The Trap of Oppression Olympics
Recently, an Asian American student wondered if they have the “right” to complain about this increased Anti-Asian violence because their community has not experienced as much as Black communities; Asians are a “minority lite.”
Who “wins” the oppression olympics? Who “wins” when people believe they have no right to complain about their experienced trauma? Who “wins” when racial groups believe that they are a “minority lite”? Who “wins” when people devalue their inherent worth with the term minority? White supremacy.
Racial solidarity suffers because in-fighting occurs as different groups compare their plights, pitting their need for healing in opposition to others’ similar needs. White supremacy supports this interracial squabble and internalized hate because it strengthens in the shadows and silence.
Peep game.
The model minority myth was created and perpetuated by the media, peddling white supremacy at every chance, to “uplift” Asian communities, while simultaneously degrading Black ones, with the idea that hard work and traditional family structures can overcome centuries of racism and enslavement. The double handed compliment removes whiteness and manufactures a false comparison. With buy-in Blacks and Asians, coupled with anti-Asian xenophobia and anti-Black fear, it creates a distance between the groups because neither sees themselves reflected in the other. Our stories become disparate…until white supremacy painfully reminds us that we are not white and, as a result, are believed to be inferior, justifying violence towards us.
This trap of oppression olympics shifts the focus away from the environment that produces unjust outcomes to a scarcity model, in which only one racial group can fight for their equity at a time. This falsehood needs to be named and challenged because solidarity among all people of color can dismantle white supremacy, healing us from its traumatic effect.
