Was it a common practice for Chinese Americans to bring Chinese flags with them?
Probably not flags usually, but there was a great deal of effort made by Chinese-Americans to distinguish themselves as “Not-Japanese” to the white majority of the US during WW2 to avoid getting racism-by-proxy.
It’s cute that she believes racists will even recognize the flag.
Funny(?) enough, efforts by Chinese-Americans to differentiate themselves from Japanese-Americans to the racist majority of the US were largely successful during WW2.
This seems wild to me. So they seem some guy using chopsticks and they’re like “git him, oh wait hold on…raw fish: Japanese, fried rice: Chinese. Wait what did Ruth say about noodles… Flat noodle, Chinese foodle, noodles in broth or round, go get that clown.”
Lol you’d be surprised. Sometimes it doesn’t even come from a bad place.
My ex (ages ago) wanted to understand and support my culture better, so she went out and watched Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift.
Likkeeeee I appreciate the effort but bruuuhh I’m Filipino. Wtf.
Some people just grow up thinking “Asian is Asian”.
And uh Tokyo Drift? Really?
My ex (ages ago) wanted to understand and support my culture better, so she went out and watched Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift.
Likkeeeee I appreciate the effort but bruuuhh I’m Filipino. Wtf.
That’s almost impressive. Multi-level fuck-up.
The hell did I just read 😭
The absurdity of racism is all the more exposed when what an arbitrary social construct it is is highlighted. Throw the Japanese-Americans in internment camps and forbid them from serving the military with white people - but praise Chinese-Americans as allies against Imperialism™ and let them serve as officers in non-segregated units with white folk.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s great that WW2-era white America got over its anti-Chinese racism for ten seconds, but it would have been a nice bonus had it not been just another extension of racism’s arbitrary nature.
Funny(?) …
I would use ‘funnily’ in that context.
As for the rest, the US actively supported China while the Japanese were invading. Doolittle’s Raid, for example, overflew the Japanese islands, dropped some bombs, and then landed in China, because they wouldn’t have had enough fuel to turn around and go home. China was essentially an ally in WWII.
I think folks knew the rising sun japanese flag in that decade
Anti-Japanese sentiment was rampant in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, and it would only get worse. Racism against Chinese-Americans was considerably less, as China was seen as an ally against Japan.
The circumstances of this photo are obviously bizarre and uncomfortable, and fuck fascism and fuck war, but smoking hot is smoking hot.
bonk
Ah how the times change, the alliances shift, but the racism stays the same.
