights abuser. No one is responsible for more violence against Asians than the Chinese communist regime. Anyone saying these killers should be spared criticism because some racists live in the U.S. is just a useful idiot for China’s despicable regime.
