Silent racial trauma in Cathy Park Hong's Minor Feelings
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In 'Minor Feelings,' Asian American Racial Trauma Is Laid Bare
What stood out is how Asian Americans are viewed in the country. While racial bias is mostly linked to Black Americans it was surprising to discover that Asian Americans are also discriminated against. Their discrimination is overshadowed by the fact Asians have a different skin color so it is assumed they are not racially discriminated against. Struggling with minor feelings since Asians are not the majority white or the model minority since they are not black (Hu, February 27, 2020). This results in their racial trauma being silent as they do not have a voice. Asian Americans are forced to speak English perfectly so that they can fit into the society they live in. This results in racial trauma since they have to face the scripts written for them by American society.
My racial identity has been affected by my personal experiences as I am one of the people who silently discriminate against Asian Americans without even realizing I am doing so. Being amazed at how good a person speaks English and making such a comment is in a way racial discrimination. As the author has noted, Asian Americans are repeatedly reminded how well they speak English. This is mostly done without awareness of the person saying this and it is used as a polite way of reminding one they are from a different country. One can experience racial trauma even though it is not expressed violently as is the case with Black Americans. Asian Americans suffer silently as they have no voice and most whites will make an assumption about them.
Initially thought minor feelings was referring to those feeling we ignore and they have no huge consequence in our lives.
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