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Application Question: Practice 1 Sample Response In this article, the writers thesis is that racism is present in all countries

and Asians are just as guilty as their Western counterparts when it comes to harbouring prejudices towards other ethnicities. While Wilson has presented a series of evidence to prove this point, I do not find his examples particularly compelling. However, I do agree with him that admitting to having racist ideologies and talking about them allow us to tackle racism better. The first piece of evidence Wilson provides suggesting racism in China is that of the Chinese legend of the creation of the human race, with the Chinese a gorgeous yellow, while the two other races either burned and black or too white. I do not find this convincing on two counts. Firstly, Wilsons unstated assumption is that legends represent, by and large, peoples thinking. This may only have been true in ancient China where the lack of scientific thought propagated such legends of the creation of Man. Even if it may be true that some Chinese today may still be affected by the racist ideology behind this particular legend, we must recognize that in embracing modernity, it is not uncommon to hear of people lamenting about diluting cultures and traditions. At best, this legend today is a natural positive-self and negative-other representation. Speaking of it as an ingrained racist ideology is an exaggeration on Wilsons part. Wilson next cites Kang Youweis racist ideology enshrined in his Improver of the Race idea as evidence of racism being present in China. It is undeniably true that advocating the purification of mankind through the nullifying of blacks is a racist form of thinking and especially derogatory towards the blacks. However, Wilson fails to convince the audience that Kang Youweis ideology is subscribed to by the Chinese today. In fact, this was not even addressed by him. In the absence of such evidence, I am not convinced by Wilsons generalization of the Chinese being racist and believers of what was presented in Improvers of the Race. (Optional this requires background information: Contrary to Wilsons assumption, only Kang Youweis political ideas of socialism and communism were seen to be influential. Indeed, his racist ideologies were and are still seen to be highly controversial, and it has to be noted that Kang Youwei once lived in exile in India, and once fled to Japan after being served an order of execution. His racist theories were never put into application in China once again, Wilson has clearly exaggerated Kang Youweis influence on Chinese thinking.) Wilson then cursorily cites evidence from Dutch anthropologist Frank Dikotter and Harvard-educated black anthropologist John Russell respectively that the Chinese found the whites ugly and that there is Japanese prejudice against Africans and American blacks. I find these unconvincing because firstly, the writer makes no effort to provide credible evidence presented in Dikotter and Russells findings,

choosing to simply cite their findings and assert them to be true. In addition, we cannot rule out the existence of bias in their findings because Frank Dikotter is a White writer arguing about racism against the Whites and John Russell is a Black writer arguing about racism against the Blacks. It would have been more convincing for the reader had Wilson endeavoured to uncover Asian racism from an Asian perspective. That said, I concede there is some truth to Wilsons argument that none of us can avoid such [racist] perceptions, and the sooner we admit them and talk about them the better. He argues effectively that admission of racism and discussing about it has brought benefits to the Western world. For instance, discourse and reflection on the genocide committed by the Nazis and the Apartheid system in Africa has resulted in Westerners exerting pressure on themselves and others not to commit such atrocities again. Elsewhere, the Civil Rights Movement continues to be a stark reminder to Americans to avoid racist ideologies towards coloured persons. Likewise, Asians need to first admit that prejudice exists, and thereafter commit to reducing such prejudice. In sum, it is never in doubt that the writer makes a reasonable suggestion that racism exists in Asia (it exists everywhere), and that racism as an issue needs to be discussed more openly so that it can be tackled. However, the evidence he presents are either unconvincing or unrepresentative of Asian sentiments he has brought a Western-centric viewpoint to represent that of Asians.

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