Adding fuel to the racism fire

In the wake of the recent uptick in crimes against AsianAmericans, Governor Newsom asks: “What the hell is wrong with us?” (E.R. California News, March 20).

I can reassure the Governor that, with respect to the vast majority of Californians of all races and ethnicities, the answer is — nothing. That is to say, we continue to work, attend school, recreate, shop, and do a thousand other routine things together in an integrated atmosphere of mutual respect, good citizenship, and good cheer. Indeed, there is statistical evidence that we are even getting married to one another across racial lines in record high percentages.

Of course, bad people as well as good folks come in all colors. Several years ago, while attending college in the Bay Area, my youngest daughter was held up at gunpoint near a BART station. The man who terrified her with the pistol appeared to have Asian features. However, we both understood immediately that this individual’s crime did not implicate or include any other person with a similar appearance. Only a fool or a bigot would conclude that other Asian-Americans were also responsible simply because their shared ancestral DNA had also crossed the Pacific.

Today’s hyper-intense racial environment has been caused, in part, by news media outlets and Internet browser pages seeking dramatic images and phrases that will spike adrenaline levels, attract attention, and build market share. Governor Newsom and other political figures (both left and right), would do well not to add fuel to this fire.