Daily Lessons from Life 19 March 2011 - US student quits UCLA after anti-Asian video

"US student quits UCLA after anti-Asian video - CNA 19 March 2011

LOS ANGELES: A US student whose "appalling" anti-Asian and anti-Japanese rant went viral on YouTube announced Friday she was quitting college, after receiving death threats.

The University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) undergraduate said the video had led to "the harassment of my family ... death threats and being ostracised from an entire community.

"Accordingly, for personal safety reasons, I have chosen to no longer attend classes at UCLA," added the student, in her third year studying political science, in a letter to campus newspaper The Daily Bruin.

In the YouTube clip she lashed out at the "hordes of Asian people" at UCLA. Speaking in a fake Asian language -- "Ohhhh. Ching chong ling long ting tong" -- she chastised them notably for talking on their cellphones in the library.

"In America, we do not talk on our cell phones in the library," she said in the three-minute clip, adding: "If you're gonna come to UCLA, then use American manners."

She continued: "I swear they're going through their whole families, just checking on everybody from the tsunami thing. I mean, I know, that sounds horrible. I feel sorry for all the people affected by the tsunami."

Well. It was obviously wrong for her to make those insensitive comments about the tsunami thing for sure. That is her inexperience in handling 'politically sensitive' issue though some would said it was unforgivable as she was or were a political science undergraduate in one of the better universities in the USA.

Lessons for me are:

1. she was right in chastening the people who chatted, loud enough to disturb other users of the library, in the library. If she had stick to that, she might not have gotten herself, and her unfortunate family, into such difficult situation!;

2. for those who threatened her and her family with death and harms, that is shameful too. She is immature even though she should not be given that she is old enough to be able to think properly or as a university undergraduate. By threatening her, they made the Asians in the USA looked like thugs. The majority of the Asians are definitely not thugs! So, behaved well Asians!!;

3. I believed the university authority should try to find out if this young lady needs psychological help or not before coming down hard on her insensitive antics. Maybe the university should assigned 2-3 Asian students to be with her for a week or so and assess how she really behaved when she is with Asian Americans that 'do the American values thing'? How about that UCLA?

May the people in the world knows that there are good and not so good folks in each race, each country, each community. The truth is: most are the good folks. So, don't give up on humanity just because of the minority.