The Beginning of Hate
We can help prevent hate crime — like the daunting wave of violence against Asian Americans — by uprooting one of its many causes: generalizations.
The Asian community in America is in pain. Over the last few months, a disturbingly high number of attacks on Asian Americans have taken place across the country. Many of the victims are elderly and some of the attacks have been lethal. But this recent trend is only the latest affliction on a very long and burdensome 12-something months for many Asian Americans.
A little over a year ago, the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic started to become evident. Unfortunately, as the disease spread, so did dangerous and discriminatory misinformation. Terms like "Chinese Virus", "Wuhan Virus", and "Kung Flu" along with misleading ideas about Asian habits and diets were shared and repeated by many. Numerous documented instances of public harassment and acts of violence against Asians surfaced for all to see, but little was done to remedy the situation. A year later, we are still witnessing despicable acts of violence against Asians and Asian Americans.
Ending this wave of hate crimes now is requiring coordinated efforts from key communities along with local and national authorities. But these casualties and incidents could have been avoided. We didn't need to be here. It took far too long, far too much suffering, and far too many pleas for actions to be taken. We should have ended this where it began: false generalizations.
There is an obvious way to stop a hate crime: impeding the act itself. But what if we could prevent them from happening long before they did? Hate-motivated violence isn't the first evidence of prejudice. Hate crimes are the eventual rotten fruits birthed from the deceptive seeds of discord sowed some time ago. The path from false information to an act of violence can be long — but it is still there. And yet, we continually ignore the connection. False rumors that marginalize portions of the population are first dismissed as jokes, or worse yet, "hard truths". Maybe it's because very few of us ever witness such horrid violence for ourselves. Perhaps we have unchecked biases and partially believe those lies ourselves. But these generalizations can eventually take their full form at the hands of the few individuals that only needed a pretend reason to harm others. That's why we should never ignore generalizations — they open doors that can lead us to terrible things. So, we must act early.
Any of us can play a part in abolishing the beginnings of hate violence. We can do it by cutting off generalizations from our circles and conversations. When we uproot these false ideas, we could be protecting someone and preventing a future tragedy. Whenever we hear a generalization, we should challenge it immediately. Here is a go-to response:
Generalization: "Those _____ are all _____."
Response: "All? You've met all _____? That can't possibly be true. That's false and dangerous. Please don't repeat that.”
In the instances in which I have used this reply, I have personally seen many correct themselves right away. Of course, some dig an even deeper hole by doubling down on their comments. But the goal is to expose what a generalization really is: a false report.
“No Generalizations" is actually one of the family rules in our home. If one of our children spout a common but seemingly innocent generalization like, "teenagers are _____", "boys are _____", or "girls are _____", we interrupt them and ask them to be specific. "Which _____? It can't be ALL _____." The kids are allowed to call us out too, and often have!
By helping others question their generalization you're leading them towards the next important step of questioning if their idea is true about anyone at all. Generalizations are often so wrong that they aren't even true about a single person.
Jesus spent much of his time abolishing the generalizations of his time and place. And he often did this proactively — before even hearing anyone openly share a false concept about others. Samaritans, for example, were so despised by some of Jesus' local compatriots that they'd call someone a Samaritan as an attempt to offend them. So, who did Jesus first reveal his mission too? A Samaritan woman. He understood that she was more than a false label. She was not what the generalizations said about her. After his revolutionary conversation with her, he stayed as a guest in her Samaritan village for a few days, further emphasizing his commitment to her people. I wish I could have watched Jesus’ disciples react when they found out where they would be lodging. Those couple of days must have been uncomfortable and shocking for them — but there is no question that many of their biases and generalizations were abolished in the experience. Later in his ministry, Jesus would share a short story to describe what it means to be the a good neighbor. And who was the character in his story that best exemplified kindness and sacrifice? A Samaritan man. The audience was astonished. Generalization abolished, again.
Through words and actions, Jesus intentionally offered truths that protected persecuted groups. He showed those around him that they had misjudged their neighbors. Jesus did this because he loved the Samaritan people. He also did this because he loved his own people. By challenging their bigotry, he was also gifting them much needed freedom. Those who humbly understood his message, Samaritan or not, were released from the fear and danger of prejudicial thinking. The truth sets everyone free.
Generalizations are often the beginning of hate. They feed prejudice by giving us the false permission to judge someone before we even know them (prejudice = pre-judge). It will take courage and compassion, but when we realize that prejudice can lead to hate crime, we will understand how important it is to end it. By halting a generalization, you could help stop a hate crime years before it happens. You won't ever know you did, but you will certainly know you did the right thing.
On a practical and important note, if you witness any hate incident against Asian Americans, report it immediately to STOP AAPI HATE. A special thanks to Andrew Kim for helping me process some of these thoughts more clearly.
Hebert “H” Cabral
Learning to be. In love with my wife, our three children, and our Savior. Serving End Prejudice as a leader and communicator.