racism

Why is Kathy Groob not held accountable for her anti-Asian American racism when others have been fired for “less racist” social media posts?


 

Like hundreds of others who are Asian American or are have strong ties to the Asian American community, I have written about self-proclaimed feminist Kathy Groob who tweeted that Senator Mitch McConnell’s wife Elaine Chao (former U.S. Secretary of Labor and Director of the Peace Corps) essentially could not be a Kentucky citizen because she’s Asian. Her logic would make my Asian American teenage daughter and Kentucky citizen non-existent, with her ridiculous rationale that having Asian ancestry and being a Kentucky citizen are mutually exclusive.

Again, I am a political moderate, clinging to my belief that neither party actually represents any position, other than that which would result in the election of their candidates.

With that disclaimer, I am linking to an article by a guest commentator, obviously a Republican, who nonetheless makes some valid points and asks some difficult questions which the Democratic Party has failed to answer.

http://www.courierjournal.net/commentaries/article_06929e5a-2239-11e4-88d2-001a4bcf887a.html?TNNoMobile 

 

Former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao

 

Kathy Groob, Self-Proclaimed Feminist (exceptin Asian American Women)

When will America stop with the prejudice and stereotyping?

 

 

Elaine Chao Attack by Liberal Feminist Kathy Groob Will Not And Should Not Go Away


This is an update to an earlier post on Liberal Feminist Kathy Groob’s racist tweets against Elaine Chao, the first Asian American female to serve on a U.S. President’s cabinet in American history. Former Secretary Chao has also served as director of the Peace Corps and president and CEO of United Way. Had Former Secretary Chao not looked “foreign” [translated–“didn’t look like an American should look”], Ms. Groob, as a self- designated Feminist would be shouting from the rooftops Ms. Chao’s many noteworty accomplishments.

Make no mistake, I am a political moderate who believes ALL American citizens deserve the same rights regardless of their physical ethnic or racial characteristics. Increasingly, I find myself both disappointed in and more alienated from both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Also make no mistake, I think Kathy Groob’s IQ (intellectual, social or otherwise) has risen into the double figure range by not only deleting her racist tweets (one of which is included below), but acting on the advice (of someone of at least slightly-below normal intelligence) to cancel her Twitter account (because given the ignorant, most racist tweets I have ever read, she clearly is without the mental acuity to realize that armed with a social media account, she was essentially a super-sized Jim Crow incapable of spewing anything other than ethnic and racial hatred with each stroke of her keyboard.

I have seen firsthand the collateral damage, up close and in person, (as the father of an Asian American daughter and Kentucky citizen–like Elaine Chao), the dehumanizing effect Ms. Groob’s vitriol has on people (like my daughter) “who do not” look American (whatever an American is supposed to look like). This suject is of such great interest to me because:

  • My Asian American daughter, like me, a Kentucky citizen, cannot exist, according to Kathy Groob’s link below. 
  • Being the recipient of ethnic and racial slurs and told she “doesn’t belong here”, my daughter’s self-confidence (critical to the survival of ANY teenage girl) has been severely impacted, making her feel like “she doesn’t belong and is unwanted in America”–which is the very essence of Ms. Groob’s message on the world’s social media stage. (My daughter, who is bright for her age, actually found the tweets before I did and suggested that she was beginning to understand why “the rest of the world hates America.”)
  • There are so few succesful Asian Americans celebrated in the American media for their many accomplishments that is difficult for an Asian American student to see the need (other than that based onpersonal pride–which their peers so frequently try to rip from them) to strive for greatness in America: (1) Self-proclaimed “Feminist” Kathy Groob rather than touting the sucess of an unquestionably successful female, who served as Secretary of Labor, director of the Peace Corps and CEO of the United Way, essetially belittles Ms. Chao’s many accomplishments because of her physical features and intimating that no matter how many generations back her ancestors have been American citizens, Elaine Chao “will never really be considerd a ‘real’ American citizen”, and (2) I love Jeremy Lin. He spent 30 minutes video-chatting one-on-one with my daughter discussing their shared experiences of dealing with hatred on the basketball court and encouraging hr not to descend to the level of the haters. [Jeremy’s mother, who had read about my daugher’s experiences in the Asian American press, called Jeremy while he was still in China and asked Jeremy to call my daughter and give her some advice] Even though Jeremy was listed as the number one ranked California basketball player his senior year in high school, he did not receive a single scholarship offer and has been the subject of racism and discriminatin while playing in the NBA. While I am not a fan of former NBA Commisioner David Stern, even he stated that Jeremy Lin’s lack of recognition and playing time in the NBA was, without question, based on the ridiculous myth that Asians cannot play basketball. Please keep an eye out for my daughter’s progress if you have any interest in seeing the folly of this unfounded myth that Asians can’t pay basketball.

The following is a link to an aticle summarizing the Kathy Groob “incident” from beginnimg to end:

http://www.inquisitr.com/1400726/political-operative-tweets-racially-charged-messages-about-mitch-mcconnells-wife/

The last link is to a wonderful piece appearing in the Washington Times, describing the harm Kathy Groob has done with her racist tweets.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/4/simmons-ahem-is-this-what-a-post-racial-america-lo/?page=3#ixzz39v3KdtA9

Quote from Deborah Simmons’ excellent article:

‘. . . because [Kathy Groob] is desperate to prove a point. Ms. Groob might have well said, “Don’t elect McConnell because his wife is not one of us.”

Sometimes folks are afraid, especially self-designated, dyed-in-the-wool political operatives who have branded themselves as specialists in bolstering women in politics.

What does she see down the road?

A post-racial candidate?”

 

Kathy Groob: Your tweet insinuates my Asia American daughter, with her Kentucky citizenship, does not exist!

 

 

According to Feminist Kathy Groob, Elaine Chao will never be considered a”real American” because she has Asian features. This “national” attitude does dot bode well for my daughter’s future in America–if she chooses to remain here.

 

 

At least former NBA Commissioner David Stern attributed Jeremy Lin’s mistreatment and lack of playing time resulted rom discrimination.

 

 

 

RIP Kathy Groob’s racist and jingoistic Twitter account

 

Microagression–subtle (some say) racist comments not “obvious” on the surface.


I am so sick of “well meaning”people making comments about my Asian American daughter. I am not talking about the obvious racial slurs (like “chink”, “slant eyes” or “Commie”–she was adopted from the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan and her first language was Russian. Never mind that ethnic Kazakhs share a mixed Turkish-Mongolian ancestry, and my daughter comes from a primarily Turkish Ru (“tribe” to you non-PC worldly types).

When my daughter was 4 or 5, an unnamed “idiot” at my company picnic, who thankfully was fired as a poor performer soon after my chance meeting with him, began to tell me and a very uncomfortable group of coworkers held captive with by the “idiot” were spared no detail in hearing the “idiot” describe in graphic detail how he and his wife were unable to have their own “real” child (reaffirming my faith that genetics would see that the “idiot”‘s DNA would not be carried forward). With my adopted Asian American daughter sitting on my lap, I told him I didn’t understand his reference other than that it was a phrase used in Pinocchio and that I was very grateful MY DAUGHTER WAS REAL. Incapable of understanding my less-than-subtle-way to ask him to shut up, he asked scarcely before I finished, nodding down at my daughter, “How much did she cost?” After hearing about his financial woes for the first ten minutes of our pontoon ride, I told him based on his dire financial condition, he should contact me in 10-20 years if he was asking what I thought he was asking. Since my daughter and I conversed frequently in Russian, her first language, during the boat ride, I was, but should not have been when he asked me if she could speak Chinese when she was adopted at 18 months of age. At this point, I suggested that he save his questions for later, during a more appropriate tone (or, on reflection, I may have told him I was going to kick hiss ass if he opened his mouth again before we docked).

In any event, my daughter receives all the microaggression questions which are obviously racist, but cleverly concealed (or perceived as such by the questioner) on a daily basis and I certainly receive my share also–even from “friends” whom I am keenly aware no better.

Below is a link to a vey good Psychology Today article on microagression racism, its frequency and harm to the victims.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201010/racial-microaggressions-in-everyday-life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feminist Kathy Groob’s Racist tweets about Kentucky essentially having NO ASIANS is a lose-lose situation


Kathy Groob got into a Twitter war arguing that Elaine Chao, the former labor secretary and wife of Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell, can’t possibly be from Kentucky, “because she’s Asian.”

That drew a firestorm on Twitter from folks who didn’t see the relationship between being from Kentucky and being Asian. One of Ms Groob’s many Anti-Kentucky and Anti-Asian American racist tweets (all of which she later deleted from her account), appears below.

In order to present an accurate portayal, I am including links to articles posted on a Kentucky television station (WHAS), an extremely conservative blog (fireandreamitchell.com) and an Asian American blog (AsAm News) to let you determine the appropriateness of Ms. Groob’s comments regarding Asian Americans and Kentucky (1) Kentucky has no Asians, and (2) Ms. Goob continues to openly express the widely held belief, despite her very liberal views, that Asian Americans, regardless of how many generations their ancestors have been American citizens “are really never fully American.”

I realize, of course, that politics often descend into the absurd and that Ms. Goob made her racist attacks because she disapproves of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnel (R, KY) (who is married to Asian American Elaine Chao–a citizen of both Kentucky and the United States) and I realize she did make an “apology” (though her “apology” was perhaps the weakest and least effective apology in modern political history). Ms. Goob’s comments, however, fall outside any sense of human decency, and continue to depict Asian Americans, depite their legal citizenship, as forever foreign and unwanted in their country of citizenship. Make no mistake, there is no doubt, whatsover, that Ms. Goob was well aware of Ms. Chao’s citizenship (in both Kentucky and the U.S.). If she is as involved in politics and feminism on the national scene as she claims, she would certainly know that Elaine Chao was the first Asian American women to be appointed to a U.S. President’s cabinet in American history, serving as the United States Secretary of Labor from 2001 to 2009. If Ms. Chao did not possess Asian features, I can only assume she would have been thumping her chest that a female served as Secretary of Labor (a Cabinet level position) for two full terms under a Republican President–but how could she celebrate a woman in such a high level position because thw woman “did not look like an American citizen, but looked instead like a massage parlor worker whom the poor, ignorant hillbillies populating Kentucky (including me, though I have an LL.M. degree from George Washington University and even have an “Asian” daughter) would surely not allow to live in their state. I guess I should receive my notice any day to report to an interment camp with my daughter).

Since Ms. Goob has announced to the world through social media that Ms. Chao can’t possibly live in Kentucky because of her Asian features, I guess, based on her logic, my 15 year-old Asian American daughter isn’t from Kentucky either since she was adopted from the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan and has lived with and been a part of our Kentucky family since she was 18 months old. The good liberal, Ms. Groob, has helped perpetuate the myth that Americans with Asian features are somehow strange and different and will never be accepted as true Americans in the United States. Perhaps her point of view (which many claim is wholely within the domain of Conservative politics, though Ms. Groob has proven otherwise) is the reason that Asian teens are the most bullied racial group in the U.S. and also have the highest suicide rate.

I care very deeply about this subject of Asians being viewed and treated differently because the issue directly affects my ethnic Kaazakh daughter (both an Asian and Kentucky citizen, though in Ms. Groob’s world the two categories cannot co-exist). I also care because my Asian Kentucky citizen daughter was bullied (racially harassed and retaliated against) at her previous school based on her ethnicity, national origin, race and religion) while the school system at every level displayed an incredible deliberate indifference with regard to my many comlaints of her mistreatment. When people like Ms. Kroob spew their hatred on a national stage, there is a trickle down effect reminding all of white America that American citizens with Asian features are “not really” Americans and there is no need to allow them the same courtesy and conditions to which white people feel priviliged.

http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2014/08/02/feminist-kathy-groob-tweets-deletes-racist-crack-against-asians/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FireAndreaMitchell+%28Fire+Andrea+Mitchell%21+Exposing+Liberal+bias+cause+the+MSM+doesn%27t+have+to.%29

http://www.whas11.com/community/blogs/political-blog/After-she-is-Asian-tweets-about-McConnells-wife-Dems-rebuke-operative-269676631.html

http://www.asamnews.com/2014/08/04/whas-democratic-operatives-tweet-about-elaine-chao-draws-rebuke/

 

 

 

 

 

Slowly, but surely, the law recognizes bullying for what it is.


The article from the Education Law firm referenced below provides a very concise, but accurate picture of the general state of the law regarding bullying, as it now exists. Here's to hoping school administrators (not all of them, of course, because I've m

et some very good ones) spend more time in changing their school system's climate that tolerates (or, at times, instigates) the harassment of students from diverse cultures, and spend less time trying to protect those in their good old boy network and less time focusing on preserving the cronyism status quo. Adopting a curriculum that extolled the virtues of tolerance and the importance of diversity should be a top priority for all school administrators.

http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/bullying-slowly-but-surely-the-law-rec-74663/

 

 

Fox News calls that bumbling, rambling monologue an apology?


http://www.asamnews.com/2014/07/14/fox-news-host-issues-half-hearted-apology-for-racial-slur/

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Jeremy Lin excited about being traded to @Lakers


 

Jeremy Lin excited about being traded to @Lakers.

I hope Jeremy’s incredible basketball talent is appreciated by the Lakers. I KNOW his humanitarian and charity work will be appreciated!

20140713-211214-76334610.jpg

Lost For Words — Jeremy Lin


A very touching video in which Jeremy spends hours of his own time to help a bullied Asian American student overcome his fears of even speaking in his school.

I personally know this video is not simply some public relations attempt to portray Jeremy Lin as a super Christian willing to help bullied minorities.

Once Jeremy Lin learned from his mother of the unmitigated mistreatment and bullying of my Asian American daughter by her fellow students and basketball teammates (who continuously hurled racial slurs at her without intervention by responsible adults) as reported in the national media, he arranged a 30 minute video chat with my daughter. His encouragement and words of wisdom greatly helped my daughter adjust to the new school where she transferred, as she began to excel academically and socially and renewed her love of basketball-and worked constantly to improve her game, eventually receiving an invitation to join a Nike EYBL basketball travel team on which she starts. During her freshman school year, she received letters from coaches at high D-1 universities.

My daughter described him as a “regular guy” and incredibly humble (which shocked her since she had held him on such a high pedestal) who offered her techniques to deal with the racial slurs and use them as incentive to improve her basketball game. He told her he has had to deal with racial hatred his whole life and refused to let racial slurs or other stereotypes define who he is as a person.