Anti-Asian violence can’t be blamed on Trump supporters
The horrific murder of eight people on Tuesday, victims mostly of Asian descent, has spurred a national conversation about rising violence against Asian Americans. The sole suspect is a troubled 21-year-old white man from Georgia.
This mass shooting may not be racially motivated: The killer seems to have been motivated by a sexual addiction and mental health problems. Still, as anti-Asian crimes have risen across the country, blue check marks on Twitter have placed the blame on former President Donald Trump and white supremacy. That the Left seems to need to blame every ailment of society at the feet of white people, conservatives, and Trump himself lacks any form of seriousness. While there are some violent perpetrators who are white, conservative, or Trump supporters, FBI statistics suggest that most anti-Asian violence has come from black perpetrators. Refusing to look at these statistics represents a refusal to take seriously the lives and security of Asian Americans.
According to the Justice Department, 27.5% of all violent crimes against Asian Americans in 2018 were committed by black people. That’s over 50,000 incidents in a single year. White criminals and Asian criminals each accounted for 24.1% of all attacks on Asians. Asian people, similar to their white counterparts, are underrepresented in violent crimes committed to the proportion of the population they make up. In 2019, Asians made up 6.2% of the population but just 1% of the perpetrators of violent crime. White people are 62% of the population but commit 50% of violent crimes.
This bears note in light of the Left’s narrative that white Trump supporters are propelled toward violence against Asian Americans because of xenophobia, racism, and Trump’s usage of “China virus” when speaking about the coronavirus. The narrative falls apart very quickly when observing the data.
Some left-wing outlets such as Vox have claimed that interracial violence between black and Asian people is a consequence of white supremacy. While being ridiculous at face value, it’s also unverifiable, which likely is the point. If you can’t disprove something based on data, then you can perpetuate the narrative. The same liberals who’ve said that white supremacy is to blame for anti-Asian crime are also some of the same people who have said Asians are white-adjacent and benefit from white privilege.
Continue reading “”