Q1: What created the discrimination against Chinese people in the late 1800’s?
In the late 1800s there was discrimination against Chinese people in different forms. This seemingly arose from certain perceptions including that they posed a threat to take jobs from people who were already U.S. citizens, that they undercut wages, and that they were more prone to criminal activity. However, the reality was that generally they did not pose a threat to taking jobs, as they only were 3% of the population. Also, they didn’t undercut wages and actually often went on strike in order to obtain higher wages. Also, they were not more prone to criminal activity and more than other groups in LA during this time. So my question is where exactly did this discrimination come from? Did people generally just believe in these certain perceptions?
Q2: Who would you blame for the Chinese Massacre?
Our lecture notes explain that the lower class individuals, hoodlums, and ruffians were blamed for the Chinese Massacre? Do you agree why or why not? Should we blame the government, the city of Los Angeles, the idea of whiteness, or the people “safe-guarding” their whiteness? Is everyone to blame? In my opinion the government and city are to blame for being complicit and allowing policies to be made against Asians.
