Kireisugita bara ni koso toge no itami ga aru

I highly recommend any readers outside the Asian American History in Action community to read this book that I keep referencing - Ronald Takaki's Strangers From a Different Shore. It's a good read, you'll probably understand what I'm saying better, and you can make your own observations.

As for today:

The beginning of chapter 3 has me in the classic anime instant face-plant reel. Page 85, Takaki writes (direct quote) "The construction of the Central Pacific Railroad line was a Chinese achievement." While 1867 has the Chinese as representing about 90% of the workforce on the rail lines, the entire railroad wasn't constructed with that high of a percentage (in February 1865, the Centrail Pacific Railroad had only hired 50 Chinese workers - not 50%, just fifty people - and even though 50 more soon came, that's still only 100 Chinese workers), and even by 1867 there's still 10% of "something else."Once again, Takaki's agenda to emphasize the history of Asian Americans has kind of swept all the other workers under the rug. At the same time, I can't criticize him too much - he's omitting 10%, while standard American History textbooks have seriously watered-down 90% of this western-based half of the transcontinental railroad. 12000 Chinese workers are A LOT to overlook. Do you remember your books telling you how many there were? Besides the generic "many Chinese" and then maybe giving a total of all the workers on the railroad? Probably not.

Takaki goes on to write about Chinese entreprenuerial ventures and details their work experiences as employees under white masters - really, very near to slavery since the wages were so reduced for them as compared to white workers. Here's another thing you probably won't ever find in a textbook without perhaps tearing a library totally apart - like Bing cherries? Developed by the Chinese - Ah Bing from Oregon. Like oranges? Know Florida's huge citrus industry? Boosted by the development of frost-resistant oranges - also done by Chinese Lue Gim Gong. Surprise surprise. Yes, now would be the time to get the stereotypical view of the white genetic engineer out of your head.

Takaki also continues to tell of how Chinese labor was used, not only as simply a substitute to other labor, but also as competition for others already employed to stimulate a higher production. After the railroad was finished, many Chinese (and other Asians, I'm sure) where employed in the South on plantations. After the Civil War, the lack of slavery left a giant labor gap and workers were desperately needed. Plantation owners became particularly fond of the Chinese - their labor was cheap, as they were cheated into lower wages just as in every other job opportunity under white patrons, and when African Americans continued to work on the plantations with a salary, the competition of the Asians served to "regulate" them - the same kind of "divide and conquer" techniques that had been used in other employments as well.

When you think about it, many foreigners are detested for their competition above all things. It's probably this that leads to the majority of racism in America now. You might think by what I've brought up that the Asians, the Mexicans, et cetera were all exploited in the past for their labor, and so on, and yes, that's true. But it doesn't stop there, oh no. These people are still being exploited, and others still hold disdain for them because many employers still use them for competition and lower wages. This is what happens to those illegal aliens, followed by random acts of violence directed toward anyone similar (for example, in the case of the recent issue on the influx of Mexican citiziens into the southern United States, a Hispanic student was attacked by peers wielding machetes. It didn't matter whether or not he was a citizen, he looked "Mexican"). If Asian Americans are still perceived as foreigners, is it so hard to imagine that something like this could happen again? The irritation over so many cheap products imported from Asia to the United States, as well as the latest scare with pet food and toothpaste from China, won't help.

Watch your prejudices.