7/29/2019 AQ1 Sample Response

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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 thecreation 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, Wilsonfails 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,

7/29/2019 AQ1 Sample Response

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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.